Green Deep Cleaning: Day 7 - Woodwork

Today's Green Deep Cleaning is going to be cleaning and oiling all of that woodwork in the kitchen.  For the everyday, general dusting, I love to use the Envirowand with the Dusting Mitt. 

This time though, we're going to really get all the sticky grime that gets on the woodwork in the kitchen.  My table set also gets pretty bad with all the things the kids get smeared on there, so if I can really work on getting those clean twice a year, I am happy.

What you will need for Green Cleaning today:

• Envirocloth
• Vinegar
• Olive Oil
• Small bowl
• Old towel

First, you'll take the Envirocloth and wash down any of the wood surfaces with just warm water on the Envirocloth.   If you are doing China Cabinets and other fine cabinetry, you won't want to do this step on them. For me, this step includes my kitchen table and chairs, my window sills (my window sills are always moist, so they often have a coating of water and mold) and my cabinet fronts.  Oh, don't forget to get any wood trim or doors in the kitchen.

Next, you make a mix of equal parts vinegar and olive oil in the bowl.  This concoction has two purposes:  the vinegar cleans the wood, and the oil moistens the surface, which will absorb it and keep the wood in good condition.

You may not be able to see the difference, because this solution doesn't fix any loss of stain, but in "real life" it looks 100% better! 

Take your old towel and dip it into the oil/vinegar and rub it on all the wood surfaces you can find in the kitchen.  Some wood cabinetry may have a shiny finish, so the oil won't absorb as well.  For these shiny furniture pieces, I will use a very thin coating of the oil/vinegar mix, and then rub over it with a dry cloth to be sure it shines up, but doesn't have a pool of oil sitting on the surface.

This may not take you very long to do, but for me, this does, because everything is wood in my kitchen.