How to Restore Scandinavian Clothes Chests

Remove any paper, canvas or other degrading materials from the chest. The base material of Scandinavian antique chests is wood, but other materials, like leather and paper, were used to decorate the chests, and may have deteriorated or fallen apart over time. Remove these items. Canvas and paper usually peel off easily without damaging the wood because the glue holding them has disintegrated with time. Leather embellishments nailed to the chest may require removal with a hammer.

Add warm water to the bucket and add wood-safe cleaner to the water. Dip the wash cloth into the water and wring excess water out of the cloth so that it is damp, but not dripping. Rub the chest gently to remove built-up dirt, dust and mold. Cleaning may take a while, because an antique Scandinavian clothing chest is an old item that has accumulated years' worth of dirt and dust build-up.

Use a fine-grit sandpaper to gently sand both the wood and the iron parts of the chest. A 400- to 600-grit sandpaper is appropriate. Use light pressure to sand. Heavy pressure or hard sanding can damage the wood rather than smoothing it, so use a light touch when sanding. Gently brush away wood dust.

Replace any broken or damaged pieces, such as nails. While many metal fixtures will not need replacing, smaller pieces like nails might be broken. Replace any pieces as necessary. If replacing nails, hammer new nails into place after removing the old nails.

Apply a wood stain or restoring wood oil to the chest. Use a paintbrush to apply the stain. If an oil is preferred, use a clean cloth and gently rub the oil into the wood. Allow the stain or oil to dry.