My specialty is wood conservation.  I would start your cleaning with the most mild of agents, just water on a slightly dampened cloth/swab.  There is no need to use any detergent or soap if this works adequately.  If it does not, you can consider a number of mild soaps/detergents, including the afore-mentioned Orvus, followed by water "rinsing" as suggested.  It is not critical to use distilled water if you have well water, as when you take your distilled water cloth/swab to a dirty surface, it immediately becomes filled with dissolved materials and is no longer distilled.  City or other processed water may include fluoride or chlorine for human health reasons and these chemicals could affect surfaces (unlikely but possible), so if you have city water, distilled or bottled spring water may be better.  But, all water becomes polluted immediately once it is used on a dirty surface.
 
The mildew/mold is a consequence of past relative humidity conditions that were too high for preservation.  The mildew will not be an issue when cleaning the surfaces.  Water or soap/detergent will remove any residues of mildew/mold, which at this time of year should be inactive, unless you live in a hot winter climate.  Even if you do have activity, it will be removed with plain water or soap/detergent.  You may have damage to underlying surfaces from the mold/mildew (primarily finishes and paints), but I would expect that this would be minor and does not require further treatment.  However, you may want to apply a coat of paste wax after cleaning, only if you are fully successful in removing the dirt, which will both optically saturate the finished surfaces and provide a barrier for future mildew/mold growth.  Any of the brands of pure paste wax/solvent is acceptable, such as Butcher's, Minwax, or Kiwi Bois.  Avoid all brands that contain oils of any kind, as these are GREAT foods for mildew/mold growth.
 
If the brass is dirty, clean it as is done with the wood.  If it is oxidized, infrequent use of polishes is acceptable to raise the shine.  However, be sure shiny/brilliant is the desired appearance as a conscious choice, since oxidized is a stable condition, and therefore the choice is aesthetic.  If you can remove the brass so that it can be rinsed after the polishing, many commercial polishes are fine for infrequent use, followed by copious rinsing with water to remove all traces of their components.  If the brass can not be removed, a more conservative approach would be to use calcium carbonate in water to form a paste, which is then used on a cloth (large areas) or swab (small areas) to polish the brass.  Be sure to remove the calcium carbonate residue with slightly dampened (water) cloths/swabs.  Ideally, apply a coating to slow future oxidation if you have the ability to do so properly.  B-72, B-67, B-48N, Incralac, or Golden MSA varnish should be reversible from brass and acceptable to use.  Please let me know if you have further questions.
 
Marc

American Conservation Consortium, Ltd.
     4 Rockville Road
     Broad Brook, CT 06016
     www.conservator.com
     860-386-6058
 
*Collections Preservation Consultation
*Conservation Assessments & Surveys
*Environmental Monitoring & Low-Tech Control
*Moisture Management Solutions
*Collections in Historic Structures
*Collections Care Grant Preparation
*Conservation Treatment of:
     Furniture
     Painted Wood
     Horse-Drawn Vehicles
     Architectural Interiors
     Decorative Objects & Folk Art

Marc A. Williams, President
     MS in Art Conservation, Winterthur Museum Program
     Former Chief Wooden Object Conservator, Smithsonian Institution
     Fellow, American Institute for Conservation (AIC)
 
 
----- Original Message -----
From: [log in to unmask] href="mailto:[log in to unmask]">Sandra Campbell
To: [log in to unmask] href="mailto:[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]
Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 11:11 AM
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] cleaning wood and brass

Thank you for the quick response. I do have Orvus soap. There is mildew on the piece as well. Is this still the treatment that is recommended?
Many thanks, Sandra Campbell
 
 
----- Original Message -----
From: [log in to unmask] href="mailto:[log in to unmask]">Brook Bowman
To: [log in to unmask] href="mailto:[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]
Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 9:26 AM
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] cleaning wood and brass

Dont Use Murphy Oil
Soap  on anything
 
Again, use your Orvus and a slightly damp rag,AFTER YOU VACUUM THE LOOSE DIRT THROUGH A FINE PLASTIC SCREEN.
USE Q,TIPS  DAMPENED IN ORVUS + DISTILLED WATER.  2ND STEP DISTILLED WATER ONLY AND SLIGHTLY DAMP Q-TIP TO REMOVE ORVUS.
BRASS, IT DEPENDS ON QUALITY OF BRASS, AGAIN YOU CAN CLEAN IT AS YOU DO THE WOOD WITH ORVUS AND DISTILLED WATER FOLLWED BY DISTILLED WATER, BOTH WITH A SLIGHTLY DAMP RAG AND Q-TIPS

Brook A. Bowman
conservator
On Tue, Jan 19, 2010 at 8:38 AM, Sandra Campbell <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Hello all-
Thanks to those who responded regarding the cleaning of cotton gloves used in the collection room.
 
On another note, I am working on an exhibit from the permanent collection and an old wood and brass standing sign is to be displayed. (It is a freestanding sign formerly in our old theater building.) We want to use this sign in the exhibit but the heavy wooden frame is dirty from years of neglect. The brass also needs cleaning. Do I wash the wooden portions (with Murphy Oil Soap) and use brass cleaner on the trim?
Thanks all-
Sandra Campbell
Iredell Museums
 
========================================================= Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).


========================================================= Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).

========================================================= Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).

========================================================= Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).