How to Clean Antique Wood Furniture?

Hello Tuhin, I have the answer to how to clean antique wood furniture. I use oil soap and water as a solution to clean the antique wooden table in my bedroom. This solution is quite effective and gives the furniture a clean look with ease. I also use cotton cloth for wiping, and make it a point to regularly clean the table in order to avoid extra effort. Following this process, you should be able to keep your furniture in a good state, too. Let me describe the process in detail to you.

How to Clean Antique Furniture?

Here is a stepwise method to clean your wooden antique furniture.

1. Put on safety gloves and mix 30 ml of oil soap with 150 ml of water. Stir the solution with a fork.

2. Take a cotton cloth, dip it into the solution and let it soak. Wring the cloth and start cleaning the furniture from the top, moving your way to the bottom. 

3. Wipe along the wood grain in circular motions. Repeat the soaking and wringing process and keep on wiping the surface till you are satisfied.

4. After you’re done, take a dry cloth and wipe it similarly, moving from the top to the bottom of the furniture. 

This is the complete process I am aware of. I hope you now understand how do you clean antique furniture.

The furniture in my grandfather’s house is more than two decades old. During this Diwali, we cousins opted for cleaning antique wood furniture ourselves. We took extra precautions and used mild cleaning solutions for the purpose and we were happy with the result. Since you asked this question, let me share the process we followed for cleaning the antique furniture.

How to Clean Antique Furniture?

The best way to clean antique wood furniture is to clean it manually without using any kind of machine. Machine cleaning is done for hard stains and dirt removal but old furniture might not be able to handle a rigorous cleaning so it is better if you clean those with your hands. 

Here is my suggestion on

• Begin by dusting the furniture with a soft, lint-free cloth to remove the loose dust particles.

• Mix a gentle cleaning solution by combining water with a few drops of mild dish soap or a tablespoon of white vinegar.

• Before applying the solution, test it in an area to make sure it doesn't damage the wood finish.

• Dampen a soft cloth with the cleaning solution and gently wipe the surface, following the wood grain.

• Prevent excess moisture by using a damp, not wet, cloth to clean, and try to dry the furniture immediately to avoid water damage.

• You can apply a quality wood polish or beeswax to restore shine and protect the wood.

So this is how we cleaned the old furniture in our house. We were able to make it clean to a great extent and all of us were pleased. However, if you have more suggestions on cleaning antique wood furniture, share them with me here.

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