Using reclaimed wood in projects has reached a fevered pitch. I have been obsessed with it since before I was married (over 15 years) and so I am glad that it has become a “thing.” I do worry; though, being a self proclaimed germaphobe, that people do not take the time to properly clean it before using it in their homes. So in an effort to save the world from dirty reclaimed wood, here is how I sanitize the crap out of reclaimed wood.
Before I take you through my process, make sure and read all the way through to the end because since I am a brand ambassador for HomeRight, I get to GIVEAWAY one of my favorite products today!
The process….
If I have stored it outside and it has mud and/or bugs on it, I hose it down before doing anything else. Once it is dry, I sand it smooth. I don’t want anyone getting slivers when handling it and it makes it easier to dust down the road.
Even though I hosed it off outside, it is still not super clean. I scrub it down with hot soapy water. Usually I do this in the bathtub or shower.
And last but not least, the part that most people don’t do, is to steam it like crazy. It is one thing to have it visibly clean and a whole other thing to have it sanitized.
I use the handheld part of my HomeRight Steam Machine Plus 
I have two big projects coming up that use reclaimed wood that I am SO EXCITED to share with you!
Here are some of the ones from the past in case you missed them.
(Reclaimed Wood Desk with Hairpin Legs)
(Reclaimed Wood Floating Shelves With Drawer)
(Reclaimed Wood Behind Mirror)
Who wants a HomeRight Steam Machine Plus?!?
Enter below using the Rafflecopter widget.
*Must be 18 years or older and a resident of the USA at the time of the contest. Giveaway will run from April 22, 2015 until April 29, 2015. The winner will be chosen via random.org and notified by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. The prize will be shipped by HomeRight.
I am part of the HomeRight ambassador program. I am compensated for my time in reviewing/using the products and writing/promoting the posts. The thoughts, opinions, and project ideas are all mine!
Thanks for posting about this! I’ve seen so many reclaimed wood projects the past few years and have been grossed out thinking about people putting dirty wood up on their bedroom walls.
ME TOO! I often wondered why anyone would do that and it has been the reason my wood is sitting in the garage and not used! lol Thanks
My bathroom needs sanitizing before we repaint.
Oh what a GREAT idea! I actually just got a big old barn door and I’ve been wondering how to sanitize it without losing the worn look! I didn’t even think of pulling out my SteamMachine but now I am totally going to do that! Thanks for the tip!
Bathroom needs it bad! I never thought about steaming reclaimed wood – thanks for the tip!
Great tips! I have a few reclaimed wood projects I’d like to tackle, sounds like I could really use this steamer!!
I would love to sanitize around my kids’ toilet.
We are moving, so pretty much everything!!
Amazing! I could definitely use that!
I never thought about sanitizing wood before! My kitchen and bathroom floors are my priority first :-)
Kitchen and bathroom floors are the priority for sanitizing!
Everything my dogs use.
We have an older home and our hardwood floors always look and feel dirty no matter how much I clean them.
My bathroom needs sanitizing! Love the tip to steam reclaimed wood–makes me feel more comfortable using it.
I would love to be able to sanitize things in my home! Especially since my daughter will be starting to crawl any day now!
I work woth reclaimed wood too and this would be so great to use. But in my home I have 3 kids, the youngest is 10 months and crawling everywhere. This would be great to use to clean surfaces wothout harsh chemicals and make me feel ok about him crawling all over.
I work with reclaimed wood too and this would be so great to use. But in my home I have 3 kids, the youngest is 10 months and crawling everywhere. This would be great to use to clean surfaces wothout harsh chemicals and make me feel ok about him crawling all over.
Always wondered how you would clean reclaimed wood, thanks!
Always wondered how I would be able to clean reclaimed wood, thanks.
Thank you for sharing this information
I would like to do a thorough sanitizing of the bathrooms and kitchen in my home.
With pets and a baby on the way, what doesn’t need sanitizing!
