My wooden banisters are sticky and feel so gross. They are especially bad in this humid Minnesota weather! What is the best method to clean them WITHOUT needing to refinish them afterwards?
Try using the Mr Clean Magic Erasers. They come in 2 or 4 packs and they work great. I use them to clean grime/grease, markers on my cabinets. All you do is add a little water to the sponge and you will be amazed. Trust me.
Do NOT use a magic eraser on your wood. It will strip the finish... Murphy's is your best bet.
Yep. Magic Erasers will strip the finish. Murphy's Oil soap should do the trick, but it may be an issue with the varnish/polyurethane that was used to seal the wood interacting with the humidity in the air, too.
If you know any woodworkers or carpenters, you may want to ask them, too. They're likely most familiar with the products used on wood to seal them and may recommend something like Mineral Spirits.
Murphy soap is great. You may also want to use one of those green scratchy (but not abrasive) sponges to be sure to lift the sticky off.
baby wipes, believe it or not :)
We are in the same area. I would use a Vingar/Hot Water solution to wash them. The Murphy's or Orange Glow to polish once they are clean. I had this issue once. Now I just make it a weekly chore as I am going up and down the stairs to take a cloth and as I go up holding the rail; (LOL) wipe the rail. When I go back down the stairs I take a cloth with the Orange Glow on the cloth and polish as I go down. It really does work. We live in a home that has LOTS of wood to care for. Good Luck.
Warm water in a bucket, rag,spritz of regular shampoo ( is formulated to break up grease and dirt and is gentel) , wipe down, rinse with another rag and just plain water.
hmmm maybe a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser or Murphy Oil Soap. Those were the first things that came to mind.
Clorox wipes worked on mine and water with vinegar.
Maybe a vinegar/water mix? I recently started using this for almost everything and am SHOCKED at how much vinegar cleans. The smell doesn't last long, and I don't feel the need to evacuate my kids from the house while we wait for the odor to clear (the way I do with chemicals).
For the wood, I'd test it on the underside of the banister to make sure that it won't harm the finish. It shouldn't, but ya never know!
