Cleaning a Dining Room Table

October 28, 2004 4:09 PM

Cleaning tips for a Heywood-Wakefield dining table (champagne finish)? It has quite a bit of build-up and dust that Murphy's oil soap has failed to budge, but otherwise is in good shape (no chips, scratches, etc.). I've only found brief references online to using GoJo hand soap (which only seems available in bulk as an office supply) or naphtha (which I vaguely associate with flaming weapons of medieval warfare), so I'm at a bit of a loss as to how to proceed.
posted by scody to home & garden (3 comments total)

Oh god, please don't ever use murphy's oil soap on Heywood-Wakefield furniture. I have quite a bit of it, and I have been yell at by my furniture guy for even considering using products like Murphy's.

I've always been told to use a slightly damp paper towel. Unfortunately, I don't know if that will help get the build-up off.

Can I suggest calling City Barn Antiques in NYC and asking for their opinion. They specialize in the stuff, so if anybody knows....

City Barn
posted by hummus at 4:46 PM on October 28, 2004

Some friends of mine own Springdale Furnishings, a big mostly Heywood-Wakefield shop. From one of the questions on their Q & A page (the last entry from May 2003) on cleaning H-W without harming the finish, they say "every 6 months or so we recommend the use of #0000 steel wool with lemon oil, or Liquid Gold to clean the piece and keep the lacquer from drying out. It’s important to wipe off all the residue with clean, soft cloths… to stave off a gummy, dirt attracting residue."

I'm sure they'd be happy to help you with any other questions you might have.
posted by jaut at 7:54 PM on October 28, 2004

Oh man, I'm so happy I happened to look at this thread, and at those links! I immediately recognized a few pieces that are sitting in the antique mall 10 blocks away from me. I've been drooling over them for a while, but had no idea they were worth so much more than they're priced there. I'm pretty tempted to do a little furniture investment now. Thanks for creating a new fixation.
posted by evilbeck at 10:35 PM on October 28, 2004