Expert: Eileen Cronk - 10/23/2007

Question
I found and old piece of furniture and I'm first, not sure what it is called. Second, not sure how to clean it. It's a seat with a mirrored back. It has hooks on it for hanging coats and what looks like a place to hang you umbrella. It stands about four foot high and has the original beveled mirror. Can you help, I'm new at this. Thank you for your time, Sally

Answer
Hi Sally
Nice to hear from you.
Sounds to me like you have aquired a hall tree although I have never seen one only four feet high with a mirror.
Here are some examples..
http://images.google.ca/images?hl=en&q=hall+tree&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2
Anything resemble yours?
Cleaning depends on how heavy the dirt is.
Sally are you familiar with that type of guck on furniture that can actually be scraped off with your fingernail?
Its especially noticed in humid weather.
Well I find that type of dirt can only be cleaned off with mineral spirits. I use a very fine steel wool pad dipped in the spirits as a scrub pad. Its amazing the dirt this will take off. Keep lots of clean rags to dry as you go.
Dirt that is hardly noticable can be cleaned with soap and water, but if the piece has had lots of waxing it can often go cloudy or gummy with soap and water...so then you are back to cleaning with the spirits anyway.
Even just try a rag dipped in a bit of the spirits to see what comes off. Perhaps its clean.
After cleaning, a nice waxing.
Good Luck and great question
Regards
Eileen