Expert: Eileen Cronk - 7/28/2008

Question
I have just acquired a dinette set from an old relative.  It has a buffet, table that has a leaf that pops up when table is pulled apart and a hutch that has a flower bin and a porcelain shelf.  There is a label on the front of one piece it says Hoosier.  It is mostly dark wood with lighter wood doors and drawers; it also has some black line designs Looks like paint not inlay.  The finish is very crackly and the tabletop is a bit tacky.  
My question n is how do I clean it.  I do not want to strip it if that would ruin the value (if there is any) I like it old looking but it need some cleaning.  Any advice would be helpful


Answer
Hi Cheryl
Nice to hear from you.
You can clean this set with mineral spirits (sold as varsol in Canada).
Use a very fine steel wool pad (not SOS), dipped in the spirits as a  scrubber.
Always work with the grain of the wood.
Use care over the painted areas and in fact try to avoid rubbing the black with steel wool (the spirits won't hurt the paint but the steel wool will).
Dry with clean rags as you go.
This should remove the tacky areas.
If the finish has cracks this will not help with that and you are stuck with them.
You can follow that with a waxing and polish.
Good Luck with this
Kind Regards
Eileen