A quick wipe down with a damp microfiber towel and a drop of dish soap, or even a scrub down with Clean-A-Finish for the worst pieces, will ensure that you are enhancing the brightest, cleanest version of your wood finish possible. Just clean, dry, then buff in a little polish to shine!
Using a gentle cleanser is always important for wood but more so for delicate old wood furniture. Begin by dusting. Then clean with a soft cloth dampened with the dish soap and water mixture. Don't scrub the piece.
Say no to H2O.
When it comes to cleaning, skipping chemicals and going straight to plain water may seem like a safe bet, but environmental toxin expert Tonya Harris says you should never use water on wood.
Your wood floor will have either an oiled or lacquered finish, the former requiring care on a more regular basis with a manufacturer-recommended oil to be topped up once a year. Do not use a product such as washing up liquid when cleaning, as this could leave a layer of residue.
A quick wipe down with a damp microfiber towel and a drop of dish soap, or even a scrub down with Clean-A-Finish for the worst pieces, will ensure that you are enhancing the brightest, cleanest version of your wood finish possible. Just clean, dry, then buff in a little polish to shine!
Try mixing a weak solution of water and dishwashing soap. Dip a soft cloth in the solution, wring it out and wipe the entire piece. You want a damp cloth, not a wet one. Don't saturate the wood, and rinse your cloth often.
Use a broom or vacuum on a hardwood setting to remove debris, dust, and pet hair. Mix a few cups of water with a few drops of dish soap in a bucket. Gently mix to the point that you can see a few traces of foam, but no large bubbles.
Vinegar is an acid and hardwood floors need a pH neutral or close to it cleaner. When mixed with water, the solution's acidity is drastically lowered and it becomes an effective method to wash hardwood floors. The vinegar and water mixture cuts through dirt and grime, leaving a streak-free and naturally clean floor.
Quick Mop:
Squeeze a few drops of Fairy Liquid into the water and give it a little swash around. I find that Fairy Liquid is incredibly effective in removing grime and always come back to using it! Wring your mop to within an inch of its life - wooden floors hate water so you do need to use the absolute minimum.
GUIDE Wood Soap is a natural care treatment for beech, oak, ash, pine, maple, birch and other untreated or soap treated wood species. It protects the wood from dirt and moisture. WOODCARE. GUIDE Wood Soap does not contain oil and can be used for regular weekly cleaning. Regular treatment increases wood durability.
The only downside to wood is that it's prone to warping and so requires more babying than plastic—wood must be hand-washed and oiled regularly. A warped board is a true tragedy in the kitchen. But by properly caring for your wood cutting board, you can help it avoid this fate so that it lasts for many years.
However, if too much oil soap is applied or if it is used on unfinished wood, oil or soap stains can be left behind. These stains can darken unfinished wood or make finished woods appear dull in certain areas.
A dishwashing liquid functions well on countertops, window sills and other types of surfaces like glass and plastic. Add a small bit of the liquid to a spray bottle filled with warm water, to cleanse away the dirt and grime.
Just like hardwood floors, vinegar can eat away at the wax finish on wood furniture, leaving it looking dull and cloudy. But, you'll frequently read that vinegar is ideal for cleaning all types of wood. If you would like to use vinegar on finished or waxed wood furniture, use it extremely infrequently and at your risk.
In a large bucket or sink, combine 1 gallon of water with 1 cup of distilled white vinegar or 1/2 cup of cleaning vinegar. If you decide to use a commercial hardwood floor cleaner, follow the product instructions carefully. Only use the amount as directed to avoid waxy buildup, which can make wood floors look dull.
If you see the wood getting lighter than you want it to be, stop the action at that point by wiping with vinegar. When finished with either one of these bleaches, it is best to neutralize the chemical action by washing the wood down with white vinegar.
To clean the wood, use a sugar soap wipe, or a sponge, to liberally apply sugar soap across all wooden surfaces that you plan to paint. Wear protective gloves whilst handling this product. Wipe the surfaces down, then rinse the sugar soap off with warm water.
Ask any green-living expert or organic devotee and they'll tell you that the best natural cleaning products are regular white vinegar or baking soda with a little lemon or orange thrown in. “Truly the best way to clean wood floors is with simple white vinegar,” DiPrima says.
Solution 1: Clean dirty wooden furniture with just water, vinegar and olive oil. This cleaning solution is great to freshen up and gently clean varnished wooden furniture. Olive oil adds moisture and shine to wood, while vinegar cuts through sticky grease and acts as a mild disinfectant.