Home Remedies for Cleaning Metal Doors

Metal doors are very commonly used as front doors, garage doors and even shed doors. Since these doors are affected by the outside elements they often get weathered and rusted, especially if they were not finished correctly in the first place.

However, there is hope, and it doesn't take expensive cleaners to get them looking like new again. There are items that you already have around your house that will do the job.

Horsetail Herb

Horsetail herb makes a great cleaner for metal since it is contains large amounts of silica acid. Just boil 2 cups of dried horsetail herb in 2 cups of water (let it simmer for five minutes). Let the boiled mixture sit for six hours. Use it to clean your metal door by immersing a sponge into the horsetail mixture or lay the door down flat and dump the mixture over the top and clean that way. Horsetail herb can be purchased at any local health food store or ordered online.

White Vinegar

White vinegar is a wonderful cleaner for nearly everything around your house. It eats through nearly everything you can imagine, such as hard water stains, grease, mildew and rust. White vinegar is a perfect cleaner for your metal doors and it is safe to use. Just spray the white vinegar onto the door, allow it to sit for five minutes and then go over it with a wet sponge.

Toothpaste

Sounds funny but it is true, toothpaste is a great way to clean and polish a lot of different things, including metal. Toothpaste contains sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and xylitol, a non-sugar sweetener that protects the teeth from decay and cavities. It just happens to work out that these two ingredients are also very effective on other things other than teeth. Squirt the toothpaste onto the metal door and with a damp sponge work the toothpaste around, rinsing well with water when done.

Ketchup

Ketchup works wonders on cleaning and polishing all types of metals. Ketchup helps oxidizes rust and tarnish, eating through them so that the underneath metal looks new again. Spray your door with water and then squirt it with ketchup. Work the ketchup around the door focusing in on the rusted spots and allow it to sit for 10 minutes before wiping it clean.

Dawn, Tide and Warm Water

Dawn dish soap with a scoop of Tide laundry detergent, mixed in warm water cleans rust and dirt from metal doors. Spray the door with water so that it is already wet. Then wash the door well with the soap mixture, using a tough sponge so that all the rust and dirt is easily removed.

The Drip Cap

Metal doors are very commonly used as front doors, garage doors and even shed doors.
Let the boiled mixture sit for six hours.
Sounds funny but it is true, toothpaste is a great way to clean and polish a lot of different things, including metal.
Ketchup helps oxidizes rust and tarnish, eating through them so that the underneath metal looks new again.
Work the ketchup around the door focusing in on the rusted spots and allow it to sit for 10 minutes before wiping it clean.