Is there any exception to the rule "always go with the grain"?

Save your money and skip the Pledge. Even if you don't see a wax build up and haven't damaged your furniture, all Pledge (or any other product like that) does is make you feel good and increase the mfg's sales.

But shermann, when I dust with Pledge, I DO see a difference. It makes the wood shiny and look cleaner. I used to dust this way once a week, but now (because of laziness, lol) I do it once a month.

Also, in winter it gets very dry here..summer is opposite. Maybe that would be a good time to use a bit of water to wash the furniture?

One more thing. My DIL uses Pledge at least once a week on her beautiful wood furniture. Should I tell her to use a microfiber cloth to dust instead of a rag and Pledge?

We both used Swiffer, but all that does is move around the dust!

I ordered some micro fiber cloths for myself which should arrive today, and I hope it works much better than Swiffer!

Don't clean with water. Instead, make sure to maintain adequate humidity. Houses can become drier than deserts in the winter. Not good for wood.

I like Endust. Dry dusting just pushes the dust around.

My Mom (85) always kept her wood furniture looking clean by wiping with an old cloth diaper slightly dampened with water. It removed the dust and the dampness seemed to give it a little moisture. She never used Pledge or Endust or any other products.

Once a week, I use a damp cloth and wipe down the wood furniture, but dry it almost immediately with a dry cloth. I use microfiber so it won't scratch. My mom taught me when I was really young to dust this way.

I haven't used furniture products in 15 years - after Pledge ruined a table top by making it cloudy. I use a very very very slightly damp cloth and then dry after dusting.

A lemon oil furniture wax is fine...if you wish....all it is is lemon oil mixed with mainly mineral oil...but it does attract dust.
About every 6 months I like to use a good paste wax on the big flat surfaces or tables and chests of drawers. Polish well and then just dry dust until I feel ambitious again!
Linda c

Linda C shared some information that is potentially damaging to furniture and finishes. Because this is what she chooses to use doesn't make it optimal, or good for use on any or all furniture and finishes. I can only hope people will avoid using her recommendations and do more research into what is best to use on their furniture and finishes.

This information is from a number of sources, including a college class on "finishes" in a furniture design coarse.

FYI - only apply oil to furniture that has an oil finish on it - such as Danish Oil, French Oil, Tung Oil, Boiled Linseed Oil, etc.... These oils dry to a hard - protective - finish and can be reapplied as needed.

NEVER wax furniture with an oil finish on it. NEVER mix oil and wax on any finish. Oil causes wax to become gummy which will then attract dirt and dust for a new problem from a dirty, gritty, build-up.

Never use non-drying oils, like mineral oil or olive oil, for wood finishes. Mineral oil does little more than sit on the surface and attract dust - it doesn't dry to a hard finish and is easy to smudge and attracts things like smoke and pollutants to the surface it sits on.

Wax and polishes on a Polyurethane will eventually damage the finish. Wax and polish isn't a substitute for a damaged finish.

Silicone-containing cleaners/polish create a high degree of shine, however, silicone seeps into even the highest-quality finishes, creating a barrier that will not accept stain or lacquer so are virtually impossible to refinish or touch-up.

-Grainlady

grainlady raises some great points...

in most modern furniture, you're not polishing the wood, you're polishing the clear coat, much like modern cars.

stuff like pledge just creates a synthetic 'oil slick' that makes the surface 'look' better, but it's got more in common with WD-40 than it does with traditional furniture treatments....if you've ever gotten any of the over spray on a hard floor surface, you know what I mean : )

I'm looking for advice on natural wood (no apparent finish, nice medium blonde color) furniture that I used Pledge on. It seemed to make the wood look so much cleaner and fuller color. Lately, though, I keep thinking the furniture has a slight orange tint to it. Is that a waxy build up?

Pledge isn't wax, so there is no build up. Some furniture polishes and cleaners contain stuff that can react with some finishes, not knowing what finish is on your furniture it's impossible to say. Some older furniture may have a shellac finish others a varnish, much of the cheaper newer furniture has a lacquer finish.

I put a coat of wax on my wood furniture and also my refrigerator. Then I just dust twice a week with a swifter. Supposedly products like Pledge or Lemon Oil can darken finishes or dry them out. I can attest that Lemon Oil will darken some wood finishes.

At Colonial Williamsburg they wax all their original finish furniture It provides a layer of protection to the finish...no matter what the finish. And what Colonial Williamsburg does is good enough for me....And a lemon oil polish, which is mostly mineral oil won't do any harm to a cured finish....that is a finish that has been drying for a week or more. However some cheaper lacquer finishes will become gummy when you apply an oil polish or dusting agent....but that gummy thing happens from the oils on your hands or from spilled bits of oil in the case of a table. A good quality paste wax containing carnauba is always a good protection for your furniture.

I have all Amish built custom cherry wood furniture and cabinets in my house. I use Method Furniture Cleaner to dust and clean the furniture once a week or so, then about once a month, after cleaning it, I apply Method Furniture Polish. My furniture maker recommended these products to me and they do a beautiful job.

I have been using Guardsman furniture polish recommended by Henkel Harris since we purchased the first piece furniture from the company years ago.

Here is the link that may be helpful: Henkelharris product-care Suggestion

Guardsman is the other line of products that my furniture makes recommended to me. I have some of that too.

We have a valuable 1700's tiger maple bureau that my father used to use. Unbeknownst to us, this bureau while with our mother in Florida was for years being 'polished' weekly by a cleaning person--with Pledge.

Because our mother came north so often, we seldom went to Florida. So. when we finally saw the bureau again years later the exquisite yellow tiger maple had darkened to almost black because the Pledge oils had seeped in, saturated the wood and permanently stained it. It was tragic. And no refinisher could be found who could undo the damage.

Good antiques, my understanding is, should be cared for with butcher's wax and elbow grease--nothing more.

Maybe it will ruin modern day furniture, but not the real wood and good finish they put on furniture when I was young. It is very hard to find all word furniture. I bought an all wood deck bed and it is all wood except for a few places when they used a thin product of some kind, not sure about it. The set cost was $5,000. and was hand made back east somewhere. A furniture salesman told me you can tell all wood furniture by the price.

Pledge contains silicone. While it doesn't harm your furniture, it does effect refinishing in the future. Google what it does.

If Pledge is accidentally used on your Amish furniture, how can you remove it without damaging the Amish finish? Lydia

I believe current day pledge has removed the silicone. Check the label ( I don't have any in my house!)....but if it was used, you can't remove it. It bonds with the finish. Well, sand paper will remove it....but also the finish.