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How to clean lacquered furniture

Mary Smith
By Mary Smith. Updated: August 31, 2020
How to clean lacquered furniture

Do you love the coziness of wood furniture but are put off because they are difficult to maintain? If you are a fan of wood furniture and you always want keep it in perfect condition, you must have plenty of lacquered furniture.

Lacquered furniture is more protected against bumps, scratches, liquid stains, color wear, marks from certain objects or even pesky bugs. But keeping it free of damage and wear and tear is impossible. As we know how much you love that walnut sideboard and olive table, we at OneHowTo.com want to share some tips and tricks on how to clean lacquered furniture.

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Steps to follow:
1

When lacquered furniture is not stained or worn and you simply want to clean it to remove dust, the best thing to use is a damp cloth with warm water. Rub the cloth over the surface of the furniture and make sure you dry it well with a bit of paper. After drying, use a suede cloth to rub and leave it looking perfectly shiny.

2

Sometimes daily cleaning is not enough to remove the fingerprints or grease that usually appear as a result of daily use. If you use a cloth soaked in warm water across the surface of the table or the cupboard and notice some unsightly water marks afterwards, we recommend using a brilliant product: ammonia.

Using the same technique, dampen the cloth with ammonia and use to clean the lacquered wood. Do it in a place with good ventilation to get rid of the strong odor of ammonia.

See our OneHowTo article on how to use ammonia to clean.

How to clean lacquered furniture - Step 2
3

It is unavoidable - you leave the glass of water on the bedside table. Children paint on the desk. You light candles and leave them on the dresser to create a nice ambiance. Smudging on our lacquered furniture is inevitable - it's just a matter of time!

If you have a tough stain that just will not be removed with the above techniques, try sanding off the surface of the furniture and re-lacquering. Of course, if you are not able to do this delicate job yourself, we recommend calling a carpenter.

In fact, if you'd rather not lacquer it again, you can use sandpaper to create a rustic look.

4

Pen marks are very common in children's rooms, but fret not! Lacquered furniture is ink-proof. Dampen a soft cloth (make sure it's lint-free) with alcohol and rub vigorously over the marks. This method not only makes pen stains disappear, but also leaves the surface shiny and perfectly clean.

5

White lacquered furniture is very nice but if it is near a window that lets in sunlight it might yellow from the sun's rays. To restore the furniture to its original white, rub with hydrogen peroxide You might have to do this several times before returning it to its original shade.

6

No matter how careful we are, it really is impossible to prevent bumps, scrapes and scratches damaging our furniture to some degree. Removing marks from lacquered furniture requires the application of colorless wax or wax the same color as the furniture. Apply the wax to the damaged surface and rub it with a woolen cloth until the mark disappears as if by magic.

7

These have been some tips on how to clean lacquered furniture. Wood furniture is really lovely - make sure it's always polished!

If you want to read similar articles to How to clean lacquered furniture, we recommend you visit our Home cleaning category.

Tips
  • Move white lacquered furniture away from windows that let in lots of light.
  • Do not apply cleaning products to your lacquered furniture - water is enough.
  • Whenever you clean grease stains with ammonia, make sure the room is well-ventilated.
  • If you do not think you'll be able to sand the furniture and re-lacquer it yourself, call a professional.

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3 comments
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Susan
I have a mirror propped on my lacquered dresser. It has left a rust stain...any ideas how to remove rust from lacquer?
OneHowTo Editor
Hi Susan,

Since the rust oxidizes on iron and not on the lacquer directly, it should be easy enough to remove. Use whatever lacquer cleaner you use, supermarket brand should be fine. If you do need to use some abrasion, a general rule is that the glossier the lacquer, the finer the steel wool you should use.
Rating:
MICHAEL J PETERS
Left a candle burning on white lacquer table - left small yellow burn mark. is it possible to remove with out ruining the shinny lacquer ?
OneHowTo Editor
Hi,

It is possible, but can be tricky. It will depend on how much it has gone down into the lacquer. However, it should be possible to smooth the are and then relacquer if necessary.
Rating:
Albert ipri
I have a piece of furniture with a mrk left where a lamp with a felt covered base sat. it left a mark that will not come out with a damp cloth. the piece has a high gloss that I believe is laquer. any ideas??
Susan
did you find a way to remove the mark from your furniture? I have a rust stain on my lacquered dresser from propping a mirror on the dresser.
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How to clean lacquered furniture

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