My desk has fire damage from smoke only. The original base paint is a light color, then gold painted sentences cover the top and legs to tell a story. I have been afraid to touch it.
What kind of damage? Is it just smell? Discolored? Paint bubbled? We need more info.
Put crumpled newspapers in the drawers. That will absorb some of the odor.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I have a dresser that is yellow in color. It's very old. How can I clean it?
"English furniture polish" always works for me.
I use Guardsman Furniture Polish. It cleans and polishes.
I have just bought white wooden furniture. I would like to know how do I keep this clean without removing the paint off with strong cleaners.
I just helped my VERY pregnant daughter clean her house, including the white painted doors, hand rails, etc. and she is most impressed with the Soft Scrub!!
Murphy's Oil soap...When I was pregnant with my first child, we used my HUSBAND'S bassinet. But my MIL didn't have time to clean it, so I did it. No fumes, nice olive smell. And it is great at breaking down dirt, not paint.
I have this gorgeous red lacquered and painted Chinese cabinet that is in dire need of cleaning and re-lacquering. Some of the lacquer is in tact, but a lot is now almost matte. So I'm guessing I have to clean it off wiithout damaging the artwork.
Has anyone done this who could give me some tips please. By the way I'm in Spain so no proprietory brand names please. I will never be able to find them here!
Thanks.
I would suggest wiping it with a soft damp cloth. For the lacquer, maybe lightly sand it where its wearing thin, and put a fresh coat of laquer on. I don't think that the old needs to be removed first.
Be careful about restoring anything yourself if this is an antique. You can ruin its value. It may be worth it to talk to an antiques dealer first
I have a family heirloom trunk that my grandfather painted in a style similar to tole painting. It has a heavy brown patina of dirt and probably smoke all over it. I would like to clean the yellow background but on a trial section. Baking soda removes some of the overpainting along with the dirt. I am not sure what kind of paint he used, but I remember this piece from the early 1950s and I think it is much older than that.
By Tom L.
To start with why don't you try just plain water. This is how they clean valuable paintings that have hung for centuries. Dampen a paint brush, the kind used for oil painting. Get a half inch wide one. Dip it in water, lightly blot then brush a small spot to see if it works.
Water spilled onto the surface of a decorative painted and varnished bench. It soaked a bright pink Post-It note pad. The pink color soaked into the surface of the painted bench and stained it. Rubbing it with a damp cloth did nothing. Any thoughts on how to fix it?
By Cherylr from NJ
I don't have any first hand experience with this exact problem, but... I would try a very small amount of a product called goo gone.
