# the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHOD



## cyberdigger (Jun 16, 2009)

You will need these:


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## cyberdigger (Jun 16, 2009)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

Do this:


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## cyberdigger (Jun 16, 2009)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

SHAKE a while, then do this:


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## madman (Jun 16, 2009)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

dude nice info and nice vintage blender


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## cyberdigger (Jun 16, 2009)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

Vintage?? It was just handed down to me less than 5 years ago! 
 I like the blueberry, banana, and Hersheys syrup blend, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.mmmmm


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## bottle34nut (Jun 16, 2009)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

cyber,  your only about an hour south of me,  when we hooking up to do some digging?  greg


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## cyberdigger (Jun 16, 2009)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

I'll be there in an hour and 5 minutes... can't find my left shoe.. crazy cat..


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## glass man (Jun 17, 2009)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

CHARLIE: WHAT IS BAR KEEPERS FRIEND? SOMETHING TO THROUGH IN TO A ROWDY DRUNKS EYES?[] WOULD YOU PLEASE SLIP ME THE ANSWER TO THAT OLD MOVIE? I WON'T TELL! I CAN'T TAKE LOOKING AT DEAD MOVIE STARS FROM THE 20S -30S!  NO MORE [:-]  VALERIE HOBSON,GLORIA SWANSAN,GRETA GARBO ARE ALL LOOKING A LIKE! AT LEAST IS IT GARBO? HELP!


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## blobbottlebob (Jun 17, 2009)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

Hey Charlie,
 Are you an H. A. REY fan?


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## GuntherHess (Jun 17, 2009)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

That's a good cleaning method, i would recommend using sand though for thin walled bottles, Copper can generate quite a bit of force.


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## cyberdigger (Jun 17, 2009)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*



> ORIGINAL:  blobbottlebob
> 
> Hey Charlie,
> Are you an H. A. REY fan?


 
 I had to google that name to find out who it is.. the illustrator, did Curious George, right? Seems cool to me! Why do you ask??


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## blobbottlebob (Jun 18, 2009)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

Charlie,
 The fact that you had to google it means that you are not an H. A. Rey fan (which is perfectly fine). You see, I have a little guy and I have read him Curious George many times as a bedtime story. Because of that, I thought I recognized the meter of your instructions (as similar to some of Rey's story). Sorry if that seems nuts.

 Okay. In part, your instructions are to "Do this:" then "SHAKE a while, then do this". At one point in the original 1941 story, George is coming back from Africa onboard a ship. Here's a copy . . .


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## blobbottlebob (Jun 18, 2009)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

Next comes the H. A. Rey part.


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## cyberdigger (Jun 8, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

Thanks Bob ! ..just so you know, I see the similarity between me and Curious George.. nice observation on your part! []


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## peejrey (Jun 8, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

While your method is quite resourceful, the last time I tried to cut copper wire with a drill press, I ALMOST LOST A FINGER![:-]
 I'll stick to a 10 minute metal BB wash []. . . . .


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## cyberdigger (Jun 8, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

I use a chomper to cut my copper.. drill presses are not endorsed by me.. BEHOLD


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## Wheelah23 (Jul 11, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

I can personally attest to the effectiveness of this method... Tried it out today on a bunch of bottles with internal stain, and I was blown away by how much better they looked! Everyone and their grandma should be using this method! [8D]


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## cyberdigger (Jul 11, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

Thanks Wheelie.. How's your copper?


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## Wheelah23 (Jul 11, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

I cut up 18 gauge wire with some cutters... I now think I should've gone thicker, but I wanted to be sure not to scratch the bottle. 

 On another exciting copper-related note, I'm digging out a HUGE copper pipe from my dump... It's as thick around as your forearm! I don't know how long, as I haven't uncovered it yet, but I think by weight alone, it should fetch a hefty price... Here's to hoping []


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## cyberdigger (Jul 11, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

The thickness of my forearm is a heavily guarded secret, Wheel, so please don't post any pics of the pipe..


