The Best Way to Clean Wood Furniture

This is a question we get asked a lot and the answer is so simple we figured we’d share it here. This applies to dressers, hutches, desks, nightstands, coffee and dining tables. All the wood furniture you have.

Damp Microfiber Cloth

Use a little spritz of water or diluted vinegar on a microfiber cloth and that’s it. Really. If you’re cleaning your kitchen table after the toddlers have had left sticky chaos in their wake, you can use a cloth dampened with soapy water.

What Not to Use

Be very careful when you reach for a cleaning product. Many dusting products contain silicone, which creates buildup and can cause finish to fail. We also steer clear of any cleaning or touchup oils like Old English and Restor-A-Finish as they can potentially seep into the wood itself and become near impossible to remove if and when the piece is ever refinished.

Different finish types also respond differently to different chemicals. That damp cloth will work the same whether your piece is topped with lacquer, polyurethane, shellac, varnish or oil without worrying you’ll damage the finish.

We have lots of great thoughts on simple ways to both touch up your wood furniture and also regular maintenance that will extend the life of your piece. Coming to the blog soon.