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I have an old desk chair (Came out of the Federal Courthouse in St Paul) that is very dirty. It's old, not exactly sure how old but I'd guess 1920s or so. I don't want to try a bunch of different chemicals because I'm not sure how solid the finish is under all the dirt.
What is the best way to clean it up without hurting the underlying finish?
Mike
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I'd wash it good with murphy's oil soap Rinse with water and see what you have. Another application may be needed or using a
steam cleaner . It's better to take several passes. Use distilled water in the steamer. Once you get the gunk off you can decide on what to do.
BTW the finish is likely not worth trying to save and if they used hide glue you may need to reassemble the chair.
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Murphy's Oil soap and mineral spirits will clean nearly any combination of dirt and grime without hurting the underlying finish. Start with MOS, diluted per the directions. When your sponge comes back clean wipe it one more time with a clean sponge with water. When that's dry wipe it with mineral spirits on a rag or paper towel. After that comes back clean you're done. When it dries you'll know where you're at.
John
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This is about the procedure I use.
http://www.woodcentral.com/bparticles/save_finish.shtmlI've not used Murphy's a lot, but never had a whole lot of luck with it. I remember restoring a piece for a lady that had cleaned a piece with Murphy's about five times before she gave up and called me. I used one of my special cleaners and the cloth came up black after about 1 sq.ft. of surface that I'd cleaned.
Note, though, that decades of exposure to (acidic) body oil can degrade finish to goo. A thorough cleaning can remove the goo, but it could take you all the way back to bare wood. But, there is not finish left, just goo that used to be finish and you can't really seal that in with more finish.
