How to Clean House Keys
The dirt may not be visible to the eye, but house keys do get dirty and are full of germs that transfer to your hands every time you touch them. Periodically cleaning your house keys will help keep germs from spreading and your keys will look like new. It is not necessary to purchase expensive cleaners to clean house keys, as the items you will need are common household products.
Things You’ll Need:
- Warm water
- Cleaning rag
- Toothpaste
- Old toothbrush
- Lemon juice, vinegar or ketchup
- Small bowl
- Wet a cleaning rag with warm water and squeeze out the excess liquid. Wipe off the front, back, sides and grooves of the key to remove the surface dirt.
- Apply a small amount of toothpaste to an old unused toothbrush and do not add water. Brush the entire front and back surface, along the sides and in the grooves of the key with the toothbrush. Thoroughly brushing the key will rid the key of germs and contaminants. Wipe the toothpaste off with the cleaning rag.
- Place the key into a small bowl and pour enough lemon juice or vinegar into the bowl to completely cover the key. Soak the key in the liquid overnight. Wipe the key off the next morning. Ketchup may also be used as a substitute in place of the vinegar or lemon juice. Cover the entire key with ketchup and allow it to soak overnight. Wipe clean the next morning. The acidic properties in the vinegar, lemon juice and ketchup work to clean the metal.
- Repeat these steps any time your keys need to be cleaned. Keeping your keys clean will ensure they work smoothly in the appropriate lock.