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## Wheelah23 (Jul 11, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

[sm=lol.gif][sm=lol.gif][sm=lol.gif][sm=lol.gif]

 I meant anyone's forearm... Hey, maybe I'll find a pipe as thick as his forearm...


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## carobran (Jul 14, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

where can i get the copper wire and what size should i get,also where can i get muriatic acid[8|]


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## ShowMeStateBottles (Jul 27, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

It that just soap and water in the second picture??

 Thanks!


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## cyberdigger (Jul 27, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

It's Barkeeper's Friendâ„¢ and water.. just a teaspoonful.


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## surfaceone (Jul 27, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

I can personally attest to the efficacy of _*The Chuckles Method!*_ It's as high tech a cleaning method as I can muster myself, with powerful forearm benefits, that often transforms gnarly yucky bottles that brushes just can't touch.

 Chuck is a credit to bottle cleaners everywhere. His cleaning method has a low copper footprint. Get's your glass as sparkly as can be, short of a roll in the tubes. What I like, is that your bottles will retain that old dug bottle feel and look. For me that's a good thing. I've started to go back and do the *Chuckles Method* on the legion of not quite clean enough dug bottles in what passes as my collection. A paste made with Barkeepers Friend works wonders on those pesky rust spots, I might add. 

 Some of the ACL guys say that the paste method is good for cleaning stained paint. I've got some stained paint, but thus far haven't had the nerve to try it.


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## carobran (Jul 28, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

its very good for cleaning stained acls[sm=lol.gif]


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## ShowMeStateBottles (Jul 29, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

Ok, last night I used  this and it didn't really do much on my hutch bottles, but i tried it again today on a smaller med bottle and it did a great job.  I believe the only reason it didn't work on the bigger bottles was I didn't have enough copper.  I'm shocked at how well it worked on the rust and stains.

 Thanks for the tip, it's the best thing I've tried outside of tumbling.  I had enough copper to fill the small bottle half way up, and that was the difference.  I'm sure with more copper it will do the same for my bigger bottles.


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## cyberdigger (Jul 30, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

The testimonies are much appreciated, as are any other observations, advises, and critiques.. []

 I don't use much copper, I worry that too much might cause breakage during shakeage.. instead, I've been getting results with less by using more of a swirling motion, rather than shaking aimlessly. Get that copper riding around smoothly.. this is easier if you don't put much water in there either. It's easier on the muscles and joints, too. get into a rhythm, do it as a parallel activity to something.. but make a commitment to at least 15 minutes for the sick ones. If you're just cleaning dirt out, you can see when it's clean.. the BKF foam makes a great backdrop for scrutinizing the interior of the bottle.
 One other helpful tip: it works better if you marinate the bottle by filling it with water the previous day.


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## geezer39 (Jul 31, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

Rather than copper wire, I used some small(less than 1/4' diameter) rough glass balls that are used in aquarium filters. Put in Joy dishwashing soap but I think we have an ancient can of Barkeepers under the kitchen sink. Will try that next with little rough glass balls. Will let you know what happens.  Pat


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## ShowMeStateBottles (Jul 31, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

I'm finding that if I use more copper (I fill the bottle half way up) It takes less powerful shaking, the weight of the copper does the work instead of shaking all crazy and it's not as hard on your arm.  With the lighter shaking I believe it takes away the chance of breaking the bottle too.

 It really works for me, thanks again for the idea.


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## geezer39 (Aug 1, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

Aquarium filter balls took a lot of cloudy stuff away but the weight of the copper must be the key. Now I'm going on a copper hunt. Got lots of useless junk around here I can take apart.     TAKE APART!        YA---FUN!


