Cleaning your compacts

As promised, here’s a little guide to cleaning your beautiful little treasures.

I’m afraid I cannot take responsibility for any damage caused by using any of my processes, so please only use at your own risk and with caution!

Be prepared with:

• Methylated Spirit - be careful not to spill / drip etc.
• Cotton buds
• Toothbrush
• Cotton wool
• Water - can be be mixed with a mild soap

First of all, I must advise you stay well clear from the mirror. If you get any water on the mirror, it will fog up, smear, and you’ll be devastated. Having said that, cleaning the mirror is possible. I found that provided the mirror is totally secure, you can use a teeny drop of methylated spirit on cotton wool to clean the mirror. The alcohol will evaporate and you’ll need to keep wiping in circular motions with the cotton wool, with a small bit of pressure to get rid of any smears and make it look sparkly new. But be careful.. I scared myself the first time I was able to see my reflection.

Care must also be taken with the exterior of the compact. You should only attempt to clean your compact provided there is no damage to the design. Designs are made of different materials and common sense comes into play here (for example you cannot clean a paper design with water or chemical). If the surface is metallic and/or an etched design, I would use methylated spirit and cotton buds to clean any detailed crevices and finish off with cotton wool to polish up. If the surface is enamel or resin, I would use the same method but only if there are no cracks or signs of damage to the surface. If you’re struggling to remove any tough dirt, you can also use a toothbrush with a very gentle force - you wouldn't want to leave scratches. If there are any signs of damage then I would strongly suggest contacting an expert for advice so as not to worsen the damage.

Now, if you’re like me you’ll want to discard any used puffs and any residual powder in the compact. You can clean out any remaining powder with an old toothbrush, and then gently scrub the base with a drop of methylated spirit or mild soapy water to remove any last remaining grains. Some powder or dirt may have built up in any internal recesses or the outside rim of the compact - use a dampened cotton bud to clean up any of these hidden areas.

As a final touch, you can use dry cotton wool to gently rub over the compact’s surfaces to polish off any finger marks. You should now be in the possession of a beautiful clean (and less smelly) compact.

Here are a couple I tried earlier..

A 1950’s Regency Stratton Compact - I cleaned the design very gently with cotton wool as there is visible wear and tear to the image, and used a drop of spirit on the outer frame.

A 1950’s Eros Statue Compact - I believe this is a Kigu Darling compact but please correct me if i’m wrong as I've not been able to find a makers mark or much information to confirm this.

I discarded the old used puff, cleaned out the residual powder with cotton buds and cotton wool, and finished off polishing up the mirror and the base.

Unfortunately I don't have enough hands to take pictures of the full cleaning process, however if there is enough interest, I'm happy to video the process and update the post. Please feel free to email or comment below should you have any questions and I'll try to help.