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How to clean ceramics, furniture and more

These are cleaning tricks we have tried successfully on various items. Like anything else the most important trick to use is common sense and be careful. If you're not sure about how to clean something or the item is extremely fragile or valuable, consult a REAL expert before you proceed with cleaning. We're just plain folks, who through trial and error; have found things that work well for us. Also make sure you read the label on commercially manufactured cleaners and solvents before using. Look for precautions on suitability of use, handling, storage and disposal of un-used or empty containers.

Homemade Furniture Cleaner

1/3 White Vinegar
1/3 Boiled Linseed Oil
1/3 Turpentine

Add equal amounts of the vinegar, linseed oil and turpentine to a jar with a tight lid. Shake the jar until everything is mixed. Wear proper protective gloves and move the furniture outdoors to clean. Apply to a small area of the furniture then rub with very fine 000 or 0000 steel wool. Use pressure and the dirt and grime should begin to dissolve. Be sure to shake the jar furniture cleaner as you are working to keep it mixed well. Wipe the areas you have cleaned with a soft, lint-free rag. You can add a coat of lemon oil after the cleaning if the furniture needs a little more shine.

Oil Soap

This has been a tried and true way of cleaning furniture for decades. Oil Soap (any brand will do) is made to clean wood and won't harm the surface. Just mix the oil soap with water as directed on the bottle. Dampen a clean lint-free cloth in the mixture and wipe away the dirt. After the surface is dry be sure to polish or apply a coal of lemon oil.

Hand Cleaner

This is the stuff you buy at the hardware or auto supply store that removes grease and grime from you hands. Test this on a small area of your less valuable furniture or items that need cleaning. Be careful because hand cleaners contain solvents and pumice that could harm some finishes. 

Scrubbing Bubbles by Dow®

We use this on ceramics, glassware and items with glazed finishes. Spray it on, let it soak and rinse with clear cool water. We have cleaned many pieces of Hull and McCoy pottery with 
this and have had excellent results. Wear proper protective gloves when using Scrubbing Bubbles.

Oven Cleaner

My husband picked up a set of 3 Pyrex primary colors mixing bowls at a yard sale for $3.00 a while back. They were the filthiest things I had ever seen, the previous owner had obviously 
used them as baking dishes. A run through the dish washer and application of scrubbing bubbles didn't loosen much. Then I pulled out the can of oven cleaner. We sprayed them outside to avoid filling the house with fumes and let them set in the sun. A couple hours later the bowls rinsed clean and looked brand new! Wear proper protective gloves and move the item outdoors when using oven cleaner.

Homemade Silver Cleaner

Aluminum foil
Washing Soda
Hot tap water

Take a large container such as a bucket or old stainless stock pot and put a single layer of aluminum foil on the bottom. Place the silver item in the bottom of the container on top of the
aluminum foil. Mix one cup of washing soda to one gallon of hot tap water (no boiling water!) Pour the washing soda/water mixture in the container until the silver item is covered. Within 30 minutes remove the item and rinse in warm sudsy dish soap water. Rinse in clear water, dry and buff with a soft lint-free cloth. If you can't find washing soda at the grocery store you can try using plain baking soda, but double the amount used (2 cups per gallon of water.)

Sun-Dry Bleaching

I'm always picking up vintage linen table cloths, napkins, etc for our home. Many times I'll run into a sturdy white linen table cloth or napkins that have brown spots from food or drinks. I start with a treatment of Shout® stain remover and a good washing with laundry detergent and chlorine bleach. If the stain is still present after the wash, then I lay the linen out still damp, flat in the yard (we have a healthy lawn of St. Augustine grass) and let the sun do it's work. Usually the sun will finish the job of bleaching out the stains. With delicate linens I hand wash in mild soap and then lay out in the sun before attempting any other treatments.  I recently found some antique baby dresses that came out beautifully with just a gentle hand wash and sun-dry... bleaching would've ruined them!!

Fabric Softer Wallpaper Remover

We bought our house 4 years ago and have planned to remodel the kitchen ever since. The biggest job we were facing was removing the wallpaper. My husband did some research and found a site that suggested using a mixture of water and fabric softener. He mixed 1/3 cup non-concentrated fabric softener with 2/3 cup hot tap water in a spray bottle. We peeled away the vinyl top layer of the wallpaper and sprayed the fabric softener/water mixture on the paper backing. After waiting 5 minutes for the paper to soak he took an ordinary 4 inch putty scraper/putty knife and the paper backing lifted off with little effort! Once the wallpaper was off he sprayed the wall again and used the putty knife to get the glue off. Take it from someone who removed wallpaper from an entire house with a steamer, this beats anything else you've tried before!

WD40®

My husband found a retro gooseneck desk lamp at a thrift store for 25 cents. The base and lamp hood were painted a forest green, but dirty and faded (looked like the paint job on a 55 Chevy Biscayne that had been sitting in a junk yard for 30 years.) We liked the color and didn't want to repaint, fearing the heat from the lamp would cause the new paint to wrinkle. He used a damp cloth to remove the surface dirt. To further clean and shine he sprayed WD40® on a soft cloth and wiped the base and lamp hood. We were very pleased with the results, just enough shine; and very little paint came off on the cloth. He had thought of using car wax to shine the pieces but felt it might lift too much of the paint. If you try this, we suggest testing on an inconspicuous area first.