You may be wondering one of the following…
- How do I refresh my old cedar chest?
- Can I use Murphy’s oil soap to clean a cedar chest?
- How do I get rid of the scratches on my cedar chest?
- How do I keep my new cedar chest its very best?
Basically, you desire to know, how to maintain a cedar chest.
You’ve come to the right place! A cedar chest holds heirloom quality which deserves your careful maintenance.
Below you will find 10 steps for cleaning your cedar chest and 10 ways to restore that delicious, aromatic cedar scent!
PLUS! Enjoy discovering answers to specific questions about the maintenance of your cedar chest by the professionals.
Dust and mold! Prepare to meet your maker!
10 Steps for How to Maintain A Cedar Chest(s)
Step 1. Empty and Evaluate Your Cedar Chest
Empty your cedar chest. Then evaluate how dirty, or how much work needs to be done to it.
Step 2. Make a Quick To-Do List
If you want, jot down what all needs cleaned or improved on your cedar chest. This will help keep the project focused and organized. Also, this allows you to skip over the steps that do not apply to your situation.
Step 3. Vacuum
Use a vacuum’s extension and gently vacuum the exterior (if very dusty or cobwebbed covered) and the entire interior of your cedar chest.
Step 4. Wipe Down the Exterior
Choose the cleaning method according to the level of dirt and grime on the exterior of your cedar chest.
Mild Maintenance– Furniture polish and furniture polish rag. Wipe down the exterior, wiping towards the direction of the wood grain.
Moderate– Murphy’s Oil Soap or White Vinegar (especially if there is mold or mildew spots). Use a lint free cloth, wring out excess moisture and wipe down the exterior.
Extreme – 1/8 C. of TSP into a gallon of water and one dump of bleach. Use a scrubby pad, soak in liquid mixture, and very gently wipe towards the grain of the wood. Start at the bottom and work your way up.
Note: Skip to Step 6. (Return to Step 6. Once the exterior is dry.) Plus, check out the YouTube Videos below for tutorials to restore the exterior cedar chest naturally or with stain.
Step 5. Wipe Down the interior
Mild Maintenance – Furniture polish and furniture polish rag. Wipe down the interior, wiping towards the direction of the wood grain.
Moderate – White Vinegar. Use a lint free cloth and dampen, wring out excess liquid, and wipe down the interior.
Extreme – 3 T. Liquid Bleach to 1 C. of Water. Dampen a microfiber cloth and thoroughly wipe down the interior. If the interior of your cedar chest is stained beyond a good rub down with the chlorine mixture, then sanding (Step 8) the interior should get rid any lingering stains.
Step 6. Conquer the Corners
If the dirt, mildew, or mold seems to be camping out in the corners of your cedar chest, try grabbing a cotton swab or a Q-Tip, dampening with water, to get at the tight spots more easily.
Step 7. Air Dry Your Cedar Chest for a Day
Allow your cleaned cedar chest to air dry all day. Set your cedar chest outdoors in a safe location in the sunshine. If you are drying the interior be sure to leave the chest open. For best results, avoid drying out your cedar chest on humid days.
Step 8. Sand the Interior
Sanding the interior of your cedar chest will also potentially remove any remaining stains. Plus, it also refreshes the cedar smell.
Step 9. Re-Vacuum & Wipe Down with Moist Microfiber Cloth
Pull out the vacuum again to quickly pick up any wood dust from sanding. Follow up with wiping the interior with a damp microfiber cloth to ensure complete removal of the sawdust.
Step 10. Final Interior Air Dry & Freshening Touch
Leave the cedar chest lid open, either on your porch or in your house, to allow for a final air dry. Once you are certain the interior is dry add a freshening touch to the inside of your chest to revive its natural scent, if needed! Check out a list of options for ways to restore smell.
