Wood doors add lasting style and beauty to our homes and businesses, but they do require occasional maintenance to ensure their longevity and appearance. To keep your investment looking and functioning as it should, follow the cleaning and maintenance tips below.
Exterior Door Care
Both residential and commercial exterior doors take a lot of wear through the years due to weather and touch. They are constantly being exposed to dirt, heat, wind, and rain, as well as the touch of people and pets. Due to this constant wear, exterior doors should be cleaned periodically to ensure they last for years as they are intended.
How to Clean Your Exterior Wood Door
- Using a soft rag, duster, or vacuum with a nozzle attachment, dust the door gently to remove loose dirt and dust.
- Mix equal parts water with either gentle dish soap or vinegar. Scrub the door lightly using a soft sponge or cloth.
- Stained Doors: Use furniture wax or polish to wipe down the door for an extra sine.
- Painted Doors: To ensure the color is not stripped off during the cleaning process, dilute your soap mixture by adding more water.
- Glass Window Accents: Use a mixture of water and vinegar. Make sure to either squeegee dry or wipe dry with a cloth for a streak-free shine.
- Hardware: A commercial cleaner is fine for cleaning handles and such. For brass door handles, mix a half cup of vinegar with two tablespoons of salt. Dab the mixture on the hardware with a sponge and let it sit for 15 minutes before wiping off with a cloth.
- Dry your door with a heavy-duty paper towel or dry cloth.
Interior Door Care
Although interior doors don’t experience the same level of exposure to the elements as their exterior counterparts, they do require their own level of care. Doors on the interior of a home or commercial space are frequently touched and attract dust.
How to Clean Your Interior Wood Door
- The top edge of the door frame can be cleaned using a duster, soft cloth, or vacuum with a nozzle to remove dust.
- A door frame should be cleaned regularly with a spot cleaner and rag to remove smudges and fingerprints. For those who may not want to use chemicals, use warm water and soap on a soft sponge instead.
- Varnished Wood: Consider cleaning with a product like Murphy’s Oil Soap.
- The full door should be wiped down from top to bottom with warm, soapy water. Make sure to include the narrow inner edges, and when you’re finished, dry the door completely with a soft rag.
- Pro Tip: Wipe your cloth in the same direction of the wood grain and remove excess water while drying.
- To clean your door hardware, which can collect germs and dirt, use spray cleaner on a rag. For brass handles, you can purchase special brass cleaner or make your own using a half cup of vinegar and two tablespoons of salt.
Custom doors are a special investment, but just like anything we want to last, we need to take care of them. With these cleaning tips, your wood doors will not only look great but last for you too.
For additional information on our custom doors, click here or contact our expert craftsmen if you’re interested in creating a custom door package.
