Baking soda, steam and vinegar: how to clean up secondhand furniture

I love finding things on the street or in secondhand stores and bringing them into my home to upcycle. But that doesn’t mean I’m OK with bringing dirt, germs and dust from elsewhere into my space.

When you’re upcycling or rehoming furniture, cleaning it properly is the first step. But cleaning thrifted pieces can be daunting, especially when you’re worried about damaging them, or don’t know where to start.

For fabrics and upholstery, a steam cleaner might come in handy, but most cleanup jobs can be done with standard household cleaning equipment, including brushes, wash cloths and even aluminium foil.

Secondhand wood: what to know before you bring it home

Before you bring any secondhand wooden furniture into your home, it’s worth checking for signs of termites or borers. Look out for tiny pinholes in the surface, fine powdery dust (known as frass) or areas of wood that sound hollow when tapped. If you do spot these it’s best not to bring the piece inside. Once termites are in, they’re incredibly hard to manage – professional pest advice is the way to go – so prevention is the safest approach.

Once you’re sure a wooden piece is pest free, you can tell the difference between whether it’s sealed or unsealed by dripping a few small drops of water on to the surface. If it beads up and doesn’t sink in, it is sealed. If it sinks into the wood, it’s unsealed. This is important to know, because you clean sealed and unsealed wood in different ways.

How to clean unsealed wood

Unsealed wood is at risk of swelling or distortion if wet, so the best way to clean it is to keep it dry the whole time.

Use a soft bristle brush to wipe down the entire piece or area gently. This will dislodge and loosen any stubborn debris.

Vacuum the entire piece, ensuring you get into all the cracks and crevices.

Wipe down the entire piece with a dry microfibre cloth. This will wipe away any spots you may have missed with your vacuum and brush, and leave you with a clean surface to work with.

Unsealed wood is more vulnerable to moisture and drying out, so after cleaning it you may want to apply a natural oil such as linseed or tung oil. This won’t fully seal the timber the way varnish or polyurethane does, but it will nourish the wood, bring out the grain and give it a light layer of protection against moisture. The main thing is to keep the wood as dry as possible during cleaning, and then use oil if you’d like to enhance both its durability and appearance. Just be prepared to reapply oil occasionally to maintain that finish.

How to clean sealed wood

It’s best to wash sealed wooden furniture outside on a warm day or inside with several windows and doors open.

Firstly, combine dishwashing soap, hot water and white vinegar.

Using a soft cloth or rag, dip it into the mixture and wring it out so it’s not sopping wet.

Wipe the wooden furniture piece and repeat, rinsing the cloth often. Give it a final wipe with a clean, damp cloth.

How to remove stains from laminate and plastic

Laminate and plastic tends to stain easily, but you can remove stains by combining hot water and baking soda to create a paste. Rub the paste on to any marks with a soft bristle brush.

Once you’ve applied the paste, wipe down the piece with a cloth dipped into a mixture of dish detergent, hot water and vinegar.

Use a clean cloth to wipe the piece down with cold water to act as a rinse. On laminate pieces, if left unrinsed, cleaning solution or soap will remain on the surface and may cause marring after long periods.

Dry the piece with a clean, dry dish towel.

How to refresh used upholstery

Start by vacuuming the whole piece.

Outdoors or in a well-ventilated area, spray nooks and crannies with an all-purpose bug spray to ensure it is free from bed bugs, fleas, ticks and mites.

Combine a generous amount of baking soda with eucalyptus oil and sprinkle on all fabric sections. Let the baking soda sit for a few hours without being disturbed, then vacuum it up.

To remove any fabric stains I like to use a portable spot cleaner.

You can also use a steam cleaner to clean the fabric further and go deeper into the foam.

Metal and chrome can tarnish or rust over time. Fortunately, it’s not hard to bring the metal back to life with a little effort – although it can be messy work, so prepare to sweep up afterward.

• Take the moistened foil and wrap it around your hand for better control. Rub the foil over the rusted or tarnished metal areas, applying moderate pressure. You’ll notice that the rust and dirt starts to come away almost immediately.

• Continue this process, re-moistening the foil as necessary, until you’ve treated the entire piece.

• After the initial scrubbing, inspect the metal to spot any remaining tarnished areas. Repeat the scrubbing process as needed until you’re satisfied with the overall appearance of the metal and then wipe it down with a damp cloth.