How To Care for Stainless Steel Letterboxes
Stylish, hardwearing, and usually rust-free, Stainless Steel Letterboxes are a wise investment for student accommodations, apartment blocks, multi-occupancy buildings, and shared office spaces. They are particularly well suited to external marine environments where the elements of highly saline air and extreme UV exposure can quickly compromise any metalwork or paintwork.
Generally, AISI316 stainless steel (also known as marine grade stainless steel) should be specified in a marine environment. However, due to the cost of nickel, and the high nickel content required in grade 316, this can be prohibitively expensive. Our grade 304 stainless steel is a much cheaper alternative and does an equivalent job to AISI316.
They can add value to private residences and commercial premises, but you need to look after them if they are to retain their appearance and protect your post from the elements.
In this guide to caring for communal stainless steel post boxes, we’ll share our top tips on keeping your newly installed mailbox bank in perfect condition.
Stainless Steel Post Box Maintenance
One of the many benefits of stainless steel letterboxes is that they are superbly weather-resistant and suitable for indoor and outdoor applications. We recommend pre-treating outdoor models with a specialist marine treatment to protect against galvanic corrosion, a service offered free of charge by Post Boxes UK, and ensuring indoor installations are protected from the elements to reduce the risk of tarnishing.
Once installed, your stainless steel mailboxes could last up to 25 years or more with minimal maintenance. We recommend you carry out the following preservation tasks every three to six months, or more if in a particularly exposed or harsh environment:
- CLEAN & PROTECT
Clean your stainless steel mailbox regularly with a damp microfibre cloth to remove dust, air pollutants, watermarks, and fingerprints before buffing dry with a dry lint-free cloth. You can use a spritz of WD40 to remove grease and grime if necessary, remembering to wipe in the direction of the grain. Never use steel wool, brushes, scouring pads, harsh abrasives, bleach, or window cleaning liquids on your stainless steel post box. These items can damage the protective surface.
Should you find oxidation (also known as orange rust spots, but not actually rust) on your stainless steel mailbox, you can remove them with a mix of five parts baking soda and one part water. Make a smooth paste, and gently rub this paste in the direction of the grain, to remove the oxidation. Remove the traces of the paste with warm water and dry with lint free cloth. You can apply a light oil such as baby oil or WD40 to bring out the sheen and charm of the metal.
However, we do recommend speaking to the manufacturer first. Even fine abrasives can cause surface damage.
There are also specialist stainless steel cleaning solutions such as this from Tesco – https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/291420328 – please note that this is not an endorsement by Post Boxes UK, merely to demonstrate that there are dedicated cleaning agents available should you require.
The best approach to clean to start off as gentle as possible, such as warm soapy water, and then building up the robustness of the cleaning method.
- OIL HINGES & MOVING PARTS
Oil hinges, apertures, and other moving parts on your stainless steel letterboxes to keep them moving freely. A little WD40 should be sufficient for the job. You can also apply it to a dry cloth and wipe it over screw heads and fixtures to keep rust at bay.
Once the stainless steel surface is clean and dry, a light application of WD40 or even baby oil will bring out the beauty of the metal.
- LUBRICATE LOCKS
Lubricate your post box locks at least twice yearly to maintain their integrity, particularly those standing vacant. Outdoor mailbox locks can freeze during cold weather spells, so lubricate them regularly with WD40.
Should you find rust spots on your stainless steel mailbox, you can remove them with a mix of baking soda and water. However, we recommend speaking to the manufacturer first. Even fine abrasives can cause surface damage. If in doubt, contact Post Boxes UK.
There are also videos on YouTube on how to clean stainless steel like this one here: https://youtu.be/zCmHcN1M-rU
For more information see our website: http://postboxesukltd.co.uk or call 01922 218218
