polished cast iron cleaning advice

[seneca]

moved into 6 months ago and have a fireplace with a polished cast iron back plate and a granite hearth. What's the best method/products for cleaning these and getting them shiny? I tried a bit of general polish in one corner and it went rusty brown! fortunatley a bit of wd40 cleaned it off. I'd like to get the polished plate as shiny as possible, as it looks a bit dull. Also, the granite hearth has been stepped on by kids and it too looks drab. I have noticed that just wiping it with a dry cloth does leave a bit of a streak. should I use a special cloth, or brush or something?
any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Symptoms]

seneca - you need to use Zebo, a polish formulated for CI fireplaces & grates (it used to be called Zeebright). It comes in a tube (like toothpaste) and is applied with a brush (like a shoe polish brush), left to dry (5 - 10 mins), then buffed with the brush; a final wipe with a cloth ensures a polished/burnished finish. Wear rubber gloves, spead some old newspapers, keep it away from the wallpaper, 'cos the black Zebo will mark everything.

Granite hearth - use a granite polish made for kitchen worktops.

Both the Zebo & granite polish available from supermarkets.

 

[seneca]

thanks symptoms. So, even though it's called "black zebo", it can be used on the chrome looking cast iron? I heard that with the specialist polishes, you have to keep polishing every couple of weeks, or else it's not worth doing. Is this right? what happens if you don't? I don't mind every 2 weeks, so long as it's not any more frequent than that.

 

[breezer]

if its chome looking (silver / mirrored finish), then black anything wont look that good will it?

 

[seneca]

hence, why I asked; just to be sure. I thought it might need to be wiped off to leave the surface polished. I have used white polish on black metal, and that can be wiped/buffed to leave the surface shiny. Never hurts to make sure, particularly when new to something. Hence, my asking in the first place. I did mention it was chrome in my original post, so maybe zeebo is not what I need. Thanks anyway.

 

[Lonepirate]

I too have a polished iron fireplace that needs something to return it to its original appearance. Did you find out how to clean yours? I've burnt a variety of stuff in my fire such as wood and fruit debris and this has left a sticky sort of goo around the edge. HELP!

 

[expertgasman]

Bit late now, but polished casts are NOT recommended for solid fuel. WD40 helps keep them clean, but the Zebo might help, now it is discoloued

 

[imamartian]

Bit late now, but polished casts are NOT recommended for solid fuel. WD40 helps keep them clean, but the Zebo might help, now it is discoloued

note to self... reply to this thread in 2015 !!!

 

[Neil01]

I have a fireplace showroom in Potters Bar. Our cast insert suppliers recommend that polished inserts are only suitable for gas or electric use - all Black inserts are advised for solid fuel use.
If the polished cast tarnishes or rusts, a metal cream cleaner such as Hotspot Cream cleaner will remove minor tarnishing applied on a duster, but if this is a heavier tarnishing you will need to apply it on a 'brown scourer pad' with a bit of elbow grease.
Zeebright or Black lead is used to renovate Black casts which have been leaded originally - beware as most modern casts are sprayed.