Antique Cream

Clean and Polish Your Antique Wood Furniture

Great-Grandma goofed, and that’s what started it all.  Great-Grandma’s pride and joy was her beautiful mahogany buffet.  She treated that buffet like it was a member of the family; she dusted it every day and waxed it twice a year.  Great-Grandmother would be shocked to discover that her regular waxing and dusting created the dingy, dirty finish that is on the buffet in 2010.

Antiques Are Covered With Old Wax and Dirt

You see, once you put wax onto wooden furniture, the only way to get it off is with a chemical remover.  Every time you wax your furniture, the new wax blends in with the old wax, and as you polish you just move it all around.  When you dust your furniture, some of the dust is picked up on the dust cloth, and some of the dust is rubbed into the coat of wax. After a while, the accumulated wax and dirt cause the furniture to become dingy looking. The once-beautiful buffet becomes covered with a layer of dirt and wax.

To Restore the Shine, The Wax and Dirt Must Be Removed

To restore the shine and glow to antique furniture, it is necessary to remove the old dirt and wax without damaging the original finish.  With a few supplies from the hardware store and a little patience, you’ll soon be able to have your antique glowing again.  You may be tempted to just apply a coat of furniture polish, but don’t do it.  Furniture polish will restore the shine for a day or two, but ultimately you will be adding to the problem, not solving the problem. Of course, this cleaning technique assumes that the furnitures finish is still intact; a finish with significant chipping and peeling should be refinished.

Assembling Your Supplies

The first item on our list is a solvent that will remove wax without harming the furniture finish. The solvent for wax is mineral sprits; it will lift the dirt and wax without harming the underlying finish.  It might surprise you to learn that you will be using steel wool to remove the wax. Don’t let this scare you; it’s what refinishers use to polish finishes.  It’s imperative, though, that you use the finest grade steel wool available,which is grade 0000 (four-ought). Have on hand Q-tips, absorbent rags, some rubber gloves, good ventilation, and a bucket of water or a sink.  For the final polishing, you will use a burnishing cream.  Liberon makes a fine burnishing cream that can be purchased from several online distributors.

The Cleaning Technique

The mineral spirits can be poured directly onto the furniture’s top; pour about a half-cup at a time.  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.  Continue this procedure over the entire piece of furniture, using as much mineral spirits as is needed to keep the surface wet.

The drying time for mineral spirits is about 45 minutes.  As the solvent dries, you will notice a dirty grayish film forming over the furniture.  This film is the loosened, dirty wax that you have lifted from the surface.  When the solvent has thoroughly dried, use a damp rag to wipe up the dried wax.  Clean the rag often.  Use Q-tips to get into corners and grooves.

Repeat the above procedure with mineral spirits and clean steel wool until no more waxy dirt dries on the surface.  When the furniture is free of wax and dirt, apply the burnishing cream with a soft cloth, and rub until you are satisfied with the shine.

Ongoing Maintenance

To keep your antique furniture beautiful, polish it once a year with a good quality cream polish.  If the finish is significantly worn and you have a few bare spots, treat the bare spots with a light coat of paste wax to protect the wood.  Dust regularly.  Never use spray polishes, dusting sprays, treated dusting cloths, or any product that touts its ability to make your furniture shine.  Chances are those products contain silicone, and polishing your furniture with silicone is like spraying it with WD-40 lubricant.  Proper care will keep your antique furniture looking beautiful for future generations.

About the Author

Wayne Jordan has been a restorer of pianos and antique furniture for over 30 years. His restoration work can be found in the VMI Museum, the Maryland Governor’s Mansion, and fine homes throughout the Mid Atlantic states.  He is a Certified Personal Property Appraiser and Auctioneer.  Visit his website at http://www.waynejordanauctions.com and his blog at http://www.wayne-jordan.blogspot.com

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