I’ve used Pledge and some other brands of wood cleaner. After a day or so my wood furniture always looks like there are slick spots. Some areas look dry and others look like there is a concentration of oil sitting on top. I always make sure to use two different cloths while polishing, one to apply the polish, one to buff the furniture clean. What am I doing wrong or should I use a better polish?
Image taken on 2009-07-14 09:32:55 by Torley.
I prefer plain old lemon oil myself. I have Rosewood and Teakwood furniture that I bought in Japan 35 years ago and have never used anything but lemon oil on it. It still looks as good as new.
I do not like Pledge. It contains silicone oil that once you have it, you never get rid of it. It causes severe problems (fish-eye) for repair and refinishing. Over time, it builds up because it is inert and does not evaporate away. It can also grab onto soil and keep it in the oil. I have some silicone removal cloths and they can come up black in just a square foot or so of chronically Pledge-cleaned furniture.
A better polish is an emulsion polish like Guardsman, OZ, or Endust. These will be milky white.