Old, old shutters

[GoodDaughter]

A while back, I got some old, old shutters from my grandmother's place in Pennsylvania. 9 sets of them altogether, with the old hinges land latches. They are lovered. I don't know what kind of wood, possibly cherry? The wood is very dirty but not rotted, and the lovers work. I have no idea how old they are, but I do know they have been in the barn since my folks got married back in 1957 at least, and one of my aunts says since she was a little girl which would mean sometime in the early 1940's. The hardware is kind of crude looking, black metal, perhaps wrought iron.

I have dragged them out with the idea of using them to replace the wood blinds I have now in some of the windows.

Any ideas on how to clean the wood? Murphy's Oil soap and water? I am going to have to use an old toothbrush to get the dirt and crud out of all the crooks and nannies.

[sbemt456]

What a treasure you have. If I were to try and clean the shutters I think I would use a solution of very warm water and TSP. If TSP is mixed strong enough and hot enough it will strip paint but will also do a great job on raw wood. When I strip furniture or clean antique furniture I use a fairly strong solution. Just remember to wear rubber gloves as the solution will dry your skin terribly.And it probably wont be good for you in general. You should be able to find TSP at any good hardware store or Wally World if you shop there. You should find instructions on the TSP container as to how to use the product.

Good luck with the cleaning. Oh yea, and remember to rinse the shutters well after cleaning with this cleaner.

Hope this helps some.

stella

[GoodDaughter]

Does anyone make 'real' TSP anymore? I bought some Red Devil brand 'TSP substitute' a while back to scrub the porch decks with before I stained them, and I noticed the package says 'substitute' or 'replacement' or something like that, I guess TSP is bad for the environment?

I was working on a shutter a while ago, and I can't even tell if they have been stained or not. I cleaned one with dish soap and water, a soft bristle brush and rinsed well, and the wood is sort of dark reddish-brown even when dry. Very fine grained wood. I wish I had a camera to post a picture of them, maybe someone could identify the wood. I'm loathe to stain or put a sealer on them, maybe a good coat of wax? Guess I'll do some research. BTW, these will be interior shutters. The panels are quite wide.

[mom]

Again, I would recommend Greased Lightning. It will lift paint and won't hurt your skin. Best all around cleaner I have ever found. You can usually get it at Lowe's or Home Depot