Summer may have yielded some flea market finds?!

Here we have three fine finds that we have scrubbed up with Västerbottenssåpa, some tips and advice, and of course, before and after pictures.

You can find these fine objects later this week at Magasin Mix in Vilhelmina Kyrkstad; they are, in fact, just borrowed from there.

The first thing we're going to tackle scrubbing is an old, fine ironing board with a clever design. You take the ironing board and straighten out the leg so that "the hook at one end gapes," and then you attach it over a table edge or into the countertop. Old kitchens often had a "hole" where you could tuck in a kitchen stool or hide other things 😉 Here, you could very easily attach the ironing board. See how we did it in the picture.

The fine ironing board has, over time, acquired streaks of dirt (somewhat oily and black) and has absorbed moisture and become discolored on one side. And the nails have also left discolorations.

Here, there's no decor to consider, so we use soap and a brush to get rid of the rather troublesome streaks and stains from the dampness.

BEFORE

DURING

Here you can see how the discoloration is being released from the wood.

AFTER

A coarse brush like this can be used when there is tough dirt and a surface that can withstand it; do not use a coarse brush on painted or delicate surfaces.
You can use a liquid soap if you find it easier, but we use a dollop of solid soap directly on the brush, a bit old-fashioned but very simple and effective. Be careful to choose a super-fatted soap for wood. A "watery" soap without an excess of fat will dry out the wood and accelerate drying and thus cracks.

After having stood and dried overnight, it's now this nice!
So, if you need a proper, clean, and nice extra work surface or old-fashioned ironing board, you can hurry to Magasin Mix tomorrow, Tuesday the 22nd of August.

Object number two is an old, fine sugar box. It's a bit more difficult to handle; partly the surface is a bit rough, and partly it has been exposed to both bird droppings, moisture, and paint splashes.

We absolutely do not want to damage the fine decor BUT …. we absolutely don't want bird droppings left, so cleaning is necessary! We choose a soft brush. A brush of natural fiber (light bristles) can be left for a short while in lukewarm water to make it even a little softer; then we take soap on the brush and scrub very lightly. We barely touch the decor but scrub around it and clean the decor itself with a cloth, warm water, and a little soap. However, the fine edges that have become black from moisture, time, and dirt, we give a couple of extra passes with the brush so that they become really clean and nice.

The same applies to painted surfaces, do not scrub painted surfaces but wipe carefully to avoid damage. It is only discolored wood that should be scrubbed and re-greased.

Clean and neat, not a trace of bird droppings or moisture, and ready to be placed in any nice kitchen.

Before

The inside, however, needs to be cleaned thoroughly. Things that may have been in storage, barns, etc., must always be cleaned carefully before being brought in. There may be traces of mouse droppings and other things that absolutely must not come in, so – warm water and soap for that!

The morning after – here the box has stood overnight and dried.

There is also a fine old bench in this collection – it too has been given a round with soap and brush and is now ready to take its place in the second-hand shop Magasin Mix in Vilhelmina.

Thank you for reading the Cleaning Blog!

The blog is written, photographed, and filmed by Sara & Magnus Idenfors who also run Västerbottenssåpa. Products used in the blog (this time scrubbing brushes, soap and cloths) can be ordered at www.vasterbottenssapa.se

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