Cleaning your wooden exterior doors
After investing in beautiful wood exterior doors, any proud homeowner will want them to look their best. In any city, exterior doors can easily collect dirt and grime. However, with a little knowledge and a little effort, you can have yours looking great again in no time.
A fresh-looking front door will bring your home to life and help it stand out on your street. It will feel good to enter your home through a clean portal, and it will also give your guests a good first impression.
Cleaning your doors is not difficult, but you may need a few different cleaning products depending on the type of door you have.
Starting with some of the supplies you’ll need and explaining how to prepare and clean them from top to bottom, here’s how to keep your exterior wood doors looking their best.
Gather your cleaning supplies
The first task is to look at the type of door you have and how much dirt and grime you need to get rid of. For both preparation and cleaning, you may only need a few of the supplies here. For certain types of doors, or depending on the task at hand, you may need all of them.
To prepare your door for cleaning, any of the following equipment may be required: a vacuum with a hose and a brush, paper towels or soft rags, a feather duster, a small artist brush, a stepladder, and a broom .
For the cleaning step of the process, we may need any of the following: soft rags and soft sponges, a commercial wood cleaner such as Murphy’s Oil Soap, a homemade dish soap cleaning solution, a teaspoon of baking soda, and four cups of hot water, glass cleaner (newspapers make a good cleaning cloth that will not leave streaks on glass), commercial metal cleaner, or hot soapy water for metal door hardware, and oil to use on the hinges.
Use a commercial product or household mix to clean paint-free wooden exterior doors. For painted doors, use the homemade solution; do not use Murphy’s oil soap.
Preparing the door for cleaning
Before you can actually clean your wooden exterior doors, you will need to get rid of any dust and dirt that has accumulated on them.
Open the door and start at the top of the door frame, using the vacuum brush attachment in every possible place. Next, sprinkle with paper towels, rags, or a feather duster in places where the vacuum cleaner couldn’t reach.
Dust the entire door frame and door from top to bottom, and use this time to inspect the door for stains and damage. Use the small brush to get into the cracks.
Finally, sweep the entrance, inside and out.
Get rid of dirt
Use a soft sponge or cloth to apply the cleaner, always following the grain of the door. Again, go top to bottom and include the door frame.
Be gentle and don’t scrub too hard, as this can remove paint or finish from your wooden exterior door. Once this is done, wipe the door with a soft cloth to remove any traces of cleaner or water.
When cleaning any window, be sure to watch out for leaks and get them quickly. These could stain your door and leave you with an ugly reminder every time you leave or enter.
Clean door knobs, locks, hinges, and other metal accessories. Again, be sure not to scrub too much if you are using an abrasive cleaner.
For wood exterior doors with a stained finish, use furniture polish or polish to give it a like-new shine. Wipe the door in the direction of the grain so the polish runs smoothly and looks even when finished.
Finish off by oiling your locks and hinges to give your door a smooth feel to match its new look.
Although it may seem like a big task and the paint or other finishes are worth taking care of, cleaning a wooden exterior door doesn’t have to be a complicated task.
Start by gathering everything you will need to have everything close at hand during the process. Then remove any dirt and small particles that have accumulated on and around the door. Finally, clean that door until it glows and makes you proud.
Afterward, you can enjoy your wooden exterior door every time you enter or leave your home, and maybe even get a nice compliment from a neighbor.