Lemon Pledge

[HectorLooi]

 Is it just me or does anyone else have a problem with Lemon Pledge?

Lemon Pledge seemed like a godsend. You could bring back the shine to dull furniture with just a quick wipe down. My last cleaning lady got her hands on a can of it and literally Lemon Pledged every wooden thing in my house.

But when you stop using it after a few years, the wood looks worse than it first started. I've tried cleaning it with detergent, Old English Oil, other brands of wood polish, even wd40. But the white, dried out look reappears after a short while. The only thing that restores the shine for a few more year is Lemon Pledge again. 

It was the same with Armor All.

I hate to be forced to continue using a product for the rest of my life.

[Marc]

Try googling silicone oil in wood finishes as I suspect that that is the culprit.

It is what produces that instant glossy shine so easily on just about any surface but from what I understand it can cause problem if it gets through the original finish and into the wood and then you get this effect.

You may be able to break the tie to Pledge just by finding another furniture polish with silicone oil in it, but if you want break the tie with silicone oil then you will probably have to refinish the wood.

[oldhippy]

A wax polish is best if you want a more permanent finish on your furniture. You also need to consider the type of wood you are going to polish. Wax needs to build up, so you won't see good results  right away. Pledge and alike is only good on modern furniture

[nad]

For restoration, I use Briwax applied with 0000 wire wool. Stinks to high heaven but the results are worth it. (Best after a light rub over with white spirit.)


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[AndyHull]

You might also try a little heat. Sometimes the issue is that moisture gets sealed in behind the finish because the silicone acts as an impermeable barrier. Gently heating with an iron on a cotton cloth (don't use synthetic material) may drive out the moisture. Alternatively, you can try alcohol. Be very careful that you don't make things worse.

 

Finally, try to avoid silicone based polish/cleaners, they are a pain. Stick with beeswax if you can.   They take more work, but they are far more forgiving and easier to fix when you get problems.

Edited May 7, 2020 by AndyHull

[spectre6000]

What is going on depends on what the finish is that's doing it. Most furniture built since probably the 70s is going to have a polyurethane finish on it. It's essentially a coating of plastic, and when plastic breaks down it gets chalky like that. Plastics, as we all know, don't like oils, lemon Pledge has lemon oil, bam! Chalky. Unfortunately, there's not a ton you can actually do. All of the poly on that wood has been subjected to the same treatment. If you were to brush off the chalkiness with a stiff bristle brush and put something over it, the rest will continue to chalk up underneath before you know it. Refinishing is about your only option for a real repair.

Short of that, assuming you don't want to go through the hassle or expense, brush off what you can of the chalkiness with a stiff nylon brush. The wax suggested above will help, but it's not permanent. Wax is soft, stays soft, and will come off with wear, which is why it needs to be constantly reapplied. Traditionally, "wax" is something like 25% beeswax 75% oil, so you have that oil problem again. Still, you're already hooped, and it'll look reasonably nice for a while, so...

Another option to consider may be a drying oil. A light coat of boiled linseed oil might seal things up in a lower maintenance fashion. Wipe on, wipe off; you want the barest, thinnest coat since it'll likely only adhere very well to the rough stuff. It's oil still, but it quickly polymerizes and hardens. It'll still chalk up underneath over time, and maybe even quicker than it would with the wax since you wouldn't be rubbing off the chalkiness with subsequent applications, but it's one and done.

Finally, the watchmaker's favorite, shellac. Shellac will go over just about anything. It'll seal things up nicely, if you use the blonde stuff it won't affect the color, and just a light coat or two will just barely up the gloss. It'll still chalk underneath, but that's kinda what you're stuck with at this point.

[HectorLooi]

Thank you very much for all your answers. But resistance was futile. I went back to using Pledge because I still have a large can of it.

I bought the can while restoring an antique longcase clock. The owner must have used Pledge in the past. Whatever I  used, furniture polish, furniture wax, etc, just wouldn't work. It may look good right after I polished the wood but a few days later the white, moldy appearance returns. 

I found that Pledge was the only product that that could give a lasting shine. It appears that once an item has been Pledged, nothing else can fix it. So.... NEVER apply Pledge to wood if it has never been Pledged before.