This might belong on one of the other forums, but I’d appreciate any suggestions anyone can give.
My parents have this dining room set (china cabinet, hutch, table, and eight chairs) that has been in storage for almost 25 years. It was what we could consider very fine furniture, and although I do not know the wood species, it has a very nice stain and finish.
Although it was stored in an unheated storage room, it has been protected and wrapped up all these years. Moisture has not been a problem. My wife and I just bought a house and we want to use this set.
I took apart some of the wrapping and everything looks fine other then some dust and residue. I just need to clean the set up before moving it to the house. I’ve been told to use something like Pledge or Murphy’s Oil and wipe the whole set down with a nice cotton towel.
Does this sound right, or does anyone have any other suggestions?
Thanks,
Tark
Replies
Murphy's is good. I'd skip the pledge, it can have silicone. I use Formby's Lemon oil on guitars and it cleans and polishes without contaminating.
Sometimes some crud needs a wipe with Naptha to cut the grease/grime, but maybe not in your instance. Start out benign, you can always go more aggressive if needed.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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"If Brains was lard, you couldn't grease much of a pan"
Jed Clampitt
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Beeswax is great for old furniture,its completly natural and economical as a small amount goes a long way,the only drawback is that some chemical cleaners will strip it ,so once applied clean furniture with a duster.
If Murphy's doesn't do the job there are furniture cleaners such as http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=6354&cookietest=1 (Check your local HW store for more.)
These generally contain mineral spirits or something related to cut through wax and degraded varnish (and, as such, should always be subjected to a "inconspicuous area" test before use). They're generally applied with rag or ultra-fine steel wool.
Will agree with most of what's been offered thus far. However.....Pledge 'does' contain silicone.....not 'can' contain silicone. <G> Silicone is not your friend over the long haul even though it may make things shine for a short period of time. The surface shines cause it's wet with silicone. When/if there are cracks in the finish or worn thru areas of finish, the silicone will penetrate down into the wood .......which makes life very unpleasant (and more expensive) when it comes time to refinish the piece. Nasty stuff. Avoid using any product containing it is my advice. (Liquid Gold is another example of a silicone-bearing furniture polish.)
You say these pieces have been in storage for 25 years, but don't say of what vintage they are. If they are 25 years old or slightly older.....odds are the finish could be nitro-cellulose lacquer. Mineral spirits or MS-based cleaners would be safe to use on this as MS is safe for virtually all finishes....although it will remove any old paste wax (if any has been applied over the years).....which is a good thing in most instances. You could then use some Murphy's to follow-up and remove any lingering MS and to remove the odors of the MS. Don't leave the surface wet for too long with the water & Murphy's solution. Clean, rinse well and wipe things dry kinda promptly. Work in reasonably small-ish areas (a few square feet or so at a crack).
Avoid using any solvents such as laquer thinner, alcohol, acetone, etc.... (or products possibly containing these).... unless you know exactly what's on these pieces finish-wise. The wrong choice of solvent/cleaner/'finish restorer' could mean disaster. (Naptha would likely be a safe choice besides the MS......considering the age of the pieces and the likelihood of the existing type of finish on them. Under the 'unknown circumstances'......I'd suggest choosing the MS though to avoid any/all possibillities of finish damage.)
We don't know that these pieces haven't already been hit with Pledge or similar from a well-meaning, but unknowing....owner or housekeeper. If they have and the finish was/is still in good condition....then it hasn't likely been of any negative consequence......yet. There's no sense or good reason to ask for trouble now by using anything containing silicone as the finish is now 25 years older and may have developed minute cracks which would allow it thru to the wood.
If (and that's a big if)......these pieces have been paste-waxed at some time in their history and you apply silcone now.......the combination will create a very smeary cloudy mess. Or vice-versa ; have been siliconed and you now paste-wax. If that should happen...just use some MS and soft cloths to remove the mess created. Or........if you decide to paste-wax in the future.........don't use any silicone-bearing product on top of that later or you'll create the same smeary mess....and you'll need to remove it all with MS.
Edited 9/19/2009 10:05 pm ET by HootOwl
we don't even have pledge or endust in our house, being as I am a furniture maker, most gets Bri-Wax...but I was sure one of them two did have silicone, but wasn't sure which. Thanks for clearing that up.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
"If Brains was lard, you couldn't grease much of a pan"Jed Clampitt
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I really want to thank everyone for responding. I know there has always been Murphy's Oil and Pledge in my Mom's house, although I do not recall her every using them on this furniture. My folks have passed on so I can't ask them. . .The dining room set is about 35 years old and its really a shame that its been in storage all these years. A bit of an interesting story too. My parent's went to Italy in mid-80's and they were in Sorrento, when they passed by this furniture store. The store had some of the most beautiful furniture, including a dining room set that was made (as I've been told) entirely in rose wood except for other species of wood that was in-laid into the table top, chairs, and hutch. The in-laid design was very intricate, with floral designs and such. A piece of art in my mind. My Mom really liked it, which is all my Dad had to here. He ordered a custom dining room set and 9 months later it showed up at the house. Their original set went in storage until now. I'm going to try Murphy's Oil and see how things turn out. Perhaps I'll take a couple of before and after photos.Thanks again,Tark
If it really is a work of art you might want to take it to a professional furniture refinisher before you go too far. But the Murphy's should be fine -- just be careful to not get things too wet around the inlays.
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
He ordered a custom dining room set and 9 months later it showed up at the house. Their original set went in storage until now.
"When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking." — Sherlock Holmes, 1896
OK, I had trouble parsing that the first time through.
