- 1). First, put away the furniture stripper and paint thinner. You won't need it. The wax finish on your fine wood piece is meant to protect it. Strippers remove more than the wax buildup--they'll strip the furniture down to bare wood. Using a clean, dry, lint-free cloth, wipe away any surface dust or dirt. Old cloth diapers are perfect dusting and polishing cloths. If you can't get your hands on those, use a worn, soft t-shirt.
- 2). Buff the wood with the dry, lint-free cloth using a circular motion and plenty of elbow grease. This isn't complicated, but it is a lot of hard work. Really put your muscle into it. In most cases, this is all you need to do to get rid of excess wax that's built up on your furniture. If this doesn't do the trick, though, move on to the next step.
- 3). If the wax buildup is old and can't be removed with hard buffing, it's time to turn to one of the products that are specially designed to remove wax from furniture. One product used by many furniture professionals is Vernax, made by a company called Hagerty.
- 4). Put a little Vernax on a soft, clean, dry cloth. Rub an inconspicuous area with the cloth using a circular motion at first, then switching to rubbing in the direction of the wood grain. Continue rubbing until dry.
- 5). Work in small sections over the entire wood surface until the dull wax buildup is removed.
- 6). Finish by applying a thin coat of beeswax or caranuba wax to the newly revived wood.
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