Cleaning Your Woodwork

One of the most alluring quality of log cabin homes is the beautiful exposed woodwork. Before the summer months come to a close, make it a goal to deep clean your home's woodwork. Here are some tips for keeping your home's wood in the best shape:

Standard Wood Cleaners

When cleaning the interior of your log cabin home, you can simply scrub the walls with a sponge or cloth using Murphy’s Oil Soap and/or a citrus-based cleanser. You can also use a mixture of water and color-safe bleach (NOT regular bleach) to scrub out dust and stains. 

Polish

You’re welcome to use a coat of wood polish a day or two later to restore the wood’s shine if you so choose. Keep in mind that you should try scrubbing in an inconspicuous place first, to test and see how your logs react to various products. If you bought the home from a previous owner, ask them for tips on what they used to clean and maintain the wood. 

For Strong Stains

If you need a stronger stain remover, you can mix a cup of a powdered detergent known as “TSP” (tri-sodium phosphate) with one quart of plain liquid bleach and three quarts of warm water. Use a hand-pump garden sprayer to apply this mixture to the wood, and then, after five minutes, rinse it off. Wear rubber gloves and a mask over your nose and mouth since you don’t want to get this mixture on your hands or the fumes in your lungs. In addition, make sure the area is well-ventilated.

Sanding

A last resort is to sand the wood, which is hard work. Sanding, however, will help restore the logs to their original color.

Exterior Cleaning

As for the log cabin home’s exterior, you can use a power washer to remove dirt and grime. Two guiding principles for power washing are: don’t stay on one spot too long and don’t use too much pressure. Remember, it’s good to test a little spot to determine what works best before you go and tackle an entire wall or house.