I have an old house with beautiful original wood cabinets I want to restore. What can I use to clean them (THEY ARE FILTHY) and what do I do after that?
2006-12-12 06:56:32 · 9 answers · asked by Micki 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Do It Yourself (DIY)
If you have grease buildup on your cabinets, try TSP Substitute. it's not toxic, won't damage your cabinets, and it's a fantastic cleaner. it's also great for prepping surfaces to be painted. it's available at Lowe's home improvement store (and probably Home Depot, too). Murphy's Oil Soap is a good cleaner, but it doesn't handle grease as well as the tsp substitute, and you have to work harder to get a good clean surface.
If your cabinets look pretty good after cleaning, consider NOT re-staining them so they can retain the patina of age; but you'll probably need to apply a clear finish. Or, you could sand them lightly (so as to remove any remaining sealer, but not the stain) and freshen them up with an application of stain that is similar in color to the original stain. Then apply a clear finish to protect the finish. This way they'll still retain the patina of age and look fresh and clean too.
There is a wealth of free info on the web and at the home improvement stores. Also, there are lots of good books on finishing and caring for wood cabinets.
2006-12-13 00:55:18 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You have several options. You can use Murphy's Oil soap to get rid of surface dirt and grease. After that see whether Scott's Liquid Gold applied with a soft cloth removes further dirt deep in the pores of the wood. It will also moisturize the wood and bring out the depth of color and grain. If they are still not looking the way you would like them to after the Scott's soaks into the wood (which will take a couple days), then try Howard's Restore a Finish. It is a one step process that comes in clear or can be matched to your wood tone. It will fill in scratches and imperfections and generally spruce them up without damaging the existing finish. If they are in really bad shape, you are probably looking at sanding them down and refinishing them. I suggest buying one of the kits with instructions (Fornbey's makes one) if you have never refinished wood before.
2006-12-12 07:00:44 · answer #2 · answered by eskie lover 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The cost is minimal and the work is easy enough to do. Go to your local home hardware store and buy some TSP in liquid form. You can get it in powder but the powder is toxic and may harm your cabinets and you will have to rinse after. With the liquid, you don't even have to rinse. You can use the liquid safely and it removes EVERYTHING!
Once you have washed them all completely, now you can use the Murphy oil to polish the wood to a bright sheen.
Enjoy your cabinets!
2006-12-12 07:04:14 · answer #3 · answered by The ReDesign Diva 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Try the Murphy's then use Liquid Gold,,it brings out the beauty in the wood.
2006-12-12 07:04:54 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Murphy's Oil works great on older cabinets, plus it has a nice smell.
2006-12-12 07:05:57 · answer #5 · answered by asyan_butterfly_jbc 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Get some Murphy's oil soap, it is made specifically for washing wood. Then polish with wood polish.
2006-12-12 07:03:49 · answer #6 · answered by ? 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Murphy's soap, it has been used for years on wood. You can purchase it in almost all the big food stores.
2006-12-12 10:38:37 · answer #7 · answered by lennie 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
use Murphy's oil soap, its just for that smells good and cleans well and leaves a nice shine
2006-12-12 10:15:18 · answer #8 · answered by sissy 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
tsp-any hardware store
2006-12-12 14:40:41 · answer #9 · answered by telzey 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