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23 Jun 10 - 02:47 PM (#2933400) Subject: BS: Best way to clean and disinfect wood From: lefthanded guitar I am about to reclaim a dresser I lent to someone, and want to clean and disinfect it. Any suggestions? Nothing too abrasive or toxic please- I believe it's oak, or at least oak veneer, it's a blonde wood. Thanks. Also would the same thing work for polished (polyurethane) wood floors. |
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23 Jun 10 - 02:54 PM (#2933406) Subject: RE: BS: Best way to clean and disinfect wood From: GUEST,number 6 Not to sure about the dresser ... but for those floors we have a steam mob ... no detergents are used with this ... it just mops with steam. It works very well. biLL |
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23 Jun 10 - 03:02 PM (#2933416) Subject: RE: BS: Best way to clean and disinfect wood From: Mrrzy Don't need to disinfect it unless you know it's infected with something, in which case, you treat the infection, per its species. Wood is very hygienic, remember the hooha about chopping boards? |
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23 Jun 10 - 03:13 PM (#2933427) Subject: RE: BS: Best way to clean and disinfect wood From: Stilly River Sage My mother used to have a formula for stuff she used to take off some of the varnish when she didn't actually want to refinish, just wanted to take off the worse stained or darkened part of the finish. But I don't have it written down anywhere. It was three equal parts of linseed oil, turpentine, and something else, can't remember what. Something she learned about from a museum somewhere. But like Mrrzy said, wood has enough tannins and such that it is pretty good at killing surface bacteria or whatever over a little time. I would try running a moist cloth over it to pick up any dirt, but don't soak it. SRS |
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23 Jun 10 - 03:35 PM (#2933451) Subject: RE: BS: Best way to clean and disinfect wood From: Melissa bleach raises the grain, you don't want that. furniture polish/oils are designed to clean off old gunk and it's easy to see on your cloth whether you're still wiping gunk or whether it's clean. If I was worried about a germy dresser, I'd clean the outside with polish/oil and spray the inside with lysol. |
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23 Jun 10 - 03:53 PM (#2933467) Subject: RE: BS: Best way to clean and disinfect wood From: lefthanded guitar I was worried about a germy dresser (in fact, the person I'm taking it from is sick now - nothing serious, but who needs the germs. Is lysol safe for the wood ; I have some pretreated Lysol cloths. |
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23 Jun 10 - 03:53 PM (#2933468) Subject: RE: BS: Best way to clean and disinfect wood From: Ed T Furniture clenaer Mix olive oil and white vinegar in a one-to-one ratio and polish with a soft cloth. Try in an inconspicuous place first. Furniture Polish 1 cup olive oil, almond or walnut oil 1/2 cup vinegar or lemon juice Shake well and apply a small amount to a soft rag. Spread evenly over furniture surface. Polish with a dry cloth. Remove a cloudy appearance from varnished wood furnature: (if it has not gone through to the wood),try 1 tablespoon of white vinegar in a quart of luke-warm water. *caution, brown (cider) Vinegar can stain porous materials |
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23 Jun 10 - 04:04 PM (#2933472) Subject: RE: BS: Best way to clean and disinfect wood From: GUEST,999 YMMV |
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23 Jun 10 - 04:24 PM (#2933486) Subject: RE: BS: Best way to clean and disinfect wood From: Q (Frank Staplin) I have cleaned and repaired a lot of furniture. I have never worried about disinfecting it. If the dresser is veneered, water or water-based products can lift the veneer. Use soap and water if, but only if, the veneer varnish is still good, and don't let water sit on the wood. Turpentine or the modern non-smelly kind removes old wax, etc. Then you can decide if more work is needed. If the veneer and its varnish are good, cleaning and waxing may be enough. Use stains to cover up scratches. (If the varnish is not too dried out (some missing, and breaks up like rock candy), use a little varnish solvent and carefully re-spread it with a cloth. Takes practice. If the varnish is bad, remove and re-varnish or refinish (a la SRS post) with linseed oil and turpentine- I like that myself. Follow cleaning, if veneer is rough, with fine sandpaper (on a block, or with sander if you have one) to remove roughness, but do not cut down the wood. Deep stains are hard to deal with- bleaching, and re-gluing may be necessary, but a little discoloration adds character to the piece! Take a look at this video: http://www.ehow.co.uk/video_4418276_gluing-cleaning-wood-veneer.html There are other good hints on the net, but be careful, some bad ones are also there. |
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23 Jun 10 - 05:43 PM (#2933528) Subject: RE: BS: Best way to clean and disinfect wood From: gnu Add a bit of isopropyl alcohol to a spray bottle of water (or Windex) and have at er if you are really worried about germs. Simple and done. "A bit"... enough for it to make your nose know it's there. |
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23 Jun 10 - 06:12 PM (#2933551) Subject: RE: BS: Best way to clean and disinfect wood From: Q (Frank Staplin) Doubtful if the veneer has shellac or lacquer finish, but never use alcohol on these finishes. |
