How to Restore a Lane Cedar Chest

Cedar chests are known for their insect-repelling abilities. It is this characteristic, along with the fact that cedar wood is inexpensive that makes it popular. Cedar chests have been around for hundreds of years. They were used to store furs and woolen items. Many are often known as "hope chests," since they were often used to store a bride's dowry collections. In America, Lane cedar chests have been around for 100 years.

Cotton rags or old T-shirts
Mild liquid dishwashing soap
Small bucket
Naphtha solvent
Steel wool
Paste wax

Instructions

- 1
  Fill a bucket with warm water. Add a few drops of dishwashing soap. Submerge a cloth or old T-shirt into the water bucket, and then scrub the chest, being sure to remove all dirt and grime. You will want to make sure you rinse out the cloth often. Repeat this process until the chest is clean. Dry the chest with a clean cloth.
- 2
  Pour naptha on a clean rag or T-shirt. Naptha is a solvent that removes a finish's buildup. Scrub the trunk completely, pouring more naptha onto the cloth as needed. Should dirt remain, begin scrubbing with steel wool. Continue the process until all dirt is removed. After you finish, dry with a clean cloth.
- 3
  Take a piece of cloth and cut it into a 4-inch square. Place a chunk of paste wax into the cloth's middle, fold the corners in, and then use the cloth to rub the wax back and forth over the chest. Keeping the wax in the cloth keeps from having to stop to dip your cloth again. Allow five to 10 minutes for the wax to dry, and then buff it off with a clean cloth. Continue this process until the cloth glides smoothly across the trunk's surface.

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