In this post, we show how an old wooden box is cleaned with soap to get a new lease of life. The soap, especially a superfatted variant like VästerbottensSåpa, moisturizes and replenishes the wood instead of drying it out. We scrub the box with a root brush, lukewarm water and soap, and the result is impressive after drying.
Last edited May 7, 2024
Here we show how an old wooden box is cleaned with soap and gets a "new life". Soap has many fine benefits, including replenishing the wood instead of drying it out.
VästerbottensSåpa is a superfatted soap and therefore works very well with wood.
This is what the box looked like when we found it in an old root cellar. It had been standing in the cellar for many years and had absorbed moisture and become discolored.
We scrubbed the box with a soft brush, lukewarm water and a generous dollop of soap. As you can see in the last picture (after drying), the box is in a completely different condition after a soap scrub.
You will notice when you soap scrub an older, dirty wooden object or floor that dirt penetrates very quickly and in quite a large amount. When the wood has then dried, you can feel with your hand that it is not dried out but has got a pleasant replenished surface that can now be wiped with a damp cloth when cleaning. Heavily soiled surfaces may need to be scrubbed more than once.
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Questions and Answers
- What are the benefits of soap when used to clean wooden objects?
The soap moisturizes and replenishes the wood instead of drying it out, which gives the object a "new life" and a pleasant surface after cleaning.
- Why is it important to use a superfatted soap like VästerbottensSåpa when cleaning wood?
A superfatted soap like VästerbottensSåpa works well with wood and provides effective cleaning while preserving the wood's natural moisture.
- Which tool is used to scrub the wooden box in this example?
A soft brush is used together with lukewarm water and soap to scrub the old wooden box.
- Why may the wood need to be scrubbed more than once on heavily soiled surfaces?
On heavily soiled surfaces, the dirt can penetrate deep into the wood, which may require several scrubs to achieve the desired cleaning result.
- What should you do after the wooden object has dried after soap scrubbing to maintain its moisturized surface?
After the wood has dried, it can be wiped with a damp cloth when cleaning to maintain its moisturized surface and fresh appearance.