Whether you’re sitting down to a family dinner or inviting friends over for a party, you want your furniture looking its best.
If you’ve got scratches on your furniture, though, it can bring down the entire room’s appearance.
Luckily, there are quite a few ways to remove scratches from wood furniture. We’ll cover the easiest and least expensive method: using toothpaste.
Let’s get started.
What You’ll Need:
- toothpaste (regular, not gel)
- a soft cloth or lint-free cloth
- vacuum cleaner (optional)
- wood furniture polish (optional)
Steps:
- Wipe off or vacuum any dust on the surface of the furniture.
- Apply a small amount of toothpaste to a soft cloth and rub it into the scratches.
- Wait approximately five minutes.
- Wipe away all of the toothpaste with a damp cloth. Make sure all of the toothpaste is gone, as it can leave a white residue.
- Dry the wood with a soft cloth.
- Polish your furniture (optional)
Why Use Toothpaste to Clean Wood Furniture
You might be wondering, “Why toothpaste?”
Toothpaste is an abrasive cleaner, so it can scrub away the gunk. But unlike other abrasives, toothpaste is gentle enough that it won’t scratch most surfaces. Because of its mildness, toothpaste is a great cleaner for wood furniture because you don’t have to worry about damaging the finish on your beautiful piece.
Since toothpaste is relatively inexpensive and easy to find, it’s a good item to keep on hand in case of minor accidents when you’re cleaning wood furniture. And since everyone has a tube of toothpaste at home anyway, you don’t need to buy specialty products or supplies just for this task.
Won’t Toothpaste Ruin the Wood?
During the process, you might be wondering if toothpaste will ruin your furniture. The good news is that it won’t. Toothpaste is a mild abrasive cleaner and will easily remove some surface scratches, but it won’t remove deep ones.
Likewise, it can help wipe away stains left by water or other liquids, but this technique isn’t a miracle worker.
Be patient while working with toothpaste, as it can take some time to really show results. It’s best to not have high expectations for the final outcome of using toothpaste to clean wood furniture.
If for any reason you don’t notice results after trying this method on your wood furniture, try another DIY method.
What to Avoid
The key is to use white toothpaste and a soft toothbrush, like the ones you use for your teeth. You don’t want to press too hard, either—just enough to lightly scrub the scratches.
What NOT to do: Do not use gel toothpaste. It doesn’t have the same ingredients and will only leave a goopy mess on your furniture.
And remember, less is more: Don’t put more toothpaste on the brush than you’d normally use at one time when brushing your teeth.
Tips for Maintaining Wood Furniture
- The best way to maintain wood furniture is to prevent dirt and stains from damaging the finish. That’s why it’s important to wipe up spills immediately before they have a chance to soak in.
- Dusting regularly will help keep your wood furniture clean and protected from scratches. Basically, you want to be proactive in protecting your investment.
- When something does seep into the finish of the wood, rubbing a dab of toothpaste on it may help remove the stain or discoloration and restore the beauty of your furniture.
Conclusion:
Now you know how to clean wood furniture with toothpaste. You’ll be able to get rid of unsightly scratches on your wooden furniture, and they will look as good as new!
If you’re looking for more tips on household cleaning, check out my article on how to clean tiles with baking soda.
Thanks for reading.
-Baking Soda Guy
Photo by Adrienne Andersen from Pexels
