Metal · Care Guide
Aluminium
Light, corrosion-resistant and never magnetic
Maintained As
Plated & Decorative Metal
Polished to mirror-bright, or brushed to a fine directional satin.
Durability
Everyday resilience
Good, but the plating or lacquer is thin. Once through it, the appearance changes permanently.
In the Collection
0 pieces
Every piece we carry in aluminium, cared for the same way.
About This Material
Aluminium forms its own tough oxide layer within moments of exposure to air, which is why it resists corrosion without any plating. It weighs roughly a third of steel, making it the natural choice for pieces that need to be moved.
How To Spot It
Distinctly light for its size, a cool silver-grey slightly duller than stainless, and completely non-magnetic.
Warm golds and browns in brass and bronze; cool reflectivity in chrome; light matte grey in aluminium. Lacquered pieces hold their colour; unlacquered ones patinate.
Specific To Aluminium
Anodised aluminium has a hardened, dyed oxide layer that must not be polished — polishing removes the anodising and cannot be reversed. Avoid strongly alkaline cleaners, which attack aluminium specifically.
At A Glance
How it holds up
Each bar shows how well aluminium resists that stress — five means it shrugs it off, one means it is the first thing to damage the surface.
Typically Used For
What It Does Well
- A third the weight of steel
- Self-passivating, never rusts
- Excellent outdoors
What To Accept
- Soft and dents easily
- Anodising cannot be polished
- Alkaline cleaners attack it
Daily Care
The everyday routine
- Dust with a dry soft cloth.
- Wipe fingerprints from polished surfaces promptly, as skin oils mark them.
- Keep the surface dry.
- Establish first whether the finish is lacquered: a lacquered finish is only ever wiped and dried, never polished.
Deep Cleaning
Step by step
- 01 Dust thoroughly first.
- 02 Wipe with a barely-damp cloth and a drop of mild washing-up liquid.
- 03 Rinse with a second damp cloth and dry immediately and completely.
- 04 On lacquered pieces, stop here. Polish is not just unnecessary — it will cut through the lacquer.
- 05 On unlacquered brass or bronze you wish to keep bright, apply a dedicated metal polish sparingly, then buff off and finish with a microfibre cloth.
- 06 A thin coat of clear paste wax on unlacquered metal slows tarnishing considerably.
Safe To Use
- Mild washing-up liquid in warm water
- Dry microfibre cloths
- Brass or metal polish — on unlacquered surfaces only
- Clear paste wax for unlacquered metal
Never Use
- Metal polish on any lacquered finish — it removes the lacquer in patches
- Abrasive pads and powders, which cut straight through plating
- Ammonia, which causes stress cracking in brass
- Bleach and chlorine cleaners
- Vinegar and lemon on lacquered pieces
Stain Removal
Lift it without making it worse
Blot rather than rub, and test any treatment somewhere out of sight first.
Barely-damp microfibre, then dry and buff.
Brass polish applied sparingly and buffed off, or a paste of lemon juice and salt for light tarnish. Wax afterwards to slow its return.
This means the lacquer has failed locally. Polishing makes it worse and patchier. The correct repair is professional stripping and re-lacquering.
A 50:50 white vinegar and water solution on a soft cloth, then rinse and dry immediately.
Mild washing-up liquid on a damp cloth, rinsed and dried at once.
The plating has been breached and the steel beneath is corroding. Not repairable — the part needs re-plating.
The green deposit is corrosion, not patina. Remove gently with a soft brush and mild soap, dry thoroughly and wax.
Prevent Damage
What actually causes the harm
- Moisture
- Dry promptly. Standing water drives tarnish on brass and pitting on chrome.
- Skin acids
- Wipe handles and pulls regularly. Fingerprints etch unlacquered brass into visible dark patches.
- Abrasion
- Never use an abrasive on plated metal. The plating is measured in microns.
- Ammonia
- Keep glass cleaner away from brass fittings — ammonia causes stress corrosion cracking.
- Humidity
- High humidity accelerates tarnishing markedly. Wax unlacquered metal in damp rooms.
- Outdoor exposure
- Unlacquered brass and bronze will patinate quickly and unevenly outdoors. Chrome pits in salt air.
