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Restore Wood with Old-Fashioned Wax

by The Editors of Yankee Magazine

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Are you fed up with dull finishes and scratches on your wooden furniture? The old-fashioned—and highly effective—way to perk up drab, marred furniture is to wax it. Classic furniture wax products, such as Butcher's Bowling Alley Wax, fill tiny scratches in wooden furniture. They can help you to restore shine and protect the piece from future wear. You can use this type of wax today the same way it was used in the late 1800s. (Check the instructions from your furniture manufacturer, though, to make sure that they don't advise against this type of restoration technique.)

You will need:

• Murphy Oil Soap or other mild soap
• Superfine (0000) steel wool (available at hardware stores)
• One container paste furniture wax
• 3 or 4 clean, soft cloths

Step 1. Gently wash the wood surface with a solution of mild soap and water and allow it to dry.

Step 2. Dampen a piece of steel wool and rub it on the surface of the wax so that a small amount of wax adheres to the steel wool. (If 0000 steel wool is not available, use a soft cloth. Do not use any other type of steel wool.) Now rub the wax over a small area of the surface using small circular motions.

Step 3. Let the wax sit for 5 to 10 minutes, until it hazes over. Then gently wipe off the excess wax with a cloth.You should not be able to streak the surface of the wood after wiping.

Step 4. Buff the surface again with a new clean cloth. Don't wait too long, or the wax will be more difficult to remove.

Step 5. Apply another coat and repeat Steps 3 and 4.

— The best way to keep waxed furniture shiny is to clean it with a feather duster or a damp rag. Don't apply furniture polish over the wax.

Excerpt from 1,001 Old-Time Household Hints brought to you by Skyhorse Publishing