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23 Jun 10 - 06:59 PM (#2933591) Subject: RE: BS: Best way to clean and disinfect wood From: gnu On the finish? I thought it was on raw wood in the dresser. If it's on finished wood, how's about some soap and water? |
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23 Jun 10 - 07:00 PM (#2933592) Subject: RE: BS: Best way to clean and disinfect wood From: GUEST,mg take out the drawers and wash them with something inside..pine sol or something..and put out in the sun for a while. mg |
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23 Jun 10 - 07:04 PM (#2933594) Subject: RE: BS: Best way to clean and disinfect wood From: bobad Most germs (bacteria?) don't live very long outside of their hosts so I don't think you have too much to worry about. |
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23 Jun 10 - 07:14 PM (#2933602) Subject: RE: BS: Best way to clean and disinfect wood From: Bill D I work with various wood things regularly. As long as obvious surfaces are clean, you have little to worry about. If there is any visible staining or mold, a light shot of Lysol ought to do fine. A piece of fine sandpaper folded around a piece of wood can remove spots inside drawers or back. Simple wiping with furniture polish on visible surface is enough unless there is damage that requires refinishing. |
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23 Jun 10 - 07:15 PM (#2933603) Subject: RE: BS: Best way to clean and disinfect wood From: Melissa I (very gently) sprayed regular lysol on very old furniture when I noticed a dusting of weird mold. It didn't hurt the finish on that, but I didn't spray directly on it. The finish on that was several generations of wax..solid wood, not veneer. Veneer gets ruffly very easily. Sunshine disinfects. Maybe you could sit it outside to air out and freshen itself? Diluted Listerine would probably work as a spray for inside the dresser and drawers. If it was sitting on a cruddy floor, you might like to give the feet and bottom edge a good cleaning while you're at it. |
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24 Jun 10 - 12:35 AM (#2933713) Subject: RE: BS: Best way to clean and disinfect wood From: LadyJean Murphy's Oil Soap was made to clean wood, and it is lovely stuff. Vinegar is a natural antiseptic. I don't know what it does to wood. I know it's bad for marble, and deadly to soap scum. I can also reccomend Milsek Furniture Polish. It is wonderful for cleaning furniture. It will get all the old wax and assorted other gunk out, it will do for scratches. It is lovely. The stuff was invented by a cabinet maker. By the way, it smells beautiful! |
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24 Jun 10 - 01:22 AM (#2933722) Subject: RE: BS: Best way to clean and disinfect wood From: Amergin I usually clean my wood with soap and water in the shower. |
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24 Jun 10 - 07:02 AM (#2933838) Subject: RE: BS: Best way to clean and disinfect wood From: gnu Took me a minute, but, hahahaa. |
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24 Jun 10 - 11:10 AM (#2933980) Subject: RE: BS: Best way to clean and disinfect wood From: Bill D Didn't even take ME a minute, and I don't think it's funny. Ain't any thread safe from that sort of thing? (In the right thread, I'll contribute my share of silly naughtiness. But...sheesh!) |
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24 Jun 10 - 11:35 AM (#2933990) Subject: RE: BS: Best way to clean and disinfect wood From: Ed T I have found that Murphy's oil soap leaves a slight but apparent, if closely viewed film & haze on wood thats has a polyurithane/shallac finish, such as hard wood floors. But, it's is a good cleaner for unfinished wood surfaces. |
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24 Jun 10 - 01:52 PM (#2934094) Subject: RE: BS: Best way to clean and disinfect wood From: Q (Frank Staplin) So much depends on the condition of the veneer. If you use the soap and water treatment, Murphy's is safer than most, but do not let soap solutions stand on furniture, especially veneers. Water can get under veneers and cause lifting of the thin wood of the veneer. Clean small areas at a time. |
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25 Jun 10 - 03:55 AM (#2934414) Subject: RE: BS: Best way to clean and disinfect wood From: Dave the Gnome Wire brush and Dettol. (You have to know the joke...) DeG |
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25 Jun 10 - 11:56 PM (#2934966) Subject: RE: BS: Best way to clean and disinfect wood From: LadyJean i should have said, dry wood thoroughly, after you go over it with water. I reccomend microfiber cloths. They don't leave the wood too wet. As I said, if you can get Milsek furniture polish, it was invented by a cabinet maker, and it does do wonders cleaning wood. I also like the smell. |
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26 Jun 10 - 08:07 AM (#2935066) Subject: RE: BS: Best way to clean and disinfect wood From: Bobert Clean old furniture with: 1/2 linseed oil, 1/2 mineral spirits... Best combo for the job... B~ |
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26 Jun 10 - 06:16 PM (#2935281) Subject: RE: BS: Best way to clean and disinfect wood From: Donuel To keep worms from eating old violins boric acid powder is lightly applied to the unfinished wood and rarely to a ground layer prior to varnishing. As for furniture I am not an expert. |