Good morning ladies - I have a cleaning question for you. Both my kitchen table chairs and media console in the family room are black painted wood. I know the media console is some sort of Brazilian wood, not sure about the chairs. Anyway, everytime I clean them with Pledge or Endust, it just seems to smear all over...never rubs in or evaporates after I polish with a rag & even leaves spots from the spray. It almost seems as if a greasy layer of the cleaner is left on the furniture and then I see fingerprints & smears anytime someone touches them, which obviously is often. I'm assuming that using Pledge or Endust is not the right kind of cleaner, so my question is how should I clean these pieces so that I can remove the dust & fingerprints, but not have the leftover smudges & greasy film? As always, thanks!
I use murphy's oil soap, its just for wood. And, you use only a capful to a pail of water and it's made for wood. Also i think it's lemon oil that some people use for wood. I dont know, maybe it's got some kind of polyurethane on it that doesnt allow anything to the actual wood?
Good luck!
Use Murphy's. I use it on all black furniture because it doesn't leave a residue like the other stuff. I used an empty spray bottle and mixed some of the oil with water and just wrote on the bottle what it was. So now it is easy to just grab, spray, and clean off. It is so nice to use on black furniture. You will be happy!!
Elaine, pledge, murphy's, et al, they are chemicals and not very good for you or your little ones. Just use plain old white vinegar and water. this will probably help get rid of the smears from pledge and it will keep your wood and anything else you use it on, sanitized and clean! I use it to clean almost everything. Enjoy!
Hi,
I highly recommend Rustic Touch by Melaleuca.
http://www.saferforyourhome.com/rustic_touch.htm
Not ony is it economical and effective but it comes with a 100% money back gurantee.
If you'd like to shop from their online catalog, let me know. I've been a customer for almost 4 years and their products are amazing.
Michelle
630-234-1086
I love Murphy's oil for all our wood, including the floor.
I have a few pieces from Pottery Barn and the care instructions on my black furniture is lightly damp cloth with water only. Also I cannot use anything except water on my black kitchen table that is from a boutique in Fl. I use murphys on my cherrywood cabinets and that works great.
Pledge didn;t work for us either. when we bought our bedroom set at PM Bedroom Gallery, they told us to use a damp cloth and then dry right away. it works so much better!
I have an answer for you....Melaleuca Rustic Touch. I can put you in touch with someone you can get that from if you are interested. You can email me at [email protected] and I will get you that information.
I just recently posted a similar question on a woodworking board for my dad. Pledge is full of silicon, the furniture looks great for a while but the silicon builds up and gets dirty. Endust is better but still not great. The best is a damp cloth and then a dry cloth. If you need to CLEAN the furniture then use Murphy's oil soap. It was also recommended to use butcher's wax once or twice a year only.
Mine isn't either, I have the same problem! I was told by my cleaning lady to simply use a slightly damp cloth. But I miss the shine! Sandy P.
I really like the brand called Method from Target. It is non-toxic and comes with a reusable wood cloth cleaner. It smells great and does the job well. The glass cleaner is very good too!
Hi Elaine,
I use Shaklee's Basic H-2 to clean my wood and it works great, especially when paired with the Micro-fiber cloth. It doesn't leave streaks or any film just beautiful clean looking wood. It is a natural, safe, non-toxic product (unlike pledge) that even your kids can help you with. It has so many uses besides wood, and is extremely cost efficient, 1 concentrated bottle is equal to 214 bottle of all purpose cleaner, which is approx. $.05 cents a bottle, you can't beat that anywhere! If you've never used all natural products before, this is the perfect item to get started with. Please contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to know more about it, or visit my website at www.shaklee.net/bowerman to see all the products available. One more thing is that Shaklee offers a 100% guarantee, so if you are not satisfied you can return it, but I do not know one single person that uses the Basic H2 and doesn't love it! Good Luck to you!
Hi Elaine,
I used to have the same problem until my cleaning lady told me to just use a damp rag with a little soapy water. You might have to scrub hard the first time to remove the pledge and go over it a few times. But after that, you shouldn't see the marks. You should also use a polish every couple of weeks, but not sprays. Hope that works.
Have you tried Murphy's soap. I just put a cap full in a gallon bucket of warm water, wring cloth, then wipe wood furniture. It doesn't have the shine like pledge but it doesn't smear at all. You can buy the soap at any grocery store. It actually cleans the furniture. Happy cleaning!
Pledge and endust are not for fine wood. The woods need to be oiled. Lemon oil is good. You apply it with a damp cloth and wipe it with a dry cloth. This conditions the wood. For regular cleaning, ue old fashioned murphy soap applied the same way as the oil. It leaves a wonderful smell in the house and keeps your wood looking beautiful.
Pledge is TOO oily....it I think is a polish not a cleaner.
I just used a soft, damp cloth to clean my wood and occasionally murphys spap...but spray the cloth not the furniture.
Use something like Murphy's Oil or any product that will keep the wood from cracking and peeling;
You first need to get the pledge off.
There sre furniture polish removers;
Use the removers also a few times a year as a prep for wood
polish.
Wood needs oil to keep its beauty and not dry out--
Hope this helps- Lee P
My husband does a lot of woodworking - building kitchen cabinets, entertainment centers & such. He says I am NEVER to buy or use Pledge or anything like that. They build up on the furniture and will cause the finish to get soft and come off over time. All he allows is warm water with a small amount of dish soap on a good old dish cloth. It will remove the build up that you have now. Once you have the film off, I find that feather dusters are great for getting that layer of dust off - quick & easy! Plust kids can help!
Elaine:
You're not cleaning wood, you're cleaning paint. My favorite product is glass cleaner because it leaves a shine.