House fire

[Tonya Grossman]

Hi, I apologize for not properly introducing myself.... But I'm in a bit of a hurry and a bind..... We had a house fire on March 2nd and I have some (about 60 pieces) cast iron that needs to be cleaned.... Mostly cooking wares but I do have a cast iron plant stand, door stop (antique and painted), and a bunch of mini (2" to 4") cast iron fry pans that have raised designs and most are/were painted....I was hoping someone would know a company that specializes in this ( allot of the plain cast I could probably do myself but the painted ones I'm concerned about attempting myself).... The insurance will pay, I just need to find someone...... I'm in upstate NY (not far from Syracuse)..... Thanks in advance!!

[Russell Ware]

The cleaning processes we use here are intended for cooking ware. As such, they use chemicals or electricity in ways that will remove paint from most painted cast iron. If it is smoke damage (odor and smoke/ash residue) you are trying to remove, I would recommend using a product called Krud Kutter. It sprays on, and you wipe it off with a rag. Lowes home improvement sells gallon jugs of it. I’m sure it is available in other stores too.
I don’t live in New York, so I can’t help with locating any cleaning services near you.

[Tonya Grossman]

Thanks for the help ! Will Krud Kutter remove the paint ? Also will the "electric" (brain cramp :o can't remember what I've read on here about it) way of cleaning remove something (can't figure out what it is...maybe plastic or insulation) that has melted onto one of my fry pans (my favorite one for cooking...of course :-/ ) ? I'm not apposed to trying to clean the cookware myself......Thanks again

[Russell Ware]

Krud Kutter shouldn’t remove paint. It is good at removing dirt and grime. Start out using a soft rag, and try it on a test spot on the backs of the painted ones. It works wonders cleaning the vintage Tolex coverings on guitar cases and amplifiers, some of which have spent a lot of time in smokey bars and clubs. I would not use a scrub brush with it. That may be too abrasive.
Electrolysis may not remove burned on plastic or insulation. I would gently try removing it with a putting knife first, but running the pan through a self-cleaning cycle in your oven may be your last resort. I just ran some aluminum cake molds through a cycle, and all the gunk brushed right off afterwards. Be aware that you’ll need good ventilation during the process. It does generate smoke and odors. Most ovens allow the user to adjust the duration of the cleaning between 2-8 hours. I would recommend starting with a shorter cycle, 2-3 hours.

If you haven’t read the cleaning and restoration best thread, here is a link to it. Check out the  Self Cleaning Oven section.

http://www.griswoldandwagner.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1393982431