cleaning radiators - years and years of grot!

[everythingtodo]

I've just got a "new" house - well new to me, but not to the 90 year old (smoker) who lived there all her life. I am stripping it out to the floor boards and bare plaster on the walls initially and then sanding and lining papering and painting. Got myself a steam cleaner too and it is officially the dogs bollocks for cleaning a grotty house. The radiators have me flumuxed though. There is tens of year of fluff and smoke and god know what else inside and behind them. Hoovering with the nozzle makes little difference. I am going to install a new heating system next year so they will eventually go, but I need to live in this house in 4 weeks...

THe only thing i can think of is getting someone to take them off and then jet blasting them. That is going to be ££ though. Anyone got any ideas? I've tried blasting the steam cleaner behind, the cloud is spectacular but it isn't cutting it.

if the rads are pressed steel, with columns pressed into the front and back, you can clean off the loose dirt with a stiff brush and sugar soap; then clean off the persistent dirt with a green scourer, then, when dry and immediately before repainting with satinwood, rub over with dry wire wool to remove the rust that will have started on the steel rads during the wet cleaning, and wipe off with white spirit. Use metal preservative primer on any visible rust or bare metal.

If you are fond of DIY plumbing it will be easier to take them off the wall and do it in the garden, including repainting. If you are really fond of DIY plumbing you can internally de-sludge them and fit new TRVs, rad valves and bleed valves while you are about it. As long as the job is finished before October it will not matter much that your CH is out of action for the summer.

If there is any sign that the rads are rusting through from the inside (usually seen on the bottom seam) scrap them.

Mmn, no diy plumbing achievable in this house! problem is i pretty sure that i have the old small diameter pipes and that and new system would have difference pipework and so new radiator now not an option. I agree it is much better to decorate with them off prob is this initial fix up is only meant to make things habitable until the major work starts in ernest next year ( back off the house double height extension and loft conversion!).