10 Refreshing Suggestions to Restore Your Cedar Chest’s Smell
Perhaps you have just cleaned out your cedar chest or you need suggestions for ways to simply recharge that addictive cedar scent. Either way, you are about to discover more ways to maintain your cedar chest.
Grab your pen and notepad!
10 Ways to Maintain or Restore Your Cedar Chest Smell
- Cedar Chest Oil – Use a lint-free cloth or clean cloth and apply a light layer to the interior of your chest.
- Cedar Essential Oils – Use a lint free or clean cloth and wipe the interior of your chest
- Dry Odor Absorber – Set inside for a few days, remove, sniff, and repeat if necessary
- Lightly Sand the Interior – Same Instructions as Step 8
- Vinegar (gets rid of unwanted odor.) – Same instructions as Step 5
- Cedar Blocks or Discs — Set inside for a few days more, remove, sniff and repeat if necessary
- Newspaper – Simply set inside for a few days, remove, air dry, sniff, repeat if necessary
- Coffee Grounds – Set in a bowl of your favorite grinds inside for a few days, remove, air dry, sniff, repeat if necessary
- Baking Soda – fill half a bowl, set inside for a few days, remove, air dry, sniff, repeat if necessary
- Air dry – Same instructions as Step 7
Videos for How to Maintain & Naturally Restore a Cedar Chest
How to Fix and Restore Cedar Chest
How to Clean and Naturally Restore a Cedar Chest
How to Get Rid of Scratches on Your Cedar Chest
Also, check out what 2 Pees in a Pod used to get rid of her cedar chest’s scratches!
Questions & Answers with a Professional, Josh, The Owner of Amish Handcrafted on how to maintain a cedar chest?
- Q. Can you set water cups on top of cedar chests? Will it make water rings?
A. We use a conversion varnish (part water, part oil), which is very resilient to water damage, however it is always best to avoid leaving water sitting for an extended period. It is safest to use a coaster. - Q. How do to make your cedar chest smell good again?
A. Just take a 220-grit sandpaper and lightly sand the inside of the chest. The interior is unfinished so you can easily do that. Just make sure that you sand in the direction of the grain. A fine sandpaper sanded in the direction of the gain will work wonders to restore the aroma of a chest!
Now that you know how to maintain a cedar chest , explore our 18 awesome ways to use it
Kate Daniel
I just got my mother’s cedar chest. But it has been in Illinois for over 80 years. Now it is in Arizona. Since it sat without any care for at least the last 15 years, it may have been a bit dried out already. But I worry that the Arizona climate… “But it’s a dry heat” is a proverbial line about Arizona, but a true one. So I worry that it will dry out now that it is in my living room.
Josh Stoltzfus
Hello Kate,
Yes, the dry heat is Arizona can be a concern for solid wood furniture. I should be ok, but I have seen a time or two where furniture will begin to crack after being in a dry climate like that. I really don’t have a solution to offer though, I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help! – Josh
Michele Halbeisen
HI, For the 10 ways to restore the cedar smell, do you leave the chest open or closed? For example, if you used the newspapers, coffee grinds, or baking soda. Thanks, Michele
Josh Stoltzfus
Hello Michelle,
Leaving the lid closed during this process would probably be most effective. However, I do think that fastest way to revive the smell would be to use a light 220 grit sandpaper, lightly sand the inside of the chest in the direction of the grain and the smell should come right back.
Thanks! Josh
Carrie Bennett
Trying to find the best way to restore my great grandmother’s cedar chest. The Veneer has warped and needs removal, the wood underneath looks good. If you have any good advice it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
Norma
I have a white comforter i want to store in my cedar chest. Will the chest stain or damage the fabric or color of a white comforter?
Josh Stoltzfus
Hello Norma,
Your white comforter should be fine to store in a cedar chest, cedar works very well for storing fabrics. As long as the chest is clean and dry inside the cedar should not damage the comforter. White material can yellow a bit over time in storage but that is unrelated to cedar, I’ve seen that happen to “whites” in plastic storage bins as well.
