Although waxing is probably better For a true antique with lots of value, I have refreshed many of my older pieces with old English tinted furniture polish quite often. It is in the cleaning aisle at the market super easy to use but not sure if I would use oils on a very valuable piece. I have used johnson's paste wax on a few pieces that I was maintaining for they were in pristine condition already. It is smelly though and I use it less frequently on my pieces than I probably should for I always get a migraine after using.

Oh, those are really gorgeous. How lucky you are to have them (I'm so jealous!)

I was going to say Old English too. I have an old dresser in our bedroom that is a little rickety but I adore it so it stays. And Old English is what I've used to keep the wood conditioned. My favorite is the lemon, it smells so good.

Lukkiirish, what color blue is your room? It is lovely!

And old English never gives me migraines luckily :).

Which Old English? Spray, pump, stuff in a bottle?

I use the stuff in a bottle.

You can start by cleaning them with mineral spirits on a soft cloth. Start in an inconspicuous area - you will then be certain that it won't harm the finish. If they're truly antiques, it should not.

After that, you can try Restore-A-Finish. It can work miracles! Once your furniture again has life, a very light coat of a good English furniture wax every year or two will be all you need.

Do be sure you have good humidity in your house. Forced air furnaces, while wonderful, do dry out antique wood. I have an AprilAir humidifier on my furnace and keep it set at 50% all winter.

Thank you! It's SW, Hint of Blue. We originally used this color in our guest room and we loved it so much we redid our bedroom in it. It's one of the most relaxing blues I've ever lived in.

I've always used the bottle stuff Linelle. I wipe it on generously, let it sit a few and then buff it off really good with a terry cloth.

Awesome! Thanks Lukki and Roarah.

Thanks to all. Yes, Anglo, I am certain that all are definitely antiques (or very close -- it is possible that the high chair isn't only about 90 years old). I suspect the sideboard is the oldest by the construction.

I have some mineral spirits handy and I just ordered the restore a finish and paste wax. I am a bit concerned about humidity. We are currently in the very humid south, but moving to a dryer climate, but at least no forced air heat because we are using radiant hydronic heat in the new house.

It smells wonderful and is great on the hands too. I saw it on amazon and Walmart online.

http://howardproducts.com/feed-n-wax/

Hmm, I'll have to try that the next time I give my little piece some love!

Years ago I played around a bit till I found a method I liked for furniture that didn't need a full strip and refinish. If you scroll down link below I typed it step by step with before/after pics of a vintage cherry hutch I did using Formby's Build-Up Remover, Howard's Restore A Finish, and Feed N Wax.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2512240/restore-a-finish

Very helpful moonshadow! Thanks, I think a plan is coming together.

Beautiful pieces! I was going to suggest Howard Feed N Wax. I really like it and it helped a dried out table.

Clean it well with Goop. You can get it at WalMart in the auto section. It is a vegetable based hand cleaner. Apply with a rag and wipe off with another rag. Depending on how dirty the piece is, repeat until it no longer feels sticky. This is totally safe and non-toxic; I use it all the time.

I have used wax in the past. Believe it or not paste shoe polish application and buffing with a nylon hose will refresh those pieces beautifully. You might try it on a small piece/area. A real DIY project. Good luck.

The "old English" and the "Weed and feed your finish" things are just gloppy oils that will build into a sludge that traps dirt. they look great for a while, but furniture from people who use it repeatedly is easy to spot by the build-up.

Start by cleaning them thoroughly with a method that doesn't dissolve the finish:

1. Soap and water (not Murphy’s oil soap, you want a plain liquid dish soap or general purpose cleaner, diluted for use) and a soft cloth to get all the sticky spills.
2. Wipe down with clean damp cloths to get rid of the soap.
3. Repeat with mineral spirits and 0000 steel wool or other extremely mild scrubby things to get rid of oily hand grime and build up old wax.
4. Wipe it down with clean cloth dampened in mineral spirits to get all the loosened grime off.

EVALUATE THE FINISH: What does it look like? Are there worn spots? You can stop here until you have them all cleaned up and evaluated.

If you have bare spots on the finish, clear shellac can protect them and will be easy to remove (with alcohol) if you decide to completely refinish.

If there are no bare spots and worn places, waxing and budding with HARD PASTE furniture wax ... really thin and buffed out thoroughly ... is all you need to do.

I have to disagree about the feed and wax being a "gloppy oil" that will build up. It is recommended by many antique dealers/owners and as someone mentioned, you will find it in many antique stores. I have used it on my pieces for many years. I will admit that I don't have any pieces that needed "refreshing", but most antique wood pieces are not going to have a protective finish and the wood will need conditioning from time to time. That's when I use Howards. I don't use it to clean or refresh, but to condition. It will bring a beautiful glow to the furniture and I have never had any build-up . It is not a wax, so I'm not sure how it could build up. For a dirty or scratched piece, I believe Lazy Garden's method would work well. I only use the feed and wax a few times a year. I believe the one I use has beeswax - it is not the oil looking formula but creamier.

Many MANY antiques dealers and owners don't know that those feed and wax things just oil a dirty finish.
Also unless a piece is completely without any finish...bare wood....nothing will feed your wood....and if the finish is dry as in not freshly applied, nothing will feed a finish.
Also anything containing beeswax will remain sticky and trap dirt....and will have to be cleaned with a "clean and wax: product.

To clean, I use mineral spirits....and then I use soap and water on anything remaining. Mineral spirits will remove old was and oils and greasy dirt but won't touch sugar or milk stains....so clean them with soap and water.
Then do as Lazy suggested....shellac on worn spots and then a hard paste wax....something containing carnuba wax is good. wax made for cars works well....Simonize for one. Wipe on a small area, let dry to a haze and buff to a shine....repeat!

lindac, we're in total agreement. All those oil polishes are totally superficial and lead to terrible build-up. The only thing worse are silcon spray polishes! No antique dealer (I'm thinking fine, period English wood) would ever recommend using anything other than a hard paste wax on furniture, and even then, using it very sparingly. Beeswax is just more gunk.

There is no quick, easy method to restore furniture - it always involved elbow grease, not "oily polishes".

Update: I haven't done the other pieces yet and probably won't have the opportunity to do so until late April or May, but I did refresh the highchair (still need to recover the seat, but that's an easy fix as soon as I decide on fabric) and I'm pleased with the results.

Steps:

1. Cleaned with mineral oil (before the 'before" photo);

2. Washed well with dawn;

3. Applied Howard's Restore-a-Finish; and

4. Finished with Howard's hard paste wax.

Before:

After:

Looks great! Good job.

What a darling chair...and it looks like new now.

Very nice!

Holy Moly!!! That is beeeeeautiful! Very very nice. I'm going to have to try that stuff.

Wonderful refresh!! I have a can and a half of dark oak Restor-A-Finish just waiting for the perfect project to apply it to, love how your chair came out.