It is a no brainer that when it comes to wood, wood needs to be paid more attention to than regular furniture. Besides the limitations it has, it is still a popular choice because no matter what style your home is, wood is always versatile. In this article, I will share my experience of having wood in my home and how to clean wood furniture.

How to Clean Wood Furniture

Materials

• DIY Furniture Polish (I will tell you how to make this)
• 2 microfiber towel/washcloth
• vinegar
• furniture wax
• dish soap
• cotton balls
• duster
• black tea
• toothpaste (non-gel)
• baking soda
• salt
• olive oil
• spray bottle

Don’t be alarmed by this list of materials. They are mainly things you can find around your home.

Dusting

The first thing you want to do is dust off your wood furniture, This is an important step when starting the process of how to clean wood furniture. You can use one of those old school dusters or a microfiber towel, This will rid any surface dirt and prepare you for a deeper cleaning if needed.

Light Cleaning

Rubbing off the Grime

So, I recommending having 2 microfiber towels on hand. You want to have a damp one and a dry one. When it comes to wood, don’t let your wood sit in liquid for a long time.

Well if you didn’t know, water to wood is how kryptonite is to superman.

Wood has a number of ways how it behaves when it comes to water. Wood finishes can be damaged and breakdown, there can be rotting and molding on the wood.

Take a cotton ball for testing purposes, and mix water with some dish soap (it can be any dish soap). Pick a not so noticeable spot on the furniture that no one would really see and wipe the solution on your wood, if there is no damage or discoloration, then proceed with a damp microfiber towel instead.

By doing this, you are cleaning off any annoying grime, or maybe there is some stuck on candy residue (thanks to the kids). This is important because this will allow the grime to loosen a bit.

Removing Stains

Ever look at your wood at a certain angle and noticed water stains? Yeah, been there. Those often are caused by people putting cold drinks on the table, To prevent that, I just put placemats over my table for protection, however, if you already have the stain. there is a way to remove that.

Put toothpaste on the stain and rub with your cloth. Preferably non-gel toothpaste. That will do the trick!

If the stain is stubborn and doesn’t seem like it’s going anywhere, this is where baking soda comes in. Mix it with the toothpaste and use your damp cloth to wipe off and then dry.

Removing Ink Marks

If you have ink marks, I got you as well.

Mix baking soda, and a teaspoon of water until there is a light paste and rub it over the stain until it disappears.

Removing Buildup

You don’t have to have the “fancy fancy” to keep your furniture looking fancy. If you don’t have furniture spray then that is fine. I just use black tea. Yes, tea is awesome.

Aside from drinking it, you can use it to remove buildup from your wood. Now, this is a natural option. If you prefer that.

I personally use black tea, but if you have tea bags in general, then that’s fine too.

Teabags are great because they have tannins, which are properties of the tea that helps to remove grime and improve the overall health of your wood.

Make boiling water, place two tea bags in, and let sit for about 5 minutes. Let the water cool down and take your cloth and dip it in the tea and gently wipe at the surface of the wood.

Restoring Luster/Shine: DIY Furniture Polish

Sometimes furniture polishes can mess up your wood, but you can use a DIY furniture polish that works on all wood because of its 2 simple ingredients and no extra stuff.

All you need is a spray bottle with a cup of olive oil and 1/4 cup of vinegar. Mix Shake the bottle accordingly and you can spray this mixture into a washcloth. This polish is only used though when the wood is not lustrous

I hope you enjoyed this article and my experience of how to clean wood furniture and happy cleaning!