Oli Natura Wood Soap Concentrate for Oiled Timber

Oli Natura Wood Soap is the cleaner we recommend for timber finished with oil or hardwax oil, including the restored furniture that leaves our Torquay studio. It is made by Oli Lacke in Lichtenau, Germany, a family business producing wood finishes since 1899.

How far it goes

The soap is a concentrate. One litre makes 100 to 200 litres of cleaning solution, enough for a dining table cleaned every week, for timber floors, or for a home with a lot of oiled furniture.

Why use it

Dishwashing liquid and household sprays are made to cut grease. On an oiled table, the grease they cut is the finish itself, so each wipe takes a little more oil out of the timber until the surface looks dry, pale and marks easily.

Wood soap is a re-greasing soap. It lifts dirt and grease while leaving a fine trace of oil behind, so the finish is fed as you clean rather than worn away. It is solvent free, has a gentle pH and dries without streaks.

What it is for

Regular cleaning of oiled and hardwax oiled timber indoors: dining tables, desks, sideboards, benchtops, stairs and timber floors.

How to use it

1. Shake the bottle well.
2. Add 5 to 10 ml of soap to 1 litre of lukewarm water.
3. Dip a soft cotton cloth or mop, wring it out well, and wipe the surface along the grain.
4. Leave it to dry. Do not leave standing water on the timber.

For a stubborn mark, apply a little soap undiluted, leave it for a few minutes, then wipe it away with a damp cloth. Use at room temperature, ideally above 15 degrees.

How often

Once a week for a dining table or desk in daily use, with a dry cloth for crumbs and dust in between. Every few weeks for a sideboard or bedside table. When a worn area starts to look dry or dull, refresh it with Oli Natura Wood Care Wax.

Why we use Oli Natura

We choose trade quality finishes for our restorations, even when they cost more and take longer to apply, because we work with them every day in the studio and the furniture we restore goes into homes with children and pets. Oli Natura's oils and waxes are VOC free and based on plant oils and waxes such as soy oil and carnauba wax. Oli Natura Hardwax Oil, which most of our restorations are finished in, is also free of aromatics, formaldehyde, cobalt, biocides and preservatives, and once cured it is tested to EN 71-3, the European safety standard for children's toys. Because the finish sits in the grain rather than forming a film on top, a worn or marked area can be repaired on its own, without stripping the whole piece.

Details

VOC free
Size: 1 litre concentrate
Makes: 100 to 200 litres of cleaning solution
Maker: Oli Lacke GmbH, Lichtenau, Germany
Suitable for: oiled and hardwax oiled timber, indoors
Not suitable for: lacquered or painted surfaces
Shelf life: 24 months unopened. Store between 5 and 30 degrees.

If you would rather start smaller, a 250 ml bottle of Wood Soap comes in both Care Set No. 1 and Care Set No. 2.

Not sure whether your furniture has an oiled finish? Message us a photo and we will let you know.

Disclosure: Fox & Wedge is an Oli Natura ambassador. We are not paid by Oli Natura, and we are not paid to endorse its products. We used the range in our studio for many years before the partnership began, and in return for being an ambassador we buy our stock at a discounted trade price.