I have an antique roll top desk that belonged to my grandpa. I recently acquired it. Most of the interior wood, such as the inside of the drawers and inside of the carcases that house the drawers have not been finished. It has a bit of a musty smell from being in his basement. It isn’t too bad, but I would like to wipe it down before I reassemble it. Any advice on what to use? I’m not so concerned with the portions that are finished as I am with the bare pieces of wood. Looking for something to freshen it up a bit without causing damage to the unfinished parts. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
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How about giving the unfinished parts a sanding with a fine grit -- mainly to remove accumulated dirt, and then just set it someplace where it can air out for a while?
I might be tempted to try washing some of the unfinished stuff with Murphy's Oil Soap -- followed immediately with a dry cloth wipe to remove any excess moisture. But I would not try this without the advice from someone more expert than I about this technique.
DOC, Mildew is your prob
Take apart all you can. Remove drawers, doors and hdwe/.
Wipe the entire surfaces with clean cloths with slightly damp coating of household bleach diluted with water 50/50 (Or even weaker).
Wipe down with dry rag ,repeat with new rags, Place in sunshine for a few hours Then repeat It will have a 'swimming pool' smell for a short time then odor will disappear
Sunshine, air circulation and bleach will elimanate must mildew and 'damp'
No basement for furniture Steinmetz
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