The Dos and Don’ts for Cleaning Your Barn Door and Barn Door Hardware

Adding a sliding barn door into your home is an excellent way to optimize the space. Using beautiful flat track barn door hardware can also add emphasis to these unique additions. They add warmth and charm to any room they’re installed into. You’ll find them frequently implemented into homes that have Victorian era décor. However, they can be added to contemporary, modern and vintage interior designs as well. The type of barn door hardware you choose will determine what type of vibe they offer. Whichever you decide to go with, keeping the barn door hardware, such as the hinges, in tip top shape takes some knowhow. It’s important to maintain your barn doors to ensure that they stay looking great for many years.
How to Keep Your Barn Doors Clean
When your barn doors were installed, they immediately added allure to your home. To ensure that they continue to offer this effect, you’ll need to keep them clean just as you do any other piece of furniture in your home. Special care is needed for your barn doors, similar to hardwood floors. Here are the required steps for cleaning your barn doors:

1. Wipe the top of the door frames to remove any dust using a soft rag (as opposed to using a feather duster).
2. Use a feather duster or rag to wipe the dust from around the door frame.
3. Every couple of months, wipe the surface of the entire barn door using oil soap and a soft rag. While doing this, make sure to wipe in the direction of the grain.
4. To clean the barn door pulls, use an all-purpose cleaner. Make sure to remove all dirt, then allow it to dry.
5. If your barn door has a glass inset, you can remove dirt and add shine using a glass cleaner.

How to Clean Your Barn Door Hardware
A lot of people overlook the need to clean their barn door hinges because they aren’t directly touched by people’s hands. However over time, the cracks of your barn door hardware become filled with dust and dirt. This can easily be transferred to the top of your hardware. To ensure this doesn’t happen, you will need to keep them cleaned. There is a proper and improper way of doing it. Here’s what you don’t want to do:

• Use coarse or old rags. Doing so can cause rust to appear.
• Use bleaches and mineral acids to clan your flat track barn door hardware. This is too harsh and can cause damage to the material. Use a mild solution instead, such an all-purpose cleaner.

In order to keep your hardware looking and functioning properly, you should do the following:

• Use olive oil on the hardware to help remove streaks. This will also eliminate any squeaky sounds and make it easier to open and close.
• Use a cloth moistened with white or cider vinegar to clean and polish the flat track barn door hardware.
• Use glass cleaning solutions for hardware made of stainless steel. As a rule of thumb, any cleaner that is designed for glass can be used on this type of metal.

When you take good care of your sliding barn doors and their hardware, you enhance its aesthetic appeal and increase its lifespan. These doors are elegant in design, so why wouldn’t you want to do all you can to keep them looking extraordinary? Follow the above tips and you should be able to keep your barn doors and hardware looking great for many years to come!