Many people are afraid to clean their wood furniture, but it very simple to do. There are different types of scenarios that you may encounter than will take different cleaning techniques. Before you start to clean wood furniture it is important to remove all dust and dirt from the piece. This process is simply done by take a damp cloth and wiping down the furniture.

For burns or scorches on wood furniture: If the stain has bubbled or blackened the wood, use a sharp knife to scrape the surface, then sand with an extra-fine sandpaper. Use a wood filler on deeper burns. Make sure to smooth the surface and then use a repair crayon to match the wood color. Use the same procedure for cigarette burns.

Let's begin with the equipment you will need. A vacuum cleaner is very useful for cleaning antiques of most kinds. Collect a large number of soft, cloth napkins or squares of cloth, a wood cleanser, a used toothbrush and paste wax. A used toothbrush works better than an unused one as the bristles tend to be less stiff and are less likely to leave behind scratches. Avoid using hard scrubbing material like steel wool.

Begin by pouring about a half-cup of mineral spirits directly onto the furniture's top. Using the 0000 steel wool spread the solvent over about a two-foot square area. Always rub in a straight line in the direction of the wood grain; rubbing across the grain will create visible scratches. Apply a slight downward pressure to the steel wool; your objective is to loosen the wax.

Oil may be good for furniture but regularly using polish is not. Furniture polish leaves a dull coating on wood. Over time this will make the wood look more faded. It will just look older and worn out. Wood furniture can be expensive, especially rarer woods like mahogany, cherry, teak. Do not let thousands of dollars go to waste by using polishes when all they need is a bit of oil. Old English and other oils are great but polishes are better left for bowling alleys.

Once the wood stops taking up oil, wipe the surface down with some paper towels to absorb any wet spots. Don't set anything on the table for a few hours. The table will still be a little bit oily so you don't want to put a cloth place setting back down on the table until it dries out a bit.

Rings And Water Marks

To remove them, you can use mayonnaise or white toothpaste. Rub it on the affected area, then wipe it dry. After that, you can wax or polish it.

Milk and Alcohol

You can use liquid or paste wax on the stain. Rub it on the affected area, then wipe it dry. After that, you can wax or polish it.

After the first application, you will notice a nice, warm satin look to the wood. You can redo this process anytime you want to condition it again. Remember, however, that only real wood will respond to this process, not veneers, coated woods, MDF, or vinyl coated material. This is a simple, effective method for how to green clean and condition solid wood furniture.