You can never over- clean your bathroom and I have a fifty year old shower that could use some extra help!
Everything that my children and dog touch could use a good sanitizing! I think I’d start with the couches
I am doing a “lodge / cabin” type room for our oldest son and it will have reclaimed walls and some other reclaimed wood used in it. I don’t really like to use chemicals. I use essential oils when I can instead of any chemicals, but I was not sure how to get the wood (there is A LOT) sanitized that way so I have been at a standstill. This is a great solution! I have been looking into one of these machines or a store bought steamer for awhile I just haven’t committed. I think I will now! Thanks for the information!
Your timing couldn’t have been more perfect! I just saved two pieces of wood from the burn pile at my parent’s farm to make a couple signs, a new-to me project to try.
Steam is fun.
I’ve always wondered how people cleaned the wood for building. Great idea!
The bathroom needs sanitizing at my house
My whole house!
I have 6 kids. The better question for me is what doesn’t need to be sanitized!
I would love to sanitize my bathroom and make it clean and fresh for Spring/Summer. Thanks for the giveaway!
I never even thought to sanitize reclaimed wood. Great tip!
I have 4 little kids so honestly…just about everything! :-)
My bathroom
I have been wanting to do a lot more projects with reclaimed wood and I homestly didn’t even think about cleaning it but this makes perfect sense! Thanks!
I saw this at THE perfect time. I just claimed 40 pallets and am going to start making signs and other projects with a friend. I needed to know this thanks
I would love to be able to completely sanitize the bathrooms & kitchen. We have an older house that I haven’t been able to keep up with due to chronic illnesses. My husband & sons do some but not really the way I’d like it done. This would be a great help. Great giveaway.
I love coming over here to say hello. This is great information I use a lot of reclaimed wood in my projects and living on a farm you never know what might land on something. Will be pinning this one.
-Carole @ Garden Up green
I need to steam clean my sofa…..ick! It is growdy!
Oh how I love this- I would be steaming everything from the pallet wood to my kitchen & baths.
My bathrooms need sanitizing.
i would love to steam my tile floors
We are closing on a house next week and I’m pretty sure the whole thing will need to be sanitized-especially after we move in with our two year old!
I would love to have this steam machine to do exactly what you described! I have been collecting old wood but have been very hesitant to create with it because of how dirty it is. This is great!! Thanks for the easy plan on how to clean it.
I was wondering what I could use on all that reclaimed wood I was saving thank you for the great tips and this wesome giveaway!!
Like you, I’m a germophobe. I want to make things from reclaimed wood, but there are definitely some I wouldn’t want to touch with a 10 foot pole. A Home Right Steam Machine sounds like it would be perfect for someone like me!
What a great idea! Thanks so much for the info.
wow, never thought about steaming reclaimed wood before but this is very insightful. we got several old reclaimed wood that need to get some tlc so i know now what to do with them. thank you so much!
My floors in the kitchen and bathroom definitely need a good sanitizing!
Um – everything :) Kitchen & bathrooms are on the top of the list.
The block walls on the porch
my kitchen and tile floors need this
My kitchen counters should be sanitized
My computer keyboards need sanitizing.
My tile!!!
Everywhere my 2.5 yr old and dog have been!
Everything in my house needs sanitizing. With 2 young boys and 2 dogs, the amount of dirt and germs they track inside is insane. This would be very handy.
Thank you for your post! I have a stack of reclaimed barn wood in my garage that I have yet to do anything with because it grosses me out. Now that I know a good way to clean it, I can actually use it!
My children’s bathroom, my sons aim is BAD!!!!
Thanks for the tips!
The bathrooms always need sanitizing, and maybe a good cleaning for the kitchen.
My bathroom tub needs it bad.
This was such a great post to read!! Thanks for sharing. The steamer sounds like a great machine to have.
