I have just moved into a house with solid wood kitchen tops?
Question:these have been marked by the grease and grime that collects at the bottom of pots. Any ideas on how to clean the marks without resorting to sanding the counters?
Answers:
No matter what you do, I think in the end you're going to have to sand and restore. You say it's solid wood so it will be well worth the effort. Good luck!
Let it soak in bleach. Buy new tops!
Steps
1
Step One
Apply salt to the stain immediately.
2
Step Two
Allow the salt to sit on the grease stain until grease has been absorbed.
3
Step Three
Repeat as necessary until the stain is removed.
4
Step Four
Polish the entire area of wood.
Tips & Warnings
An occasional polishing will help to prevent grease from staining in the first place.
Remove Water Marks
Steps
1
Step One
Apply a small amount of non-gel toothpaste to a damp, clean, lint-free cloth.
2
Step Two
Rub toothpaste over the water spot.
3
Step Three
Remove film with a clean, damp cloth.
4
Step Four
Dry with a clean, dry cloth.
5
Step Five
Polish.
You can get something in a spray bottle called soapy wood cleaner, from the supermarket , its really good and should do the trick, we did all our wooden kitchen cabinet doors as well with it
There is nothing more beautiful than wooden countertops. It would be well worth the effort to go through the sanding process.
if the grease as passed through the existing polish the only way is to sand them and re polish.
you could tile over the worktop
Please do not use chemicals on the lovely butcher block counter tops. The wood will adsorb the chemicals, and leach it back into your food. You can get cleaner specifically for the wood counter tops; however you may never fully get the grease marks off. You will need to sand down the counter tops, and then if you are not going to cook and chop food directly on the counter top, have them sealed (go for a triple coating of the sealant so it lasts longer).
Sanding the counters is the best way to go, it shouldn't take that long. If the stains are deep, you may have to live with them. Put an acrylic cutting board over that area, or a nice potted plant. Keep the hand towel there.
You can try bleaching, but be careful. I wouldn't use anything stronger than 50/50. You will most likely need to do the entire countertop with bleach and go over the stains a few times.
good luck!
No bleach. No chemicals. I have never heard of the salt, but I don't think it would hurt anything. Toothpaste is usually for a lacquered finish, I hope your tops are not.
Usually butcher block installed as a counter is finished with mineral oil. They are available lacquered, but these are more for side cabinets, furniture and the like.
Scrape off any built up residue with a flat metal object with a flat edge. A stainless spatula works well. Us a mild detergent, such as Dawn to wash the area. Rinse immediately and dry thoroughly. Do not let water stand on the top.
Buff with fine steel wool. If there are deep scratches or marks, sanding is OK. Carefully remove any dust from the top.
Now the important part. Coat generously with mineral oil. Do not use vegetable or any other organic oil. Mineral oil. I would bet your top has not been cared for in a while, so you may need to treat it 2 or 3 times. After the top no longer absorbs the mineral oil quickly, treat one more time. Apply generously, wipe off. Do not let it puddle.
Clean and repeat the treatment every few weeks. After you get it into shape, only one dose of mineral oil should be needed for each treatment.
Again, no bleach, no chemicals.
you can get a oil varnish remover that you just rub on to the surfaces and then just reseal them with a good duck oil i think the remover is made by liberon
White spirits .
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