Wood furniture deserves the best care and gentlest cleaning. You want your cherry oak desk shine and your pine coffee table smooth.
It doesn’t matter what kind of wood your furniture is, you want it to continue to look brand new.
But it’s not always easy to keep wood clean. You can clean it often but dirt and grime are still going to build up. And there’s nothing worse than a sticky or dirty mess.
Not all cleaners are going to clean that grime off your furniture when it’s built up. And not all methods are going to work.
So, we’re going to share with you our secret to cleaning grime off wood furniture. Here are the most effective methods to do this, so, let’s go ahead and dive into how to clean grime off wood furniture.
Methods to Clean Grime Off Wood Furniture
Method #1 Dish Soap
- 2 Microfiber cloths
- Cotton ball
- Dish soap/ Dish Detergent
- Old toothbrush
1. First, you want to test an area to ensure it doesn’t have a bad effect on your furniture. You don’t want it to end up leaving markings. But most dish soaps are gentle enough that you don’t have to worry.
But you should still always double-check. So, add a drop of dish soap on a cotton ball.
2. Gently wipe the cotton ball on your testing area. If it leaves any marks or spots, you want to pass on this method. But there are two other methods below you can try.
3. If you’re on this step, we’re assuming the dish soap didn’t leave any marks. Take a clean microfiber cloth to dust off the area you’re going to clean.
Don’t get the cloth wet or use soap on it. Use a dry microfiber cloth.
4. Create a solution as your cleaner. Add 2 to 3 drops of dish soap to one cup of water. Mix it up.
5. Dip your microfiber cloth in the solution. Wring it out because you want to just have a damp cloth and don’t want the cloth soaked with liquid.
6. Gently wipe down the area that has grease or dirt (or the entire piece of furniture) and work on it until it’s clean. Use the old toothbrush for the crevices.
Make sure you don’t soak the wooden furniture or leave liquid on the surface for too long. Water is awful on wood. It can cause deformation and even tarnish or warp it.
7. Now that your wooden furniture is grime-free, use the unused cloth to dry the surface off so the liquid doesn’t sit for too long. It’ll soak into the wood and ruin it.
Method #2 Lemon Juice
- 2 microfiber cloths
- Old toothbrush
- Paper towels
- Some type of ground covering
- Lemon juice
- Olive oil
1. To be safe, you want to do this method outside. The ingredients are natural but the smell can be overwhelming.
You need something to place your piece of furniture on while you’re working. So, lay down a ground covering. It can be anything.
2. Now, you need to mix your solution. Mix 2 parts of olive oil with one part lemon juice. Make sure it’s mixed.
3. Test an area before you get started working with a paper towel. You want to make sure the solution doesn’t harm your wood furniture.
Wipe a small test area and if it leaves marks, don’t go any further.
4. You want to remove the dust before you start the real cleaning. Use the paper towels or a damp cloth to wipe down the area and get as much gunk as you can off.
5. Dip the microfiber cloth in the solution. Wring it out so it’s not too soaked. You want it damp enough to clean with.
6. Gently wipe down the dirty area or the entire piece of furniture with the cloth. Make sure you don’t soak the wood.
For all the crevices you can’t reach, clean it with an old toothbrush.
7. Last, take the unused and dry microfiber cloth and wipe down where you cleaned. You want to dry the piece of furniture before the wetness can soak in.
Method #3 Mineral Spirits (or White Spirits)
- 2 microfiber cloths
- Cotton ball
- Old toothbrush
- Some type of ground covering
- Mineral spirits
1. You’re going to need to do this outside or in a very well ventilated area. Mineral spirits have a strong chemical odor.
Start by laying your ground covering on the ground. Place the piece of furniture on the covering.
2. Again, you need to test the mineral spirits on your wood before you get started. Dip a cotton ball in the mineral spirits but don’t soak it.
Try wiping an area of your furniture to see if it leaves marks. If it doesn’t leave marks, continue.
3. Dust the surface before you start cleaning. Use one of the microfiber cloths and wipe to remove any dust. Make sure all dust is gone.
4. Dip a microfiber cloth in the mineral spirits. Wring it out so it’s not too wet. It needs to be just right.
5. Use that microfiber cloth to gently clean up the dirty area or your piece of furniture. Make sure you don’t soak the wood. Use an old toothbrush to reach crevices.
6. Now, take the second microfiber cloth that you haven’t used. Dry the area so the wood doesn’t stay wet.
Conclusion
You want clean wood furniture to shine. You want to impress your friends.
Most of all, you want it clean from all grime and built-up dirt. No matter how much you clean, grime still builds up.
Those expensive and fancy cleaners don’t always do the job. To help you out, we decided to share our top 3 methods for cleaning grime off wood furniture.
They’re cheap options that are perfect for any budget. And they actually work to clean wood furniture tough grime spots.