My floors need to be sanitized. Thanks for the giveaway. Love all of your projects. I have made a list…now to find some old wood. Thanks again.
Thanks I needed this info at this time
I Thank You very much for this post!!!! I’ve been really thinking on how I can use reclaim wood in my house and a friend warned me against it but I KNEW there had to a way to use without comprising safety!!! So what needs sanitizing you ask??? well, I have to sanitize in my bathrooms, kitchen and of course some wood I hope to use someday – somehow!!! LOl.
Everything needs sanitizing in my house! Especially my floors!
My drapes in my living room could really use sanitizing. I would use this for sanitizing everything in my home.
Everything in my bathroom and kitchen needs sanitized!
My oven needs it first but there’s other things, too.
I have twin toddlers and a six year old son, EVERYTHING needs sanitized – including the children!
I need to sanitize the pallets I just got to make a few signs for around the house!
My kitchen needs to be sanitizing!
My bathroom and kitchen definitely need this.
My kitchen could use some sanitizing
I have a few pallets I want you use for projects indoors, so it would be nice to know they were really clean.
What needs to be steamed cleaned? All the reclaimed wood in my garage and how about my refrigerator, baseboards and all the nooks and crannies. Thanks for info.
Love this post!! I have nightmares about creepy crawly things from reclaimed wood.. This solves all that!
We’ve got some wooden furniture that was unsealed and had some food/drink spills – I want to seal it but wanted to sanitize first. This would be perfect!
I would love to sanitize my bathroom.
My mudroom, which is the entrance way, could use a good cleaning.
Definitely my laundry room!!
great tips because I am about to use some old fence pickets and was wondering how to sanitize them
I want to steam clean my bathroom!
This is great. I’ve always sanded it but never knew steaming it was the best option.
Oooh, I did not know that you could steam clean your oven door until I read your post – I SO need to do that with mine. I’ve been agonizing over HOW to clean it for almost a year (had a 4th of July BBQ at my house and had a incident that made a huge mess of my oven door).
the bathroom
I had always heard pressure washer. I like your idea better!
Great tips! Thanks so much.
Love, love, love the floating shelves. I do have to say that I love your website too. It is so clean looking! That’s the only way I know how to describe it. Some sites are so cluttered/busy and yours is refreshing and a great place to visit!
such great ideas! Would have never thought of steaming the wood ! Excellent
I’m just getting ready to need this info! Well timed post- Thank you!
I have a few projects I want to do for my nursery! Also a germaphobe who wants the cleanest house for my family!
My window sills, would be the ones benefiting from this machine!! They need it, something fierce!
I need to sanitize our families bathroom and kitchen before speckling and painting. I hate chemicals but was leaning towards using TSP. Great article on how to sanitize reclaimed wood. Never thought of using a steam machine. glad I read this post. :-)
Now that I am done school I can start working on my reclaimed wood projects. I had seen it somewhere to sanitize them well and this post is a great reminder with easy how to steps. Thanks!
My entire kitchen floor needs to be sanitized. And just what I’ve been looking for with my reclaimed wood.
I would love to have one of these. We have lots of old barn wood.
Good info and reminder! Thx
Good info and reminder! Thx!
Good info and reminder!thx
Thanks for the chance to win. Love the article!!
I actually just recently got my hands on some wood planks that I didn’t even think about sanitizing! Excited to maybe try this machine out!
Thank you for posting!
I’ve been wanting to do a few reclaimed wood projects this would be great. I can see using this for our remodel & upkeep on our home too. Thanks for the chance. *used my personal FB to enter
With a house of 4 boys/men. I would use it in the bathrooms.
Also I would use it to sanitize reclaimed wood, like you did.
Thank You for sharing this post and tips.
I would love to use it on reclaimed wood!
Thanks for the article. I’ve also wondered about the bugs that can be brought inside and how to get rid of them.
Everything need sanitizing, sadly! I have an old home, and that many years of dirty are hard to scrub off!
