Flooding: Before & After
Restoring Vital Services — Wood furniture, woodwork and cabinets
Remove drawers and doors from wood furniture and cabinets as soon as possible. If drawers and doors are stuck tight, take off the back and try pushing them out. Sometimes the board that backs a dresser or similar piece of furniture is thin and may warp. This may need to be replaced. Save the original for a pattern.
Next, hose or wash off loose soil. If necessary, use a brush and sudsy water to remove soil. Rinse away suds with clear water and dry with a cloth.
Let furniture and cabinets dry slowly out of direct sunlight. Slow drying will help reduce warping and splitting. Depending on how long the furniture was soaked by flood waters and the age and condition of the pieces, it may take from several weeks to several months for the piece to dry completely.
Provide plenty of ventilation. Use fans, heaters or dehumidifiers to keep the moist air moving and lower the humidity. Allow at least twice as much time for total drying as it takes for all visible signs of moisture to disappear. This will allow for internal drying.
After the furniture has dried completely, it may be possible to clean it without having to refinish it. To clean, wipe every surface with mineral spirits, synthetic turpentine or a cleanser-conditioner. Use a commercial cleaner or make your own. (See recipe below) Always test first on a spot that doesn't show (apply, wipe and let dry) to be sure product makes the finish on the piece look better, not worse.
Cleanser/Conditioner Recipe
Mix in glass jar with tight lid:
- 3 parts (3/4 cup) boiled linseed oil (buy boiled oil — DO NOT BOIL AT HOME)
- 1 part (1/4 cup) gum turpentine (not synthetic)
To use the cleanser/conditioner:
Protect work area with sheets or dropcloths. Open windows or work outside. Do not smoke or ignite matches in the work area.
- Pour a little hot water in a cup or can placed on a saucer.
- Pour just enough cleanser/conditioner into the cup or can to cover the surface of the water. Do not stir.
- Dip cloth into oily surface floating on top of water and rub small area of furniture surface at a time. Use toothbrush on carved areas and grooves. For areas that appear to have a buildup of dirt, dip 3/0 steel wool pad into cleaner and rub lightly with the grain of the wood.
- Dip a fresh cloth into clear, warm water. Wring cloth and wipe surface.
- Finish by wiping surface with a clean, dry cloth.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Discard cleanser mixture when the water cools off and start again with fresh hot water and cleanser. Don't reheat; this mixture is flammable. You can store the unused mixture indefinitely in the tightly closed container. Shake well before using. After cleaning, if finish looks acceptable, apply furniture polish, oil or wax. If the finish is not acceptable, furniture may have to be refinished.
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Cloudy spots
White spots and a cloudy film on wooden furniture may develop from dampness even though the pieces are not in water. If the entire surface is cloudy, rub with a cloth dipped in turpentine, camphorated oil or a soft pad dipped in mayonnaise. Immediately wipe dry. If this doesn't work, dip 3/0 steel wool in oil — linseed, olive, mineral or lemon — and rub gently with the wood grain.
For very deep spots, pour a drop or two of ammonia on a damp cloth and wipe furniture surface; wipe dry with a clean cloth at once. Cigarette ashes or salt rubbed into the fingertip or a cork then rubbed onto the spot may remove spots. After the spots are removed, apply polish, wax or oil. In some cases, it may be possible to remove spots without refinishing.
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Mildew
Thoroughly clean mildewed furniture, woodwork and other wooden parts of structures by scrubbing them with a mild alkali, such as washing soda or an all-purpose cleaner containing trisodium phosphate (4 to 6 tablespoons to gallon of water) or with a household cleaner that states that it sanitizes or destroys bacteria. Paint and grocery stores and janitorial supply houses sell these products under various trade names.
After cleaning, rinse well with clear water and allow the wood to dry thoroughly. If the mold has grown into the wood under paint or varnish, it may be necessary to scrub the wood first with an abrasive cleaner. Then wash with a solution containing one cup of household laundry chlorine bleach to a gallon of water. Finally, rinse the wood well with clear water and dry thoroughly. If reapplying paint, choose one that is mildew resistant or inhibits mildew growth.