How To Clean And Bring Back Finish On Wood Dining Table

How to Make clean and Protect a Wooden Dining Table

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Enhance your mitt if your kitchen table — or dining room table — is fabricated of wood? Oh, wait, that's nigh all of yous! We knew that'd be the instance, which is why we asked! See, wood is probably the nigh common fabric when it comes to tables. But it's also surprisingly fickle to take care of. Permit the dust pile upward and it tin scratch the wood's end! Set information technology upwardly besides close to a radiator and information technology could warp! Leave a glass of water ice cold water on it and you could current of air up staring at ring marks for all of eternity!

Here'south everything you lot need to know about cleaning and protecting your kitchen or dining room tabular array.

How to Clean & Protect Your Wood Dining Table

What y'all'll demand

2 microfiber cleaning cloths
Liquid dish lather
A small bowl

Instructions:

Wipe down the table: Utilize a barely damp microfiber cloth to remove any grit, crumbs, and grime that may accept built upwards.
Make and apply your cleaning solution: If there are any sticky spots left behind, add a drop or ii of dish soap to a basin of warm water. Dip your clammy microfiber cloth into the soapy water and gently rub the affected expanse. You lot may want to do a test on an out-of-sight section offset — but to brand sure the finish tin withstand even the most gentle soap.
Dry the table: You don't want your wood table to sit with water on it (ever), and then apply a clean, dry microfiber cloth to dry and vitrify the table.

Notes:

If the viscid spots remain, you can too try mineral spirits. Here, y'all'll definitely desire to test a pocket-sized out-of-sight spot. And you'll want to make sure the room/your workspace is well ventilated. Ready to go? Add a little bit of mineral spirits to a clean cloth and rub the sticky area.
If the table just doesn't seem to come clean or get whatsoever less sticky, you can talk to an adept (or scout some YouTube videos) about refinishing the table.

Other Tips For Cleaning & Protecting a Wood Table

1. Grit your woods tabular array ofttimes.

Minor particles of dust may seem harmless, simply enough buildup tin can scratch the wood's finish. Grit at least weekly with a soft, lint-free cloth (cheesecloth, a cotton fiber diaper, or a cut-upwards onetime t-shirt all piece of work wonderfully). Stay away from specialized dust polishes, equally they contain silicones that tin can soak into the grain of the wood and damage it for adept. Instead, lightly dampen a textile with water or use a microfiber cloth that will cling to dust particles on its own.

2. Use vinegar and oil to go water rings out of your wooden table.

3. Keep it away from the radiator.

Don't place a wood dining table over a radiator or right next to a heat register. The temperature swings could harm the wood with warping or splitting. Also, store whatsoever actress leaves near the table itself. This ensures that the leaf volition not warp or swell/contract differently from the table. If you store the leaf in a basement or cranium, the moisture and temperature differential could take its toll.

four. Watch humidity levels.

As with all woodwork, from flooring to trim, from dining tables to other furnishings, try to keep humidity levels in your home between 40 and 45%. Any lower could crack the woods and any higher could cause swelling. For most of u.s.a., this means running a humidifier in the winter and an a/c or de-humidifier in the summer.

5. Make your forest table shine.

Like nosotros pointed out above, it's best to skip a silicone product. Rather, polish with a hard, carnauba wax. Apply 2 of those soft, lint-gratuitous cloths once more: i to utilise the wax and another to smoothen. It will accept some real elbow grease, but thankfully this task merely needs to be done near twice a year.

Do y'all have whatsoever other questions nigh cleaning and protecting wood tables? Leave them in the comments below!

Regina Yunghans

Contributor

Regina is an architect who lives with her married man and children in Lawrence, KS. Every bit a LEED Accredited Professional and longtime contributor to Apartment Therapy and The Kitchn, her focus is on salubrious, sustainable living through design.

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