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## Picklejar (Aug 20, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

I have followed these directions closely and have gotten some stellar results. One breakage, but i think that had more to do with an existing weak point in the glass. The best outcome short of tumbling for sure! Thanks so much for posting this process.- Joe


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## tigue710 (Aug 27, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

Thanks Charlie, as a kid I used gravel and have since abandon that method for obvious reasons although it did a great job cleaning, (scratching is another story, thanks John p Adams!), I tried bbs a few years back with poor results... After trying the cut copper all I can say is thank you!  Very happy with the results.  No more witch of 30 different brushes for me!


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## carobran (Sep 11, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*



> ORIGINAL: surfaceone
> 
> 
> 
> Some of the ACL guys say that the paste method is good for cleaning stained paint. I've got some stained paint, but thus far haven't had the nerve to try it.


 heres a couple of before and after pics i took[]


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## carobran (Sep 11, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

before BKF


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## carobran (Sep 11, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*



> ORIGINAL: carobran
> 
> 
> [/quote] after
> ...


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## carobran (Sep 11, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

before .........this is my favorite acl.........and now its minty


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## epackage (Sep 11, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

Looking good my man...Jim


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## carobran (Sep 11, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

after......._NOW _its minty


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## carobran (Sep 11, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*



> ORIGINAL: epackage
> 
> Looking good my man...Jim


 thanx..........the stuffs like magic[sm=lol.gif][]


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## Bixel (Sep 15, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

I want to buy Bar Keepers Friend but there are only a HANDFUL of places that you can buy it in Canada(found the list on the BKF website)

 All the places that do sell it are specialty kitchen places. Also, the closest place I found was in Toronto(2- 2.5 hours away, depending where in the city it is) or Windsor (2.5 hours away)


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## carobran (Sep 15, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

really???[8|][]i just go to wal-mart here[sm=lol.gif]


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## cyberdigger (Sep 15, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

Kyle, you can also use Comet, or an equivalent powdered cleanser..


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## carling (Sep 15, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

Barkeepers Friend is sold at Home Depot here in Ohio.

 Anybody ever try kitty litter?  Just curious how that may work since I have plenty of that on hand.


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## cyberdigger (Sep 15, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

A teaspoon-ful of clay cat litter would actually complement the scouring action of the cut copper. I'd still add a pinch of reactive compounds for a truly thorough cleaning..


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## me2 (Sep 28, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

Thank you to the posters to this fine thread. Very informative.


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## rockbot (Sep 28, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

I 've used aquarium gravel for years and it works great. Its light weight, tough, won't scratch, cheap and easy to get,  never broken a bottle with it too. The gravel is made from epoxy not real stone so its safe.
 Just a drop of dawn dish washing liquid and some water and an inch or so of gravel and you're off!

 Bar Keepers friend is great to. I use it to clean most things around the house. Will not scratch.


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## ticoun (Oct 23, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*



> ORIGINAL:  Insulators Rule!
> 
> I want to buy Bar Keepers Friend but there are only a HANDFUL of places that you can buy it in Canada(found the list on the BKF website)
> 
> All the places that do sell it are specialty kitchen places. Also, the closest place I found was in Toronto(2- 2.5 hours away, depending where in the city it is) or Windsor (2.5 hours away)


 
 you're still lucky to be able to find some. here, in QuÃ©bec, i never saw this stuff anywhere. wondering if Old Dutch cleaner would be a good substitute. i'll soon have two bottles to clean that have an inside diameter way larger tha my brush.


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## Wheelah23 (Dec 2, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

Whaddya think about this guy as a candidate? The outside's perfect, the inside's pretty durn sick... But is the glass in this bottle up to the pressure?


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## Wheelah23 (Dec 2, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

Color-ey sickness.


