Sauté Old Hinges to Remove Paint

November 24, 2013 · 1 Comment

Painted hinges in an old house scream “Low rent!”

The house in St. Paul that Lida and I just bought has a bunch of painted hinges in the bedrooms. So I Googled around and discovered a solvent-free method of cleaning up the hardware.

Here it is: First remove the hinges. Then find an old pan you never plan to use for food again. Pour some baking soda on the bottom of the pan, lay in the hinges (or other painted hardware), add enough water to cover everything and heat to a low boil.

Simmer for about 30 minutes, pull out each piece one at a time and peel away the rubbery paint with your fingers.

For hard to reach spots, use a toothbrush or soft metal brush.

It’s actually quite satisfying work … undoing the extremely poor decisions painters made over the decades. Who care if I was inhaling a little lead-infused steam. Worth it!