We have already dealt with the preparation and surface treatment of indoor and outdoor wooden surfaces. So much of the work has already been done. According to us, the basis of long-lasting and aesthetic wooden surfaces and wooden constructions is to receive the appropriate preparation for the first time, and then the color and wood protection in one layer. For this you can choose from Rubio indoor wood oils, wood stains, and outdoor wood oils and wood paints. But what comes next? What can we do to keep the finished woodwork, in which we find so much joy, beautiful and healthy for a long time? In this weekly blog post, we present the cleaning and care products of the Rubio Moonocoat product family, with which you can easily and quickly maximize the life of your wood surfaces.
Universal Soap – the easiest way
From the very beginning, we want to dispel the misconception that cleaning and maintaining oiled wood surfaces would be a daunting and unrealistically costly hassle. Although an oil-treated surface (like any other surface) requires regular cleaning and care, the process is no more complicated than for other surfaces. The best example of this is the Universal Soap developed by Rubio Monocoat - as its name suggests, it is a universal soap concentrate that is perfect for regular cleaning of oiled wood surfaces. It is recommended to use it a maximum of 1 time per week, diluted with water: Pour 50-100 ml of Soap into 10 liters of water. It thoroughly removes stains, grease and dirt from the wood surface, while maintaining its matte, natural feel. It can be used on all kinds of oiled wood surfaces, so it can be used for mopping or cleaning furniture. It's really universal, isn't it?
You can see the use of soap in the video below, and at the end we will get some useful tips about this product:
Tip: A ready-to-use, hand-held version of Universal Soap is also available in our webshop: check out the Surface Care.
Easy solution for difficult situations: special stain removers
Do we know the feeling when a child gently places the cola box on a freshly finished floor or table? Or do we notice that some water has been dripping from the radiator in recent months until we look behind the couch or shelf? Hiss, what will happen now? Need to re-oil? To sand? Do not panic! We also know the solution to these situations. Three special stain removers have been developed in the Rubio laboratory:
Grease Remover: grease stains, e.g. to remove olive oil, frying oil, chips, other oils, shoe marks, stains left with floor polish.
Limespot Remover: in the case of scale and other alkaline stains, e.g. also for removing rust stains, heating water, white limescale deposits.
Tannin Remover: stains on wood surfaces containing tannic acid, eg stains caused by beverage cans, flower pots or urine, stains left on the parquet after water damage, in case of precipitation of materials in the wood (for example in the case of doors, gates or facades).
Exterior Soap – to clean exterior wood
Exterior Soap - a two-phase soap with a strong cleansing and nourishing effect. We recommend it for cleaning outdoor wooden surfaces (eg terraces, wooden furniture) that have been treated with our outdoor wood oil, Hybrid Wood Protector. These wooden surfaces are usually exposed to the weather and our outdoor activities. Many times the work is done on the terrace, which we are reluctant to do in our interiors due to their additional dirt and ugliness - so these coverings and wooden furniture are often subjected to greater stress than our indoor wooden surfaces. This is why the specially developed outdoor soap, which is also available in a ready-to-use Ecospray version, is the ideal choice for cleaning it:
In addition to cleaning, before renovation: a quick surface update with Refresh Eco
Even with regular cleaning and care, the time may come when we feel that our oiled wood surfaces have started to wear out, are a little worn out, or are simply showing signs of drying out. In this case, we recommend Refresh Eco, which is available in both Exterior and Interior versions. It is a ready-to-use spray product that is very easy to use, even several times a year. Of course, we recommend this packaging for updating smaller surfaces, although like other Rubio products, Refresh Eco is extremely rich: 1 liter is enough to update ~ 100 m² of surface. It is important to note that this product is not pigmented. (To restore the color, you will need the oil with which they originally handled the wood surface, in the same color.)
Universal Maintenance Oil - care oil for large-scale surface refreshes
What makes our care oil really special is that it can be used not only to refresh any wood surface treated with Rubio Monocoat oil, but also to modernize wood surfaces treated with other oils (or even varnished). Also available in pure, white and black, depending on the color of the surface to be treated. Due to the slight pigmentation, the surface can be refreshed with this Universal Maintenance Oil without affecting the original overall effect. In addition to the upgrade, the care oil provides additional water resistance, extending maintenance time and surface life. For this reason, we especially recommend its use on heavily used surfaces, even in busy places such as the floors of hotels, office buildings or public buildings.
Professional cleaning: durable wood protection, long-term investment
Whatever solution we choose for the treatment of our indoor and outdoor wooden surfaces, we should clean and wash the wooden furniture, floors and wood coverings anyway, so the emphasis is more on doing this with the right cleaning and care products made especially for this purpose. Even if these products are a little more expensive, our durability pays off in the long run due to the durability of the surface treatment, as maintenance times can be extended much longer with proper care.