Re: Cleaning years of dirt

All great suggestions. I use rags and I won't use steel wool in this case (I do not want metal fibers embedded in the wood to cause problems later). I suggest rags and a bucket of clean water and a garden hose for starters. It won't hurt anything, will go faster, and will lift the dirt off and wash it away. Dry it well and do this a couple of times. Next use the mineral spirits, with rags. Pour out a half gallon into a bucket and use it just like it was water, keep rinsing the rags in the spirits and wiping the surfaces, and don't worry if you get a bit of white haze. The water moved the dirt, the spirits moves the grime, oils and such. Again, dry it well. If you wish, next use denatured alcohol. Keep in mind that the color of the wood while wet is what it will look like when and if you put a finish on it. As a finish, that is your choice. I suggest shellac, but furniture paste wax is a very good choice as well. You can get a wax that has some color in it (Briwax is a good one, as is Beaute, and Johnson's Paste Floor Wax) and there are others. Just make sure what you use is silicone free as are the ones I suggested.