How to Clean a Moen Rubbed Bronze Faucet

Rubbed bronze Moen faucets make an excellent addition to kitchens and bathrooms, adding a touch of luxury to modern designs while maintaining an old-world charm in more classic settings. If you've already got bronze fixtures, taking proper care of them will keep them looking great. If you're thinking about adding bronze during a remodel, know that cleaning them is quite easy once you know how.

The best way to keep bronze bathroom fixtures looking their best is to give them a little TLC every day. Don't panic — this doesn't mean scrubbing your bathroom daily. No one has time for that, and if you do, the bathroom probably isn't where you want to spend it. All you need to do to show your bronze faucets a little love is to wipe them down with a soft cloth after you use them.

Giving your kitchen and bathroom fixtures a quick wipe down after you take a shower, brush your teeth or do the dishes will help prevent water spots and wipe away any loose dirt. It will also wipe away any oil left behind by your hands. You'll still want to give things a more thorough clean once in a while, but that task will prove much easier if you've been wiping your faucets down along the way.

Even meticulously kept houses need a deep cleaning once in a while, with bathrooms and kitchens being some of the most important rooms to clean. To clean bronze faucets and fixtures, spray them with a mild cleaning solution and wipe them down with a soft cloth. Avoid cleansers that contain organic compounds such as alcohol and harsh chemicals like limescale remover. You can use mildly abrasive cleansers like Bar Keepers Friend on oil rubbed bronze, but avoid anything harsher.

Always wipe down your bronze with a soft cloth or sponge. Never use a scrubbing sponge or steel wool as these can cause permanent damage to your fixtures. When you're done cleaning, use a cloth wet with plain warm water to rinse away whatever cleaning agent you used.

If you encounter tough stains or hard water deposits when cleaning your faucets, resist the temptation to remove them with a hardcore cleanser. Instead, Moen recommends using a 50/50 mixture of water and vinegar. Spray the water and vinegar solution onto your bronze faucet and give it a minute or two to work its magic before rinsing it away.

While you can use diluted vinegar to clean your faucet, don't leave it on the bronze surface for more than a few minutes. Moen very specifically states that vinegar is safe on bronze when used for a short time. You can give the solution a little time to work, of course, but don't spray down your faucet and then leave it to soak.

Rubbed bronze is a hearty finish, but there are some solvents that can damage it. In addition to avoiding alcohol and scale removers, remember to avoid cleaning your bronze with bleach and bleach-based cleansers. Toilet bowl cleaner and all-purpose bathroom cleaners are best avoided as well. Any product that claims to remove tarnish and rust is not safe to use on bronze either, especially those containing hydrofluoric, hydrochloric or phosphoric acids.

You can attack tough stains with lots of elbow grease and a soft-bristled toothbrush if it helps. Don't use stiff brushes or scrub brushes, however, as these can scratch the surface. When removing stubborn stains on bronze, several short cleanings in a row are better than leaving the bronze to soak in a cleanser.