Never Do This
Damage that cleaning cannot undo
Each of these changes the surface permanently.
Polish on lacquered metal
It cuts through the lacquer in patches, leaving a blotchy surface that then tarnishes unevenly and can only be fixed by stripping the whole piece.
Ammonia or ammonia-based glass cleaner on brass
It causes stress corrosion cracking in brass — fine fissures that cannot be repaired.
Abrasive pads and powders
Plating is only microns thick. Once through, the base metal shows and no polishing will bring it back.
Bleach
It corrodes and discolours all of these metals.
Assuming brass is unlacquered
Test somewhere hidden first. Polishing lacquered brass is the most common and least reversible mistake made with this material.
Repair
Putting it right
Polish sparingly, buff, then wax to slow its return.
Professional stripping and re-lacquering. Partial fixes always show.
Re-plating, which is a specialist job and often uneconomic on small hardware — replacement is usually better value.
Tighten gently by hand. These threads are usually into softer material and strip easily.
Fine scratches may buff out with chrome polish. Anything through to the base metal needs re-plating.
Maintenance Schedule
A rhythm worth keeping
- daily
- Dust and lift fingerprints from handles.
- weekly
- Wipe with a barely-damp cloth and dry.
- monthly
- Inspect lacquer for wear at high-touch points.
- quarterly
- Polish unlacquered metal and re-wax.
- annually
- Assess whether any lacquered piece needs professional re-lacquering.
Where To Put It
Indoor placement
Everything depends on one question: is the finish lacquered or raw? Establish that before you clean anything.
Site It Like This
- Test in a hidden spot before polishing anything at all.
- Wipe handles and pulls regularly — skin acids etch unlacquered brass into dark patches.
- Wax unlacquered brass and bronze in humid rooms to slow tarnishing.
- Keep the surface dry.
Not Here
- Ammonia and ammonia-based glass cleaner anywhere near brass.
- Abrasive pads on any plated finish — the plating is microns thick.
- Polishing a lacquered piece, which strips the lacquer in patches.
- Damp bathrooms for unlacquered brass unless you like a fast patina.
Weekly Care
The five-minute routine
Wipe with a barely-damp cloth and dry.
Then monthlyInspect lacquer for wear at high-touch points.
Common Questions
What owners ask us
No — and this is where it differs from the brass, bronze and chrome it shares a care guide with. Aluminium forms its own tough oxide layer within moments of exposure to air, and that layer protects it permanently. It will not develop a patina and does not need polishing to stay bright.
No. Anodising is a hardened, dyed oxide layer, and polishing removes it. Unlike lacquer it cannot be reapplied at home, so the colour is simply gone. Clean it and leave it alone.
Genuinely yes, better than any other metal here. It never rusts, weighs a third of steel, and needs no protective coating to survive weather.
Aluminium is soft — that is the trade for its lightness. It resists corrosion superbly and impact poorly, so lift rather than drag it and expect small dings on a piece that gets moved often.
Strongly alkaline cleaners specifically — oven cleaner and some degreasers attack aluminium in a way they do not attack steel. Mild washing-up liquid is all it needs.
That is aluminium oxide bloom, usually from prolonged damp. It is cosmetic rather than structural. Wipe it back with a damp cloth and dry thoroughly.
Lifespan & Ageing
How it will look in ten years
With Proper Care
Fifteen to twenty-five years, and re-platable or re-lacquerable after that.
With Poor Care
Three to five years before patchy lacquer and worn plating become the dominant impression.
How It Ages
Unlacquered brass and bronze are meant to darken — a living patina, warmest where hands fall most often. Lacquered brass and chrome are meant not to change at all, so any change is wear rather than character. Knowing which you own determines everything about how you look after it.
Aluminium Specifically
Very stable. Mill finishes dull slightly to a soft grey; anodised finishes hold their colour well indoors.
Related Materials
Cared for the same way
These share aluminium’s maintenance regime, so the same routine applies to all of them.
Not Sure
We will check it for you
If you are unsure which material your piece is, or you have a mark you would rather not experiment on, tell us the piece and what you are unsure of; when we reply, you can attach photographs.
Ask us