SOAP AND WATER, properly used, will not harm most finishes, but deluxe lacquered furniture, such as pianos, require special treatment For other finishes, squeeze a soft cloth out of light suds to make it as dry as possible. Wash a small area, rinse it with clear water, again using a well-squeezed cloth, and wipe dry. Move on to an adjacent part and continue until the piece has been completely cleaned. And renew your suds as they go flat a soft brush inside the cloth will help on carved wood. This work must be done carefully and quickly because water should not stay on the furniture more than a moment or two. When it has dried completely, buff it to a lustrous finish with your favorite polish.



A HOME-MADE FURNITURE WASH, which is highly esteemed by some women, consists of three tablespoons of boiled linseed oil and two tablespoons of pure gum turpentine added to one quart of hot water. Mix well and allow it to cool. Wring a soft cloth out of this mixture and clean a small area at a time, wiping each section dry as you proceed. No rinsing will be necessary. Polish the furniture after it has dried completely.

A WHITISH BLOOM AFTER WASHING appears sometimes on furniture with a poor finish. Polishing usually corrects this. On varnished surfaces you can try wiping the furniture with a soft cloth moistened with pure raw linseed oil. For a shellacked piece use a cloth barely dampened with alcohol, wiping the surface very lightly in order not to remove any of the finish. Polish afterwards. The chances are that you will not know what the finish is, but if the furniture has been waxed, this makes little difference.

FOR THE FINE NEW PIANO FINISHES manufacturers rule out all washes, all polishes, and even the usual dusters. If the finish looks dull wipe it with an old, well-washed piece of chamois leather that is damp (not wet) and then remove the moisture with a second piece of dry soft chamois. New chamois leathers should be soaked in water for twenty-four hours before being used on a piano. If chamois is not available, dampened cheesecloth can be used.

FURNITURE IN SUCH SAD CONDITION that refinishing seems to be the only remedy might be improved by this treatment: make the linseed oil furniture-wash described above, using slightly more turpentine, and test it cautiously on the finish to make sure no harm will be done. Wash the piece carefully and let it dry. Now dip a cloth into linseed oil (either raw or boiled), then into rottenstone or very fine pumice, and rub it over a small area in the direction of the grain. Wipe it off with a cloth moistened with raw linseed oil, then go on to the next area. When the whole surface has been cleaned in this way give it a good polishing with a soft cotton flannel cloth. Repair minor blemishes and give it a second polishing. You can use either oil or a paste wax on top of the Unseed. You may have trouble-finding rottenstone or powdered pumice; if you cannot get it at your hardware store ask your druggist to order some for you from a wholesale chemical house.

From this article we learned that for the new piano finishes clean it with chamois leather which is damp and dry it with the second dry soft chamois, this is to avoid any scratch on the piano after the cleaning. Furniture in such sad condition can be treated well with the linseed oil furniture-wash plus turpentine. You can use the soap and water to clean the furniture, squeeze the cloth before cleaning the furniture and wipe dry. You can also use home made furniture wash if you prefer.