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
I've had great luck with Murphy's Oil Soap. Use it full strength on really dirty areas and it's almost like magic.
I refuse to accept that there are limitations to what we can accomplish. Pete Draganic
Take life as a test and shoot for a better score each day. Matt Garcia
Sounds like a nice set of furniture. My wife brought home her moms set and although it looked nice it was junk.
It was made out of a soft wood. The chairs were so weak.
buliding a nice sturdy chair isn't so easy!
Will Rogers
Edited 9/20/2009 1:56 pm by popawheelie
Amen to that. The only chairs I've made ( besides deck chairs) that stood my rigorous testing are my ladder back Shaker chairs. I can tilt back and hop across the shop on the hind legs w/out breaking my butt.
Best design ever IMO.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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I like this stuff better than Murphy's:http://www.milsek.com/Milsek-Furniture-Polish,102.html?gclid=CPCYsKaYgZ0CFQ7Gsgod8GCsbgwww.tvwsolar.com We'll have a kid
Or maybe we'll rent one
He's got to be straight
We don't want a bent one
He'll drink his baby brew
From a big brass cup
Someday he may be president
If things loosen up
Edited 9/20/2009 6:06 pm ET by Snort
The Murphy's Oil Soap has really cleaned up the dining room set. Unfortunately, the china cabinet and hutch still have a faint mildew smell from being in storage all these years. I purchased a package of cedar balls and thrown them into the drawers and cabinets and closed them up, yet it now has a smell of mildew-ish cedar balls.Any suggestions as to what to use to neutralize the smell. Thanks again,Tark
Lots of Febreeze (sp?) sprayed liberally all INSIDE.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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I'll try the Febreeze (sp?) and if that does not work, then baking soda. Actually if I had an extra hand, I could have it sit outside in the sun, but its too heavy for my wife to help out.And. . .once its all set up, I'll take a couple of pictures. Its really looking nice with a cleaning up with Murphy's Oil Soap.
Shellac in a rattle spray can is next if that fails. Or hair spray.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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Did you say the "S" word"Uh Oh!!! I think Frenchy has an automatic search for that word. Be careful. Be very careful.
I'm a fan of shellac, but not a fanatic. LOL
It really can perform minor miracles.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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You can try some of the Heloise tricks -- backing soda, ground coffee, and (if there are any nice days left) setting the thing out in the sun on a nice day (drawers pulled out and exposed to the sun separately).
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
Last ditch effort is shellac the inside.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
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Have you read through their product descriptions per chance? I laughed myself silly.
I really liked some of the testimonials;
"I use it on my guitar, it keeps the wood moist" The wood has a finish, it's not being "nourished" or moistened.
"I use it on all my antiques" Sure hope they're faux antiques.
Antiseptic cleaning? That was really funny. Whatever you do don't put water on wood, it will curl up, it will stain ad nausem. It's really comical what some companies will tell you. And God help you if you have wax on your furniture.
It's amazing how they dress up mineral oil to be a magic elixir
yeah, magic, that's the ticket.http://www.tvwsolar.com
We'll have a kid
Or maybe we'll rent one
He's got to be straight
We don't want a bent one
He'll drink his baby brew
From a big brass cup
Someday he may be president
If things loosen up
Nice website.
The magic I looked for early on in my career was the magic screw when a dealer would ask " can you just tighten up this chair, I really don't want to spend any money on it." That would be followed by " I've already got too much into it..." I always wondered why that became my problem.
I would always laugh at the look on their faces when they realized the chair had to be dismantled and put back together.
http://www.petergedrys.com
Since you've let some of your credentials show (and they're pretty impressive), I hope you don't mind a couple of questions:I've been asked to clean up an old heart pine 4 1/2' x 7 1/2' pocket door. It was in storage, and it looks like part of the blanket is stuck to it, and, it's pretty dirty. How would you clean it?Annnnd, what's wrong with mineral oil cleaners?http://www.tvwsolar.com
We'll have a kid
Or maybe we'll rent one
He's got to be straight
We don't want a bent one
He'll drink his baby brew
From a big brass cup
Someday he may be president
If things loosen up
I'd strip and refinish the door. That's just an opinion without seeing it. What would I refinish it with is the next question. Shellac is a wonderful thing as is a sprayed lacquer. Again just my opinion.
In some instances you'll spend an inordinate amount of time trying to save something. In the end it was a waste of time when a simple refinish was in order. Now the disclaimer; I'm not talking about an old finish on a valuable piece of furniture just a door that needs a face lift.
The Master Carpenter article in this months issue shows a poplar door that was color matched to a cherry kitchen. That door was painted white prior to being turned into cherry.
If refinishing is not in the cards, you can always hit it with that miracle cleaner. :)
I think your getting great advice here but --We Need Pictures!
No one should regard themselve as "God's gift to man." But rather a mere man whos gifts are from God.
I have had good luck with Formby's buildup remover to clean up dirt from old consignment pieces http://www.formbys.com/products/buildup_remover.cfm followed by their lemon oil products http://www.formbys.com/products/lemon_oil.cfm to restore and maintain finish.
Rich,
Please excuse my cynicism as I replied to Snort in the same vain.
Read the Formby BS on their Lemon oil otherwise known as nice smelling mineral oil
"replaces the natural oils in wood" This one always makes me howl. Basic furniture woods such as mahogany, birch, oak, cherry, etc etc are not oily woods. What oil are we replacing?
"Helps nourish the wood" The wood isn't hungry and besides 99% of the furniture out there has a coating on it. Nothing is being nourished except Formby's bottom line.