by ANTAEUS

In recent years, about 100 GRAMMY^® statuettes are awarded annually. Since the very first GRAMMY Awards ceremony in 1959, more than 12,000 of these golden gramophones have been handed out. That’s a lot of shiny trophies gracing people’s bookcases, recording studios, and specially designed display cases around the world.

One of them sits right beside my desk—on the right side, just below my trusted Yamaha NS-10 monitors. That’s where most of my music projects are born, before heading into the studio for recording and mixing.

The other day, I caught myself staring at my GRAMMY and realized… I had no clue how to properly clean it. Windex? Clorox? Metal Polish? Surely there had to be a “right” way.

Then I remembered—the GRAMMY Man. The very person who makes each and every trophy for the Recording Academy. But before we get to his advice, here’s an excerpt from my book SO, YOU WANT TO WIN A GRAMMY^® about the statuette’s history:

Statuettes
Bob Graves, who cast the original GRAMMY mold in his garage in 1958, passed his legacy to his neighbor, John Billings, in 1983. Billings—owner of Billings Artworks in Colorado and affectionately known as The GRAMMY Man—designed the current model in 1991. This design replaced the softer, damage-prone lead with a sturdier, custom zinc alloy he trademarked as Grammium. Bigger and bolder than its predecessor, each trophy takes about 15 hours to handcraft, costs nearly $800 to make, and weighs 5 pounds. Standing 9.5 inches tall and 6 inches wide, the final engraved versions are delivered only after the winners are announced—meaning the “stunt” trophies seen on TV are reused year after year.

So, I reached out to John for the official cleaning wisdom. Here’s what he told me:

“First of all, NEVER use any type of metal cleaner or polish, as it will cut through the thin layer of 24K gold, and the metal beneath will begin to oxidize and become dull.

My best advice is (to) lightly wipe your Grammy with a damp cotton cloth, with a little dab of mild liquid dish soap. Then wipe dry using a soft cotton towel.  Just don’t clean them too often.

I always clean the “stunt” Grammy’s that are used for presentation at the Grammy ceremonies, and you can’t believe how much lipstick, tears, sweat and fingerprints are on them. We use them year after year, and they always come clean without the gold plating being polished off.

I have tried a lot of cleaners through the years and dish soap works the best.”

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