Cleaning woodwork
Can anyone tell me the best products to use on original wood details? I would like to give it a good cleaning and polishing after an intensive renovation, which left lots of dust behind.
Can anyone tell me the best products to use on original wood details? I would like to give it a good cleaning and polishing after an intensive renovation, which left lots of dust behind.
depends: some dirt will be water soluble, and clean with murphy’s or simple green. Other would need some kind of solvent like paint thinner.
Murphy’s does leave a residue and I never use it on finished wood because of that. Dust sticks to it.
I use endust and Murphy’s Oil Soap and have for many years. My polish of choice is Scotts Liquid Gold which has a strong smell buy seems to nourish and restore old finishes.
Thanks for the tips. I’m glad to be at this stage as well. MM, I would love to show it to you one day.
BTW, I really appreciate how you defend and stand up for our neighborhood. I find that this blog has a few people who don’t quite appreciate Crown Heights like we do, but that’s okay….we know a gem when we see one.
I just used some old-school Murphy’s oil soap on FILTHY knotty pine paneling and it came up great.
There are semi expensive wood care products out there, like the Formsby line, that are good. You might want to go to Old House Journal’s website and search for wood care, there are other products that advertise in their magazine that are smaller, less well known companies, which are supposed to have great natural products. They would probably have to be ordered.
Personally, I wash my woodwork down with Murphy’s oil soap spray. (I don’t have time to be Sally Homemaker, unfortunately, so this doesn’t happen as much as it probably should) I then use a furniture oil, like a lemon oil and feed the wood, letting it soak in, but not leave a residue. I try to do that at least once a month, with just a wipe down with a clean cloth in between full cleanings. I love the smell of the Murphy’s and the oil. It smells naturally clean to me.
Whatever you do, don’t use Pledge or heavy furniture polishes. They only pile on residue, and eventually your woodwood (and furniture)starts to look dull and dirty.
BTW, faithful – glad you are at the polishing stage, welcome again to the neighborhood. You’ve put a lot of hard work and time and effort into your home, hope to see it someday.