Clean It Up

A few weeks ago, at the same estate sale that I found this globe, I also bought a vintage yellow stool. I was thrilled to find it, as I had been wanting a stool of some kind for awhile. It was part of a pair, but I really didn't have room for two. After a little negotiating and $10, this gal came home with me. While the stool was in good shape with no rips or tears, it did have quite a strong odor. I'm sure you are familiar with the smell I am describing...that mildew/moldy smell. The stool also had chrome legs, that were pitted and dirty. So I used two cleaning methods, one tried and true, and one new to bring this piece back to her former glory.

First method: Vinegar/water solution and sunshine

Make a cleaning solution of 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water. I like to put this into a spray bottle. Spray the smelly item well and set it out in the sun. You may have to repeat this process several times. I would guess I probably did this 15 times before the smell came out of the stool, however sometimes it only takes once. I use this method all of the time, and it is a gentle way to clean something old and smelly. Remember to only use this cleaning method on items that can get wet.

Second method: Soda and aluminum foil

I did a little online research to find out how to clean chrome, because I had no previous experience with it. Cleaning chrome with soda and aluminum foil came up a few times, so I decided to give it a try. I took some aluminum foil, and balled it up. I then dunked the foil into soda (I used Coke), and used that as a "sponge" to clean the legs. It removed a lot of dirt, and added shine back to the chrome. But be careful how hard you scrub, as the foil can scratch the chrome.