How to Care for Antique Writing Desks

Antique writing desks seem to be coming back in vogue in a major way, and so more and more people want to know how to care for antique writing desks. This can be a little bit harder than it looks at first glance, but the good news is that with some basic knowledge, furniture cleaner, and common sense you can maintain almost any piece of antique wood furniture, including writing desks.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Furniture polish
• Dust mask
• Lemon oil (strongly recommended)
• Rags

1. Caring for antique writing desks starts with keeping the wood clean and polished. So the first step to taking care of an antique writing desk is to get a rag with lemon oil and to begin to gently rub down all the wood.

2. Rub the lemon oil with the grain. Many restorers like to use old socks so they can feel the contours of the wood. The lemon oil helps to attract dirt and make the natural shine of the wood come out more clearly.

3. Gently rub down the wood with rags. If you're still not fully satisfied, consider a second coat.

4. Once the base looks good on the antique writing desk, then look at using some wood polish to add that last little shine. Old English is a good example of a product that some people like to use to help maintain their antique wood desks.

5. Repeat these steps as necessary, and keep unnecessary food and liquids away and your antique writing desk will remain beautiful and well kept.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the lemon oil if you can, and rub with the grain. This is probably the best way to clean the wood and prepare the wood for further polish.
• Wear a mask around furniture that hasn't been taken care of in a long time. You never know what microbes might be around. This is especially true if there might have been mice around in the past.

Resources

• Blog post on antique writing desks
• Lemon Oil Beeswax 10 oz.
• Old English Furniture Polish