How to Clean a Wooden Chair

As time passes by, the beauty of our furniture fades, and so we really need to put an effort into preventing dirt and grimes from building up on our precious wood furniture. Since frequently cleaning with water and detergent will diminish the polish and clean a wooden chair that we have, we need to think of other ways where we can preserve both its beauty and quality. Browse this article for more information about woodworking safety rules.

We always want to keep our houses clean, and so as our furniture. To help you maintain the quality of the wooden furniture that you have at home, especially wooden chairs which we always use, and here are five easy homemade steps to help you start with.

What do you need to prepare to clean a wooden chair?

5 Easy Steps on How to clean a wooden chair

Step 1: Gather all the materials that you will be needing.

Prepare all the materials needed in cleaning a wooden chair, and place it all in the area where you will work. It is highly suggested to work outside your house because some of the materials and solutions to be used produces strong smell which can be trapped in your home.

Get an area or a corner outside your house and put a cardboard on the same place where you will stand your wooden chair. Due to the solutions that you will be using, it is advisable to wear some rubber gloves and nose mask.

Step 2: Wipe the wooden chair with a rag or with paper towels.

You can use either a rag, an old cloth, or rolls of paper towels to clean and brush off the dust on the surface of the wooden chair. You may also consider using a small handy dandy vacuum and painter’s brush to shrug off the dust in the corners and crevices of the furniture.

Step 3: Wash the wooden chair with water

Check if there is no more dust in the wooden chair, and prepare a mixture of dishwashing detergent and water. Gently wipe the surface, the crevices, and the corners of the wooden chair with the mixture, and get off the excess water through the dry sponge. After that, use a clean towel to dry up the whole furniture.

Step 4: Apply the vinegar and water solution

If you can see that after applying the dishwashing detergent and water solution, there are still marks of dirt and dust in the chair, then try mixing a cup of vinegar in two cups of water. Just like what you did in the detergent and water solution, wipe the vinegar directly to the area where dust has accumulated.

Again, use a clean rag to dry up the chair and to remove the excess moisture.

Step 5: Restore the polish of the furniture

By cleaning the wooden chair, some of the polish of the chair might have faded along the process. If that happens, you do not need to really worry much about it. Purchase a wood wax in a hardware store near your place, and apply it as how it the bottle instructs you to.

Some alternative to the conventional wood wax is the following:

• A mixture of vinegar and olive oil
• A mixture of lemon juice and sunflower oil
• Beeswax polish
• Conventional automotive polish

In case, you would like to confirm that you are working on cleaning your wooden chair right, here is a short clip produced by The Do It Yourself World tackling how you can restore filthy antique wood and furniture in the fastest and simplest yet effective ways:

Pro tips in cleaning a wooden chair

1. Before applying the mixtures and solutions that are suggested above, make sure to test it first in a small portion of the chair to ensure that no chemical reaction will occur. This will let you know if the vinegar or the dishwashing detergent will affect the polish or the current furnish of the wooden chair.

2. If you will be cleaning an old and very valuable piece of antiques, make sure to check first with the professional if this method of cleaning will not harm the aesthetics of the wooden chair.

3. Other than the homemade techniques in cleaning a wooden chair, you can clean the furniture through the following conventional furniture cleaners. You can buy these products on the nearby hardware and furniture shops.

4. Identify the type of finish (paint, stain, unsealed, varnish, veneer, or wax) to make sure that you will be doing the right method of cleaning. Check this website for more information on how to clean furniture depending on its finish: 

5. Do not use steel wool or the conventional scrubby pads for it can leave marks on your wooden chair. The use of sponge will be best for the absorption of moisture and for drying up.

Conclusion:

It is not advisable to always stick to buying the conventional cleaners that are made available in the furniture shops and hardware stores situated near you. Sometimes, all we need to clean and maintain the beauty and quality of our home, our appliances, and the furniture that we have, are already made available in our home supplies. Just like in cleaning a wooden chair, all you need to have are cups of vinegar, water, and dishwashing detergent.

Were we able to help you with cleaning your wooden chair? Send us feedback by posting your comments in the box below! Share the link to others so everyone would have a clean and classy wooden chair at home!