Re: How can I clean this?

January121 · ‎03-21-2010

@house_cat .. you stated that you eventually plan on restoring it professionally .... rather than trying to do it yourself, if I was you, I would not do anything to it now & wait until the professionals take care of it .... Good Luck with whatever you decide to do 😉

Judaline · ‎03-10-2010

@cantdrive55 wrote:
@house_catYou are right, there is no point in putting any product on until the furniture is clean. To remove the gunk, you'll need to determine what was in the products you used; was it wax or silicone or a combination. I'm old school, so I would suggest searching wikihow on how to remove wax. The vinegar & water, or vinegar, water, and cream of tartar method sound reasonable to me.
Once you've cleaned and restored the finish, I would suggest you don't need to wax it more than once a year. I don't use use wax at all. In the spring, I use Murphy's Oil Soap on all my furniture and once it's dry, I put a few drops of the Food for Varnish on a damp cloth and wipe the furniture, or woodwork & cabinets down. Both Weiman & Guardsman make wax & silicone free polishes for regular use.
It sound like a lot of work, but you get into a groove & it goes fast. The finished result will be most rewarding, and you can tell yourself you won't have to go through that again! You may even decide the pieces don't need refinishing. Good luck!

Remember that Murphy's Oil Soap is toxic to dogs-dunno about cats!

Drythe · ‎07-09-2011

@house_cat

This headboard was made in 1894. It lived for 20 years in my MIL's un-heated or cooled attic.

I have the foot board also. I clean it with a very, very soft, natural bristle brush, dipped in water with a drop of Murphy's Wood Oil Soap. I don't get it wet, just damp, and the dry with a soft towel.

Don't think I'll ever have it professionally cleaned, as I don't want it to look new.

"Animals are not my whole world, but they have made my world whole" ~ Roger Caras

Kitty Galore · ‎03-16-2010

I have my mother's bedroom set that my grandparents had slept in before she did as a little girl. We estimate it is 95-100 yrs old . It is burl wood we've been told , and very well made , no intricate carvings but beautiful wood and lines . It is in a guest room with a beautiful quilt on it my grandmother made with pieces of cloth from all her children and grandchildren's clothes. She made one for each grandchild years ago . I cleaned it when we first got it with Murphys , it had years of build up,wax as in those days women wax all furniture with there weekly cleaning .