Cleaning LV lock and key
- Thread starter Novbunnie
- Start date
This may sound weird, but try toothpaste. Any semi-abrasive paste should help clean off the tarnish. (Alternatively, if you don't mind something a little harsher, a bit of CLR does a decent job.)
I didn't want to pay $30 to get a new lock & keys, so i tried to clean my set with a paste of vinegar & baking soda (which helped a little, but not that much). I tried using my Crest toothpaste & it made the lock looked spotty. So i tried the most unusual method that i found online through some reasearching....boiling the lock & the keys in a small amount of ketchup (use the smallest pan you can find & I just used enough ketchup so that the lock is covered in it). I couldn't believe my eyes, the whole thing came out looking so shiny & new. loved it
Just the other day I was looking for some tips to keep the lock shiny and clean as possible and found a great information! Below I copied and paste the info. Hopefully this helps.
Brasso
Brasso is a wonderous liquid that is used to polish tarnished brass. The hard wear Louis Vuitton uses is polished brass (with the exception of the suhali line), and as you all know, brass will tarnish. Some people like when their brass is less shiny, they consider it a "patina" or an antique-ing of the brass. But for those of you who like your hard wear nice and shiny, Brasso is AMAZING for cleaning dirty, tarnished brass. Brasso is GREAT for speedy locks, and great for a quick polishing of the rest of the brass hard wear on your bag. Those of you who buy vintage bags may find the brass has corroded and turned into an icky green color (note: never on bags that I sell - I use Brasso on all my bags prior to auctioning). Brasso will also work for that. It makes the brass shine like new!
To use:
I use q-tips for this. Get some q-tips and dip one into the brasso canister. Blot the q-tip on a paper towel. Now gently rub the brass hard wear in a circular motion with the q-tip. Let dry, it only takes about 1 minutes. Then rub (hard) with a clean q-tip. Repeat this until the brass shines like new! For the locks, take the lock off (if you have the keys that is!) and soak a small cloth (or paper towel) with the brasso. SCRUB the lock. The paper towel or cloth will turn BLACK
. Rub with a clean paper towel/cloth, and then repeat. Eventually the lock will be shinier than GOLD! You can buy brasso at your local grocery or drug store. Sometimes you can find it on eBay, or you could buy online at Vermont Country Daystore.
Brasso
Brasso is a wonderous liquid that is used to polish tarnished brass. The hard wear Louis Vuitton uses is polished brass (with the exception of the suhali line), and as you all know, brass will tarnish. Some people like when their brass is less shiny, they consider it a "patina" or an antique-ing of the brass. But for those of you who like your hard wear nice and shiny, Brasso is AMAZING for cleaning dirty, tarnished brass. Brasso is GREAT for speedy locks, and great for a quick polishing of the rest of the brass hard wear on your bag. Those of you who buy vintage bags may find the brass has corroded and turned into an icky green color (note: never on bags that I sell - I use Brasso on all my bags prior to auctioning). Brasso will also work for that. It makes the brass shine like new!
To use:
I use q-tips for this. Get some q-tips and dip one into the brasso canister. Blot the q-tip on a paper towel. Now gently rub the brass hard wear in a circular motion with the q-tip. Let dry, it only takes about 1 minutes. Then rub (hard) with a clean q-tip. Repeat this until the brass shines like new! For the locks, take the lock off (if you have the keys that is!) and soak a small cloth (or paper towel) with the brasso. SCRUB the lock. The paper towel or cloth will turn BLACK
. Rub with a clean paper towel/cloth, and then repeat. Eventually the lock will be shinier than GOLD! You can buy brasso at your local grocery or drug store. Sometimes you can find it on eBay, or you could buy online at Vermont Country Daystore.
Brasso is awesome! I heard of it when I got my first vintage LV- I use it on all my bags- the locks keys, and zippers.
My lock is pretty new, but it leaves dark spots on the tab, so I bought Brasso and cleaned it up... but the odd thing is that after a couple days, the lock started leaving black marks again! 
Has this happened to anyone? What should I do? I don't want to have to clean it every week.
Has this happened to anyone? What should I do? I don't want to have to clean it every week.
What a weird way to clean the lock..but maybe iI will try it...my lock is not looking good and it leaves spots on the tab as well.
My lock is pretty new, but it leaves dark spots on the tab, so I bought Brasso and cleaned it up... but the odd thing is that after a couple days, the lock started leaving black marks again!
Has this happened to anyone? What should I do? I don't want to have to clean it every week.
After you brasso it, wipe off the brasso residue and run it under cold water. Then dry it off again.
Although it sounds wierd, and was half mentioned before I have to back the Tomato ketchup idea. Little bit on a kitchen towel, rub it into the surface and then wipe clean with another towel slightly damp, polish till shiny. I found it removed all the brown marks from my lock and brought it up good as new.
I always look to the kitchen if I want to clean anything.... you find the strangest products can work wonders!! Try it.
I always look to the kitchen if I want to clean anything.... you find the strangest products can work wonders!! Try it.
