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How to Clean and Protect a Wooden Dining Table

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Raise your hand if your kitchen table — or dining room table — is made of wood? Oh, look, that's almost all of you! We knew that'd be the case, which is why we asked! See, wood is probably the most common material when it comes to tables. But it's also surprisingly fickle to take care of. Let the dust pile up and it can scratch the wood's finish! Set it up too close to a radiator and it could warp! Leave a glass of ice cold water on it and you could wind up staring at ring marks for all of eternity!

Here's everything you need to know about cleaning and protecting your kitchen or dining room table.

How to Clean & Protect Your Wood Dining Table

What you'll need

2 microfiber cleaning cloths
Liquid dish soap
A small bowl

Instructions:

Wipe down the table: Use a barely damp microfiber cloth to remove any dust, crumbs, and grime that may have built up.
Make and apply your cleaning solution: If there are any sticky spots left behind, add a drop or two of dish soap to a bowl of warm water. Dip your damp microfiber cloth into the soapy water and gently rub the affected area. You may want to do a test on an out-of-sight section first — just to make sure the finish can withstand even the most gentle soap.
Dry the table: You don't want your wood table to sit with water on it (ever), so use a clean, dry microfiber cloth to dry and buff the table.

Notes:

If the sticky spots remain, you can also try mineral spirits. Here, you'll definitely want to test a small out-of-sight spot. And you'll want to make sure the room/your workspace is well ventilated. Ready to go? Add a little bit of mineral spirits to a clean cloth and rub the sticky area.
If the table just doesn't seem to come clean or get any less sticky, you can talk to an expert (or watch some YouTube videos) about refinishing the table.

Other Tips For Cleaning & Protecting a Wood Table

1. Dust your wood table often.

Small particles of dust may seem harmless, but enough buildup can scratch the wood's finish. Dust at least weekly with a soft, lint-free cloth (cheesecloth, a cotton diaper, or a cut-up old t-shirt all work wonderfully). Stay away from specialized dust polishes, as they contain silicones that can soak into the grain of the wood and damage it for good. Instead, lightly dampen a cloth with water or use a microfiber cloth that will cling to dust particles on its own.

2. Use vinegar and oil to get water rings out of your wooden table.

3. Keep it away from the radiator.

Don't place a wood dining table over a radiator or right next to a heat register. The temperature swings could damage the wood with warping or splitting. Also, store any extra leaves near the table itself. This ensures that the leaf will not warp or swell/contract differently from the table. If you store the leaf in a basement or attic, the moisture and temperature differential could take its toll.

4. Watch humidity levels.

As with all woodwork, from flooring to trim, from dining tables to other furnishings, try to keep humidity levels in your home between 40 and 45%. Any lower could crack the wood and any higher could cause swelling. For most of us, this means running a humidifier in the winter and an a/c or de-humidifier in the summer.

5. Make your wood table shine.

Like we pointed out above, it's best to skip a silicone product. Rather, polish with a hard, carnauba wax. Use two of those soft, lint-free cloths again: one to apply the wax and another to polish. It will take some real elbow grease, but thankfully this task only needs to be done about twice a year.

Do you have any other questions about cleaning and protecting wood tables? Leave them in the comments below!

Regina Yunghans

Contributor

Regina is an architect who lives with her husband and children in Lawrence, KS. As a LEED Accredited Professional and longtime contributor to Apartment Therapy and The Kitchn, her focus is on healthy, sustainable living through design.

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