Sealed wood

What sealed wood can and cannot take

• Heat Use with care
• Water and soaking Use with care
• Acids, including vinegar Use with care
• Strong alkalis Avoid
• Solvents Avoid
• Chlorine bleach Avoid
• Abrasives Avoid

Always test on a hidden area first and let it dry before you treat the visible mark.

General rules for sealed wood

On sealed wood you are cleaning the finish, not the wood. Everything follows from that.

Wipe spills immediately, because the finish is only a barrier while the liquid is on top of it. Once anything gets through a seam or a worn patch and into the grain, no surface cleaning reaches it.

Use a barely damp cloth and never leave standing liquid. Avoid bleach, chlorine, ammonia and abrasive powders, all of which attack the finish, and never use a steam mop: the moisture goes straight down the board joints and lifts them.

Stains on sealed wood

• Blood Blot first, then use cold water and a tiny amount of compatible detergent. Work from the edge, rinse or blot...
• Body oil Lift free oil from sealed wood, then clean a small area with a maker-approved mild detergent solution and a s...
• Breast milk Blot the spill, identify the finish and use a controlled cold clean only where permitted. Use plain cold wate...
• Bronzer Lift loose bronzer from sealed wood before it is rubbed in. Blot cream bronzer, follow the material or care l...
• Coffee Wipe coffee off sealed wood promptly with a soft cloth. Use moisture only on a confirmed sound finish whose m...
• Concealer Lift thick concealer from Sealed Wood, blot without rubbing, then use a very small amount of diluted washing-...
• Cooking grease Lift and blot cooking grease from Sealed Wood, then use a small amount of diluted washing-up liquid only if t...
• Deodorant Lift loose deodorant from sealed wood with a dry white cloth, then wipe the remaining film with cool water an...
• Hair dye Blot hair dye from Sealed wood, test the mildest compatible cool detergent route, clean inwards, remove resid...
• Lipstick Lift lipstick from Sealed Wood with a blunt edge, blot without rubbing, then use a very small amount of dilut...
• Motor oil Blot motor oil from Sealed Wood, absorb as much as possible, then use a small amount of diluted washing-up li...
• Nail polish Lift free polish gently if the face permits contact. A maker-approved mild damp wipe can clear loose residue,...
• Period blood Lift any tissue with a spoon edge, then blot. Use cold water and a tiny amount of compatible detergent for th...
• Pet urine Blot until nearly dry, then use only the cool-water quantity sealed wood can tolerate. Use a labelled pet uri...
• Sweat Blot sweat from Sealed Wood, test a weak cool detergent wipe, remove residue with minimal moisture and dry pr...
• Tomato sauce Lift tomato sauce from Sealed Wood, then wipe or blot inwards with a tested cool detergent solution. Remove r...

Cleaners on sealed wood

• Washing-up liquid Yes, with a pre-test

  A little in warm water on a damp cloth is the standard manufacturer method for a sealed floor. The risk is the amount of water, not the detergent.

• White vinegar No, not recommended

  Repeated acid contact dulls a lacquered finish, and floor finish manufacturers do not include it in their maintenance instructions. There is no benefit on a sealed floor that a damp cloth does not already give you.