Protecting your Faucets

So you’ve just spent a king’s ransom on new bathroom, shower and maybe kitchen faucets, and now you want to be sure they are properly cared for and last as long as possible? Read on to learn how to clean your new bathroom faucets, kitchen faucets, and especially all the metal fixtures in your shower and tub!

Finishes

First of all, what type of finish is on your fixtures? Is it a PVD finish, are they plated, or is it a living finish?

If you purchased a living finish, you are probably expecting and hoping for an aged patina sooner than later. So as long as you keep the water spots off you can pretty much leave it alone and let it age. There is a little more to it than that, but we’ll get back to this category later.

For the majority of people, your fixtures are either electroplated or PVD coated. The good news is they both require about the same easy maintenance. In fact, caring for your faucets is more about what you ought not to do than what you should do.

If your fixtures are plated it means that they have been coated with a thin layer/s of metal over the substrate through various processes. The substrate in this case is usually brass, the metal your faucet is made from.

A PVD coating on your faucets means that those metal layers have been vaporized in an artificial vaccuum chamber before being deposited on to the surface of your fixtures.

While PVD is a much harder, more durable finish, both plating and PVD finishes require nothing more than a soft cloth and mild soap and water to maintain and clean.

The real enemies to your faucets are hard water, harsh chemical cleaners and abrasives of any kind.

Cleaning

Electroplated and PVD finishes will last a long time. Warranties with proper care for plated finishes run 7-10 years (average) and 10 years-lifetime for PVD finishes. Each manufacturer will differ slightly, and companies that are confident in the quality of their finishes will offer longer warranties 

Proper care, as stated above is to use non-abrasive, mild cleaners (soap and water) and wipe down with a soft cloth. Again, hard water is one of the biggest enemies to your faucet’s finish.

That said, avoid the following:

-Dish soap such as Dawn, etc. These are actually corrosive. 

-CLR (or other agressive chemicals. Unless you like a streaky abstract look for your faucets, etc.

-Abrasives

-Ammoniated products

-Rubbing alcohol

-Detergents

-Bleach based cleaners

-Acidic cleaners

-Undiluted vinegar

DO:

-Use mild liquid soap and water to gently clean your fixtures with a soft cloth

-Wipe your faucets dry after every use

-Apply a fixture wax or faucet specific cleaning & polishing compound to protect your faucets (Flitz and Brass Pro Tech are good options.)

***Although you might see people recommending the use of a 50/50 water to vinegar solution to remove hard water deposits, or even soaking your fixtures in pure vinegar, no manufacturer has this listed as an acceptable way to clean. 

Undiluted vinegar, especially left on for an extended period of time, is likely to tarnish the finish, and a better solution than 50/50 is to simply wipe the fixtures down on a regular basis so buildup doesn’t occur.

Cleaning Living Finishes

A living finish has no protective coating and is meant to patina over time, gradually exposing the beauty of the aging brass underneath. 

These finishes are even more sensitive to cleaning, so the best recommendation is to use a micro-crystalline wax such as Rennaissance Wax to carefully buff and protect the faucet. 

Since most people want the patina to happen when they purchase living finishes, a more important habit would be to gently dry the fixtures to avoid hard water spots which could lead to more aggressive polishing. 

If you faucet ever gets more patina than you like, you can use a brass polish to bring some of the shine back. You can also slow the patina by using something like Rennaissance Wax or Flitz’ Fixure Wax on a regular basis.

How often should you wax? Reapply when water stops beading on the surface of your faucets.

Shower Controls, Etc.

Be sure to give your shower controls, showerheads, handshowers, etc., the same treatment as your faucets. Being in such a moist, wet environment, these fixtures are even more susceptible to damage over their lifetime.

The Last Word…

It’s easy to overthink taking care of your brand new faucets. After all, when you’re doing a whole house remodel these items will add up even if you don’t buy anything fancy. 

That said, the best advice is keep it simple. Buy the best you can afford, protect your faucets and fixtures with a protective fixture wax, and dry them off after use. Mild, non-abrasive cleaners are the key if your regular maintenance schedule lags and mineral buildup occurs. Follow these tips and chances are you are going to get a good long life out of your beautiful new faucets!

Haven’t purchased your new faucets yet? Read this before you do.