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## Picklejar (Dec 5, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

I say go for it but use a small amount of copper, an tight swirling motion rather than any shaking. Just be careful and take yr time, don't stress the old glass, just be like it, "mellow". Good luck brother man. Also good luck on digging those inks, you just love to show 'em off!--Joe


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## writeguy47 (Dec 7, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

All the posts on bottle cleaning are very interesting.  I haven't tried to clean a bottle in decades, but back in the 1960s I used regular mason's sand, diluted ammonia, and lots of shaking.  I no longer remember just what the dilution was for the ammonia, but I remember having to be very careful around that stuff.  I'm going to try the Barkeepers Friend as we have lots of that on hand.


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## suzanne (Dec 10, 2011)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

Wheelah, nice bottle.  If you want to try something that absolutely won't hurt the bottle in any way you should soak it overnite in undiluted bleach.  This will dissolve any organically based stains and patinas at least.  If you don't have any bleach, vinegar is pretty good too especially red vinegar.  Then you have to wash it out with dish soap and warm water because bleach leaves a residue.


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## miztx (Feb 15, 2012)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

Ammonia bottles have several dilution recommendations depending on what you're cleaning.  I'm currently trying the 'recipe' of ammonia, vinegar, bleach, baking soda, and hot water.  Still soaking ...   Just vinegar and baking soda might work as well.  If I'm not satisfied after these attempts, I'll try BKF and aquarium 'gravel' to see how that works.


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## cyberdigger (Feb 15, 2012)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

Uhh.. I hope you're kidding about mixing ammonia and bleach... very bad...!!!


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## Ronjcoke (Feb 15, 2012)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

You can get Bar Keepers friend on E-Bay.


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## RED Matthews (Feb 15, 2012)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

I know there are people that don't like it, but I often put some WORKS toilet bowl cleaner in the bottles that have inside dirt.  Over night and rinced out the next day - has done a lot for me.  RED Matthews


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## AntiqueMeds (Feb 15, 2012)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

Bar keepers friend contains Oxalic acid which is a relatively safe oxydizer.  
 I have found it to work pretty well on rust and mineral stains.
 Much safer than working with muriatic acid. I use it on the glass shower doors in the house.


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## Wheelah23 (Feb 15, 2012)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

Cleaning steps for me...

 1. Water/sponge
 2. Bar Keeper's friend/sponge
 3. Chuckles Cleaning Method
 4. Muriatic acid
 5. Chuckle it up some more if necessary
 6. ?????

 Acid will dissolve rust like nobody's business, as well as most any kind of stain that's _on_ the glass. Bar Keeper's works for some stains, but it usually doesn't do much to rust. Lime-Away sometimes works on rust, although I'm sure there's other products out there that work better as a pre-acid step.


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## Wheelah23 (Apr 24, 2012)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

Chuckles Cleaning it up...


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## sandchip (Apr 28, 2012)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

Thanks, Chuck and everybody else for sharing your ideas, rather than taking an oath to take the knowledge to your grave.

 Adding to the suggestions of using acids, toilet bowl cleaners, etc.:  it might be wise to mix your chemicals in a plastic bucket so that any heat of solution is not a risk to your bottles.  If any heat is generated, let it cool to roughly the same temperature as the bottle, before pouring it in.  Years ago, Daddy poured some industrial sewer solvent in the toilet, and crack goes the bowl.


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## hemihampton (Apr 28, 2012)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

ZUD would be a good substitute for Bar Keepers Friend as it contains the same ingredients. LEON.


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## diggersdaughter (Jun 29, 2012)

*RE: the CHUCKLES CLEANING METHODâ„¢*

I am very new to cleaning bottles (just this week, in fact).  I soaked some that had serious rust stains in buckets with a mixture of 1/3 cup of Iron Out and one gallon of water.  Worked great!  Made the bottles a little cloudy but a good wipe down with some rubbing alcohol made them shine!  I wouldn't use this on ACL bottles because the Iron Out might fade the paint.  I use Iron Out on my son's filthy white baseball pants.  You can find it at Wal-Mart in the cleaning supplies or in the plumbing aisle.  It has a strong chemical smell so I placed the buckets outside.


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