Stored cherry bedroom suite - a LOT of dust settled into the grooves. How do I get it out?

Question

The bed is a sleigh bed and the swirls in the ends have been carved into the finish. The dust settled into those areas, as well as the grain of the furniture. I'm guessing that I will need to use a toothbrush and some form of cleaning paste. But, I have no idea what I should try. I would be really upset if I hurt my furniture...

Answer 1

I would try q-tips, and failing that, compressed air (like the kind you get for keyboards). Cherry sleigh beds are beautiful; I hope you get the result that you are hoping for.

As for products, I have had good luck with Pledge for cleaning wood, but there are lots of options out there.

Answer 2

If the bed is an antique you don't want to clean the dust out of the small lines and depressions. That would lower the value. If the bed isn't that old, and it's just collected dust a soft toothbrush and a lot of time should do the job, with perhaps whatever type of polish you use on the furniture to loosen any really stubborn bits

Answer 3

Been there, done that.
Here's what I did:
First, I took an air compressor, and sprayed the "loose dust" out. (Do this outside, so you don't have to clean up your mess.)

Then, take a boatlaod of QTips and Orange Glo Oil, and start the job. Spray a small area of the furniture, and swab the carved areas with the Q-Tips. Larger, flat areas can simply be wiped down with an old T-Shirt. It's time consuming, but won't hurt the furniture. Any bristle from a brush will/may cause some damage.

Answer 4

First I would take a can of compressed air and get out the large particles, then try some lemon oil on a cleaning cloth. I had some furniture in storage, some dust also got into my furniture, but it came right out. You can buy it at most super centers and it's really cheap, like only 2 bucks for a bottle and the bottle lasts me about 6 months, and that's cleaning all of my furniture bi-weekly. hope this helps

Answer 5

I just finished cleaning my bedroom, due to illness I haven't been able to keep up with it, and I can't believe how much dust was in the groves,So I sprayed some furniture polish on a QTip and used that to get into the design, it worked great, there were a few swirls that I had to take a tooth pick and covered it with a cotton cloth and did it in the small groves,again it worked. then I was able to wax all of it together.

Answer 6

I use a very soft shoe buffing brush with a small amount wood cleaner on the woodwork in my house and the odd little spaces on my mahogony dinning table. Some genius carpenter installed amazing wood in our house, but the groves all over the place are impossible to clean without using a brush or investing in a maid.

Tooth brush may be too hard. Be patient, this may take a few tries.

Answer 7

Before you decide to use a toothbrush and cleaning paste, try to find someone with a small portable air compressor and see if it is possible to blow the dust out of the grooves. It would be much faster and less work than using a brush. I had somewhat the same problem once and it worked for me. Good luck!

Answer 8

cherry furniture are beautiful, i agree you do not want to hurt the finish, the brush may be too harsh so try getting those cans of compressed air that they use on keyboards, try a soft thin paint brush to assist in the wiping of the area being blown.

if not try a q-tip dampened with beeswax, or other furniture polish.

Answer 9

i would use the vacuum with the soft brush attachment. then, i would use a spray lemon oil furniture cleaner, and saturate the grooves, try wiping out the dust with a soft cloth, if that doesn't get it, use a very soft toothbrush to coach the dirt out. then wipe down again with the soft cloth.
good luck

Answer 10

Use a soft brissel tooth brush and some water not alot of water and brush softly and in small strokes. Then take a Q-tip to get out the moist dust , repeat till no dust shows on the Q-tip