Cleaning aluminum

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sarahperdue

sarahperdue

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Hi everyone,

What's the best way to clean and deoxidize aluminum? I've spent a lot of elbow grease polishing, but I've been searching the web and see diy instructions for cleaning with acids and commercial cleaners.

Thoughts? I would love something that can be prepared in a bucket for dipping or soaking. I have pieces varying in size from a sink drainboard to small utensils.

Thanks in advance,
Sarah
 
My griddle from my '59 frigidaire CI range is badly in need of help on the underside, been looking too.  I've read baking soda and peroxide works well but have not had the quantity of baking soda to try it. Last resort is oven cleaner but that does a number on the aluminum.
 
No, not oven cleaner!

In addition to pitting the aluminum, it can discolor it.

Do you have a self cleaning oven you can clean your griddle in? I'm going to have a Frigidaire Custom Imperial double oven in the kitchen, but I'm planning to put a single GE P7 in the workshop for both overflow cooking and cleaning things as needed.

Sarah
 
Aluminum can be cleaned with any mild acid

Oxalic acid (highly poisonous!), acetic acid (vinegar white or apple), maltic acid (apples), tartic acid (cream of tartar).

This pretty much sums things up nicely.

https://cleaning.lovetoknow.com/how-clean-aluminum

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalic_acid

You can also use finest grades of steel wool to buff, polish and clean aluminum. But work with grain and don't go at it as if scrubbing front steps.

You can also use aluminum foil to clean aluminum items...

https://www.reynoldskitchens.com/tips/cleaning-aluminum-foil/

Something one has tried and can vouch for..

https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?68237_4

Whatever method chosen best to test a small inconspicuous area first before jumping in whole hog.
 
No, not oven cleaner!

Yes, I know..   I did some major scrubbing through the middle section and 1/3 of the bottom is clean, but that took too much effort. I keep the top side nice and polished, the underside is a remnant from when my dad was still around, he was messy in the kitchen, but he did cook and bake a lot. The damage from the oven cleaner could be polished out with steel wool.

 

My oven is sort of dead at the moment, need to replace the hidden element, but even after that popping the griddle in is problematic since all racks must be removed from  the oven for it to go into clean mode, do no know if setting it directly on the bottom of SC oven is a good idea.
 
Off topic sort of

I run the self cleaning cycle in my P7 with the racks in and usually have some Corning or other cookware in for a good cleaning. Will the sky fall?
 
Mothers...

I love Mother's, but it takes a long time, punishing amount of elbow grease and a fair amount of product to take a very oxidized piece of aluminum back to a shine. Been there, done that. I'm looking for a solution that will cut time and effort on the front end. I'm happy to polish to a lustre, but using polish to cut through decades of oxidation is a thankless task.

Sarah
 
Rhubarb

My mom used to make rhubarb crisp.  Her favorite vessel for baking it was an oval Descoware enameled cast iron casserole dish. 

 

One time she baked one up and brought it to the nuns at St. Leo's school convent.  When she got the Descoware back, the enamel on the bottom surface of the pan had been stained a light brown tint.  She tried everything to remove it, but nothing worked.  That dish was stained forever. 
 
Rhubarb

Just isn't part of Southern culture. Most of us have never seen one!

As for what kind of things--pots, pans, deep wells, kitchen drainboards (I have an aluminum one)... I've put a few things in a vinegar soak. I've also read about commercial preparations designed for cleaning pontoon and john boats.

I ask because I've noticed a lot of aluminum items that have, for years, been sold with the grey oxidation, now listed with a bright, polished shine. I love the way polished aluminum shines. It's softer, more like sterling than stainless.

Sarah
 
I've tried three times to grow rhubarb and it always fails the second year it's in the ground -- if not sooner.  I don't know what I'm doing wrong.  It's supposed to grow like a weed with little or no attention once it's established, but I can't even get it to that point.

 

I did use either Mothers or Meguiars aluminum/mag wheel polish on a vintage Mirro-Matic 6-quart pressure cooker and it produced a bright, shiny mirror-like finish.   The finish when found at a thrift store was dark and dull and I thought it was beyond hope, and I couldn't believe the results.  The finish is still beautiful several years later.  I wash it with regular dish soap and dry it immediately to avoid any spotting.

 

I'm not as comfortable using that type of polish/cleaner on interior surfaces of aluminum cookware, though -- particularly the ribbed finish on the interior of my Guardian Service (National Presto rebadge) 10-quart pressure cooker.  I'm not sure about my vintage set of Magnalite either.  Should I be concerned?  I recently bought more polish for another project so have it on hand if others here can advise that it's safe for surfaces that make contact with food, and how to make sure all residue has been removed.
 
Rhubarb ......

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Both sets of grandparents used to grow it and make rhubarb pie every year.

Why?

Cause it was a southern thing I guess.

I hated it. No amount of sugar would make it taste right.

 

If it was because of oxalic acid, then yeah same as eating Barkeepers Friend! Just plain yuck.
 
Polished vs cast aluminum .....

require different cleaning methods. 

 

Heavily used cast aluminum I have used spray mag cleaner found in the automotive section with good results. Takes several applications if baked on mess. It oxidizes the top layer to leave a clean/ new surface.

 

Polished aluminum is the armstrong method. I like this stuff and it leaves a waxy layer to help prevent future oxidation. This stuff is by far the fastest as well.

 

 

sfh074-2021033111512202277_1.jpg
 
I would avoid using steel wool on aluminum. It can leave behind little bits of steel embedded in the softer aluminum metal, which will, of course, rust later when exposed to water or humidity.

Mother's is good, as are the various mag wheel cleaning/polishing products. If the aluminum is in real bad shape, then various grades of nonmetallic scrubbing pads *might* work as long as they are not too abrasive. I'd start with the least abrasive. Sort of depends on the desired final result: mirror finish vs. patina. A buffing wheel with a polishing compound might be a good choice for the finer finishes.
 
Naval jelly is still around, It's sold by Henkel under brand name Loctite.

https://www.hunker.com/13415944/how-to-remove-rust-with-naval-jelly

Naval jelly isn't recommended for cleaning aluminum, but some do anyway.

https://dsportmag.com/the-tech/surf...the-iron-oxide-bring-out-the-healthy-metal/3/

There once was Loctite Aluminum Jelly Cleaner and Brightener which did contain phosphoric acid, but amounts were different than naval jelly, and product lacked or had smaller amounts of oxidizers. Henkel discontinued that product some time ago however.

Remaining on subject it is important to decide of one wants to clean aluminum or polish. The two aren't always same and some products are meant to do one but not always the other.
 
Steel wool

The Guardian Service "service kit" included steel wool, in addition to the powder cleaner and snap on Bakelite handles. Evidently they thought it was suitable for use on their products. Stainless steel wool is available if rust spots are a worry.
 
Finest grades of steel wool, such as used for polishing wood furniture, floors and other things is fine for cleaning cast aluminum. Aluminum sheet things are likely best off with a nylon scrubbie.

Use fine steel wool with a bit of soap jelly (since have tons of soap lying about spare), all the time on my Wagner cast iron cookware, works a treat.

https://www.howtocleanstuff.net/can...is best for,a circular motion while scrubbing.

This being said some still don't believe in using steel wool of any sort to clean or polish aluminum.

https://www.boler.ca/2018/03/25/polishing-aluminum/
 

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