Cleaning a wooden table

ganderson1804

Hi, looking for some advice with caring for my dining table. It's a walnut table. Over the past few months it's been increasingly difficult to clean. The table has a 'gummy' sticky feel to it which I just can't seem to shift. I've tried bicarb and vinegar but it didn't really touch it.

Any suggestions?

FairyPrincessk

Do you know what sort of finish is on the table? It sounds as if it may be time to re-finish it, particularly if you've had the table for years and are only now experiencing the problem. Alternatively, is it in a sunny, warm area? If it is waxed then the wax may be softening in the sun. This is fairly unusual in the UK, but it does happen!

ganderson1804

No I don't know the finish.., maybe I should call the shop we bought it from. We'be had it for 4.5 years. I don't think we were given any specific care instructions for it, in fact I'm sure we didn't. Yes I actually sits in front of our double French doors where the sun streams in first thing to about 3-4pm.

Is refinishing something a professional does?

FairyPrincessk

It doesn't have to be done by a professional, but it is a lot of work. I would expect a finish to last far longer than 4.5 years. Some finishes (like wax) can go tacky in the heat, but if you haven't noticed it in summers past then that is unlikely.

Try the advice here before you worry too much about refinishing:
http://www.howtocleanstuff.net/how-to-clean-sticky-residue-from-a-wooden-table/

imataloss

It depends on the wood. You can clean wood by using a mixture of white spirit and linseed oil on 0000 wire wool. This is a very fine wire wool and shouldn`t scratch the wood. You would obviously need to test before using over the whole table.
This is what we used to use in our upholstery class for cleaning up the wood on old chairs.