I have 100 year old Florida pine wood doors. They must have 100 years of dirt from hands on them and would like to know if any one knows how to get the grime out. I really don't want to refinish them if I don't have to.
My house is nearly 100 years old, and my doors and woodwork (beadboard wainscoting in the kitchen, 8-inch baseboards, wooden divider between the living room and dining room), though thankfully unpainted, get grimy and "gunky". My sister bought a can of "Cabinet Magic" at Home Depot for me. It's made for these such things. The stuff is pretty cheap (not as cheap as vinegar), $5 a can or less.
Also, if you have a dollar store near you, try the awesome spray. It's a terrific de-greaser.
Good luck!
You can't beat Murphy's oil soap for cleaning any kind of wood! Try it with a scruffy sponge or even some steel wool (test in an inconspicuous spot first)
I actually used straight pinesol to clean grime from my wooden floors. I just dumped a little in the grimy area and then used a big scrubber brush and within 10 seconds it lifted the grime right up. It did no damage to our floor at all, just brought up the grime. Once I had a good little pile of lifted grime cleaning, I wiped it up with a dry rag and then sprayed it with straight water and buffed with another dry rag.
Try straight vinegar in a spray bottle with liberal amounts of elbow grease.
Can someone tell me why when I try Murphy's Oil Soap the wood always ends up looking dull and filmy? So many people swear by this stuff that I'd like to know what I am doing wrong!
Try mineral spirits. You will need to ventilate the rooms, because of the odor.
You are not doing anything wrong with your technique with the Murphy's Oil. I just had a long talk with the manufacturer of my hardwood floor. Guess what, Murphy's Oil is the problem.
