Cleaning Woodwork/Furniture

[Bryan Cramer]

Our church is painting and all of the pews and wood statues are being removed to make room. While everything is out how would we go about cleaning them? The statues and some other wood decorations are very dirty since they aren’t easily cleaned. The pews aren’t too bad but scratched some. The wood work dates form the 50s so I’m assuming the finish is a lacquer. Refinishing is not an option at this time. Is wax an option? I do not use any wax on top of a film finish in my projects either just a film finish or a oil and maybe wax. Normally dry dusting works fine but some pieces are really caked. I might have to use a brush and compressed air. Any suggestions? I always tell people to stay away from the “snake oil” finish care products.

[Mel Fulks]

I would use brushes of several sizes. Curators sometimes suggest q tips with distilled water....but they might be joking.
If it turns out there is a lot of grime it might be a good idea to cover them with cloth, not plastic, when that area is not
in use .

[Rob Luter]

Murphy’s oil soap and warm water with a stiff paintbrush. Rise with wet bath towels then dry with dry towels. When dry, apply a light coat of natural danish oil. Wipe clean with dry towels. The next day apply paste wax. Give it a good rubdown. It will retain the patina but lose the grime. We did this on an old oak Hoosier cabinet and the results were fantastic.

[Bryan Cramer]

Thanks for the help so soon! So you mixed Murphy’s oil and soapy water together?

[Bryan Cramer]

Nevermind. I have never used Murphy’s oil and always thought it was called just that. I googled it and its actually Murphy’s oil soap. I’m still hesitant about putting a wax on because of future maintenance. I always thought a wax will need reapplying and have mostly avoided it.

[Stan Calow]

Its a soap made from oil, so its soapy not oily. I wouldn't wax anything people will be sitting on. Wax is not a cleaner and isn't good at scratch repair, just a temporary cover up.

[glenn bradley]

I'll add that woodwork used regularly by humans collects a lot of grime in the form of skin oil, the hand lotions people use and dirt transfer from every day life. People aren't dirty per se but, over time small amounts add up. Don't be surprised if you need to scrub harder than you expect. Murphy's Oil Soap and soft to medium (preferably natural) bristle brushes are you friend with old tooth brushes coming in handy for any stubborn or intricate parts. It is always better to err on the side of gentleness. It is easier to re-scrub an area than to repair damage.