What is the best way to clean wood. The wood cabinets in my kitchen have grime on them.. I gues from years for grease buildup. How can I remove this. Also the step banisters need to be cleaned. There is a lot of dust that I can't just wipe up. I have been trying since I moved there and its not working.

At the library where I worked, we used Murphy's Oil Soap on all wood (oak) surfaces. I bought a bottle for myself for use at home. It does a good job on grease and finger smudges. It smells nice too.

Here are instructions for use --

"Dilute ¼ cup of Murphy® Oil Soap Original Formula per one gallon of warm water. For heavy cleaning, use ½ cup Murphy® Oil Soap in one gallon. Clean wood floors with well wrung-out mop and mop up any excess water. No rinsing needed."

http://www.colgate.com/MurphyOilSoap/products/original-formula

Thanks!

If you are talking about cleaning the wood surfaces it depends what has been used to maintain them. A lot of maintenance products like Murphys and Endust and the like cause build up over a long period and make surfaces difficult to clean. A mild stripping agent can remove these cleaners, their build up and usually the dirt and grime that are in the multiple coats. Then a refresher can be used to get the wood looking new again. Steer away from products that contain oils and waxes as they build up over time.