Off topic - cleaning a thurible
  • ElizabethS
    Posts: 52
    Does anyone here have experience or ideas on how to clean a thurible that's got literally years of charcoal/smoke residue encrusted on it? My oldest son serves as thurifer fairly often and would like to get our thurible looking better.
  • rvisser
    Posts: 88
    You can google this for specifics, but I worked with a sacristan who cleaned ours by soaking it in carburetor fluid. We also lined the inside with small squares of aluminum foil to prevent future buildup.
  • SponsaChristi
    Posts: 685
    Funny, I was just thinking about this during Mass last week while I was dying from the cross-contamination of the potent Eastern Orthodox incense blend that our Latin Mass community uses.

    Here’s a very detailed guide. https://www.romanitaspress.com/how-to-clean-a-thurible

    How you do it will depend on what the thurible is made from and if it has any finishes on the outside.
    Thanked by 2Liam rvisser
  • OrganistRob320OrganistRob320
    Posts: 180
    We soaked ours in kerosene for a few days, then it would wipe clean. Just have to make sure you let it fully dry and evaporate before using.
  • monasteryliturgistmonasteryliturgist
    Posts: 536
    We use stove cleaner here and Ajax. You would want to make it into a paste and then use an old tooth brush to lightly clean- make sure its really a paste though otherwise it will be too abrasive.
  • francis
    Posts: 11,297
    I clean tough stuff on pots and pans with a ball of aluminum as a scrubber and bar keepers friend as the cleaning agent
  • SponsaChristi
    Posts: 685
    I clean tough stuff on pots and pans with a ball of aluminum as a scrubber and bar keepers friend as the cleaning agent


    Do not use anything like balls of aluminum, steel wool, SOS pads, abrasive scrubbing pads, etc on thuribles. You will scratch it. Some of those thuribles are in thousands of dollars to purchase.

    Church incense is primarily made out of resin. All you need is a solvent that will breakdown the resin. Even 90% rubbing alcohol will work. If you ever got tree sap on clothes and had to get it out, you know how to clean burned incense. It’s the same thing. Incense is made from dried tree sap.
    Thanked by 3a_f_hawkins CHGiffen monasteryliturgist
  • Casavant Organist
    Posts: 816
    If residue is particularly caked on, I have found paint stripper to be very effective. I've restored a number of antique thuribles in almost hopeless condition with that stuff.

    Polishing you have to be very careful - abrasives are not ideal in many ways, especially for plated thuribles. I use silver polishing wipes even on brass, and that seems to work fairly well for my needs, but your mileage may vary.

    I've heard that lime remover works quite well as well. I've not tried it myself yet...
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