How Can I Get The Shine Back?

Margaret | Posted in Finishing on August 20, 1999 07:32am

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I have a bedroom set (37 years old) of what we then called fruitwood. Recently, I’ve noticed that the tops of the pieces are very dull. I’m guilty of using Pledge; is this the cause, and what can I do to get the shine back?

Replies

Jed_C. | Jun 29, 1999 07:13am | #1
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Depends on how much shine you want. All the purists poo-poo Pledge, unfairly. There's nothing wrong with buffing it on to spruce up an old finish now and then. There's another wipe-on product that may give you the sheen you're after--it's called Oz. It comes in pint or quart-size metal cans, and it's sold at many hardware stores or home-improvement chains.

Don_H | Aug 20, 1999 07:32am | #2
*Pledge is mineral oil and water with a smidgeon lemon oil added for smell. If you are going to use oil to polish your furniture got to the drug store and buy a bottle of mineral oil and use that. Back when you could get cars in any color as long as it was black we used kerosine and oil to polish the cars. They really looked great until they were driven on the dusty roads and of course the dust stuck to the oil like steel to a magnet. I think oil does the same thing to furniture. It really polishes up nicely but take notice of how soon it needs dusting because every little piece of dust in the air sticks to the furniture. Pledge laughs all the way to the bank because they sell millions of gallons of mineral oil to housewives who use it religiously to attract more dust to their furniture. Use a wax product and polish it out well. It will last longer and you'll get more exercise instead of going to the spa. BTW try spraying pledge on a mirror and then stand and watch it separate into oil and water. Why do you want to spray water on your furniture?