What You'll Learn
Keeping It Clean
On the shelves of supermarkets, hardware stores, and home-improvement centers you can find dozens of products that promise to clean, pick up dust, impart shine, add a nice aroma — or all of the above — to your furniture. The truth is that although none of them will do your finish any harm, none is absolutely necessary to keep furniture looking its best. Dusting with a dry cloth generates friction, which creates a slight static charge on the surface that in turn attracts more dust. Dusting/polishing sprays, such as Pledge, reduce the static and help the rag hold the dust, but a damp cloth does both these things just as well. Some sprays leave behind a thin film of oil that temporarily adds shine, but the oil acts like a magnet for whatever dust lands on it.
For routine cleaning, diluted dishwashing soap or furniture cleaner such as Murphy Oil Soap is gentle and effective. Avoid strong alkaline- or ammonia-based detergents (like window cleaners); they can harm some finishes. And never use scrubbing cleansers, which contain abrasives that will dull almost any sheen.
Where to Find It
Finishing Expert:
Michael Dresdner
Puyallup, WA
253-770-1664
www.michaeldresdner.com
Scratch cover polish:
Scratch-Off Furniture Polish:
H. Behlen Bros.
Hickory, NC
866-785-7781
distributed by Cheyenne Sales
Port Charlotte, FL
941-613-1017
www.cheyennesales.com
Old English Scratch Cover:
Aubuchon Hardware
800-282-4393
www.doitbest.com
Wax fill sticks:
DAP Blend Stick
DAP
Baltimore, MD
888-327-8477
www.dap.com
Touch-up markers:
Guardsman Touch-up Pens
Valspar Corp.
Grand Rapids, MI
www.guardsman.com
Paste wax:
Briwax
Briwax Woodcare Products
800-274-9299
www.briwaxwoodcare.com
Butcher's Boston Polish
Butcher's
Marlborough, MA
800-795-9550
www.butchers.com
Johnson paste wax
SC Johnson
Racine, WI
800-494-4855
www.scjohnsonwax.com
On the shelves of supermarkets, hardware stores, and home-improvement centers you can find dozens of products that promise to clean, pick up dust, impart shine, add a nice aroma — or all of the above — to your furniture. The truth is that although none of them will do your finish any harm, none is absolutely necessary to keep furniture looking its best. Dusting with a dry cloth generates friction, which creates a slight static charge on the surface that in turn attracts more dust. Dusting/polishing sprays, such as Pledge, reduce the static and help the rag hold the dust, but a damp cloth does both these things just as well. Some sprays leave behind a thin film of oil that temporarily adds shine, but the oil acts like a magnet for whatever dust lands on it.
For routine cleaning, diluted dishwashing soap or furniture cleaner such as Murphy Oil Soap is gentle and effective. Avoid strong alkaline- or ammonia-based detergents (like window cleaners); they can harm some finishes. And never use scrubbing cleansers, which contain abrasives that will dull almost any sheen.
Where to Find It
Finishing Expert:
Michael Dresdner
Puyallup, WA
253-770-1664
www.michaeldresdner.com
Scratch cover polish:
Scratch-Off Furniture Polish:
H. Behlen Bros.
Hickory, NC
866-785-7781
distributed by Cheyenne Sales
Port Charlotte, FL
941-613-1017
www.cheyennesales.com
Old English Scratch Cover:
Aubuchon Hardware
800-282-4393
www.doitbest.com
Wax fill sticks:
DAP Blend Stick
DAP
Baltimore, MD
888-327-8477
www.dap.com
Touch-up markers:
Guardsman Touch-up Pens
Valspar Corp.
Grand Rapids, MI
www.guardsman.com
Paste wax:
Briwax
Briwax Woodcare Products
800-274-9299
www.briwaxwoodcare.com
Butcher's Boston Polish
Butcher's
Marlborough, MA
800-795-9550
www.butchers.com
Johnson paste wax
SC Johnson
Racine, WI
800-494-4855
www.scjohnsonwax.com
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