Thanks! Josh
Karol
Hi Josh,
I just picked up a beautiful cedar chest for my daughter. There a small black dots on the cedar, I believe it is mold. What is the best way to get rid of mold? Will sanding remove and kill the mold? Should I use a bleach/water solution? Any help you can provide is very much appreciated.
Thank you. Enjoy your evening.
Regards,
Karol
Josh Stoltzfus
Hello Carol,
Are the black dots on the inside or the outside of the chest? The inside is likely unfinished and I would not recommend using the bleach/water solution on an unfinished wood surface, in that case you will want to sand it lightly to remove the spots.
If the spots are on the outside then you can use the bleach/water solution but be careful not to make it too wet. I would use that solution but be sure to wring out the towel first before wiping down the chest.
I hope this helps! – Josh
Karol
Thank you Josh.
The black dots are actually on the cedar lining the interior of the chest. Do you suggest following the same steps as above?
Thanks again. Have a great evening.
~Karol
Josh Stoltzfus
Karol,
In that case I would suggest sanding the inside lightly with a 220 grit sandpaper (sanding in the direction of the wood grain), this will revive the cedar smell as well as remove the mold spots. I would not definitely not make this part of the chest damp at all since this is unfinished wood. – Josh
Sarah
Hi there I have a cedar chest handed down to me from my great Grandmother I had two plants sitting on top of a protective linen cloth but the water seeped through I now have two round water stains. What do you suggest for removing them?
Anna
Is it safe to store perfume in a cedar chest? I am concerned about the chemical interaction. Thank you.
Josh Stoltzfus
I would suggest that you do not store perfume in your cedar chest. There’s a good chance everything would be fine but I’d feel much better about using the chest to store clothing, blankets, and type of thing.
Emily Ferrara
Hello, I have an heirloom cedar chest that has dried out and the wood has cracked in a few places. Is there any way to restore the integrity of the cedar chest or are the cracks permanent damage?
Josh Stoltzfus
Hello Emily,
Unfortunately, once the wood dries out and cracks there is not much we can do to fix that. So sorry I couldn’t give you a better answer to solve this issue! Thanks, Josh
Laurie
Hi, I am restoring a cedar chest from my grandmother and the tips on here are great! Wondering if it’s also possible to remove some green-ish oxidation on the inner metal lining (looks like copper).
Also, would it be unwise to store kitchen ware in a cedar chest?
Thanks!
Josh Stoltzfus
Hello Laurie,
Most likely the copper has turned color over time just because of age. I don’t have a great suggestion for removing that (I unfortunately don’t have a lot of experience with refurbishing old metal like that!)
I would not suggest storing kitchen ware in a cedar chest though. We’ve seen metal items like that cause the cedar to “weep” and drip sap on to the contents inside the chest. Cedar chests are great for clothing and blankets, but I would be careful with metal and printed items (photos, ect)
I hope this helps, feel free to ask if you have any further questions.
Thanks! Josh
Maria Frennesson
Hello, I have a cedar chest that the top is now a lighter color than the rest of it. I cleaned the top and I think I accidently stripped the varnish or something. When I was cleaning a lot dirt was coming up turning white cloths brown. What should I use to get the color back? Is there a varnish that will restore the nature color?
Josh Stoltzfus
Hello Maria,
It is hard to say without seeing the chest. However, I would suggest that you take the chest to a furniture repair shop. You can look online for “The Furniture Doctor” they have several locations throughout the US. Maybe you can find one nearby who could help with this.
Thanks! Josh
Sheila
I have a cedar chest that seems to be infected with some kind of bug, it is leaving shavings or something on the outside of the chest. I would like to know how to treat the chest to get rid of them. Thank you,Sheila meeker
Josh Stoltzfus
Hello Sheila, Oh no! That is not a pleasant situation…My first thought is termites?? I would suggest you contact an exterminator, they should be able to help in this case. Thanks! Josh