I use reclaimed wood all the time. Had not thought to steam it. Great info. Now i need a steamer!
just got a barn door to use inside but unsure about how to clean it. Going to try this! Thank you!
I have some tile floors in kitchen and baths that could use this.
I would like to sanitize our showers.
I would like to sanitize showers!
I need to sanitize some pallets.
Thanks for this!
Need this!!
Having 5 cats and 3 kids plenty needs sanitizing in our home. Unfortunately, the cats are little piggies! Thanks for the post, I have always wondered how can people take that nasty, dirty wood and make things with it that go inside of their homes?
I have a old pool deck that needs to be taken down and steamed for use as my new kitchen floor!!!
Love using reclaimed wood! My bathroom always need sanitized.
my floors need to be sanitized. I cannot get them clean with a mop.
Very good to know….thank you for sharing! And thanks for the awesome giveaway too!!!! =)
We need to sanitize our kitchen….especially the cabinets!
love this!! I never thought to steam the wood!
I have tile and grout that could use some steam cleaning.
Definitely the kitchen.
My kitchen could use some sanitizing!
My dog? Ha, ha…just kidding (a little). My basement floor could really use this.
neat tips
Seems like an awesome machine. I can think of a million things to sanitize.
Thanks for the post! Me!! I want the machine!! I would totally santize my toilets!
Thanks for the post! Me!! I want the machine!! I would totally sanitize my toilets!
Wonderful idea …I could use the steam machine for my whole house ..oh and the barnwood too!
Probably every thing lol. I work so much my house is a disaster.
Lots of things here could use sanitizing but I think I would start with the refrigerator.
I would love to try this on my ceramic tile and grout. I am also just starting to use reclaimed wood. thanks for the opportunity to win.
What if I wanted to use it as a floor in my house? How would you clean it? I vacuum it but how do I CLEAN it as part of my weekly routine? Thanks, Linda
I have four kids and a dog so I am constantly cleaning. I love the fact that I can clean without chemicals with a steamer/sanitizer. We also want to put reclaimed barnwood on one of our walls so this will come in handy to prevent all the nasty stuff that comes with that! Thanks for the tips!
Definitely the bathroom!
fabulous suggestion, love my homeright sprayer
Does this process work for barn wood also? I’ve read to have it kiln dried before using it in a house
If you live in an area with high humidity, it is a good idea to make sure it has completely dried before using it in your home.
It would be nice to sanitize the bathroom floors and surfaces.
My bathroom
Everything in my house needs sanitizing! I have a dog and 5 adults coming and going all the time. It would be helpful to kill off the germs my son brings home from the school kids so the rest of us are not constantly sniffly or sick. I can appreciate the need to really clean any wood brought into the house. I use bleach water to kill any bugs, mold, algae, and plants that might be lurking in the grain.
With two toddler grandchildren, I have plenty that needs to be sanitized. I would start with the toys!
I would like for everything to be sanitized, but the Kitchen is my pet peeve. I want the countertops, floors, and cabinets thoroughly sanitized!
LOVE reclaimed wood!
Thanks for the great information. I would love to win!!
The kitchen tiles definitely need the help!
All my flooring and furniture would use sanitizing.
The bathroom! Little boys are a mess.
I just made some signs out of an old fence for my nieces wedding. I definitely could use a steamer, hoping to win. Thank you!
Thanks for posting this. Just in time for spring projects
This is great, i always leave those pallets I see on the side of the road because I wonder how to clean them up but wishing I could make them into something. i really need to clean the window crevices.
I’m about to start a wood pallet DIY project and just came across this post on Pinterest! I’m going to make sure I clean the heck out of the pallet I picked up on the side of the road yesterday :)
What a fantastic idea. I recently found some old barn doors, and turned them into a headboard and I hated feeling like they were never clean enough!
Thanks for the idea!
The upholstered furniture needs sanitizing–animals are always on them!
MY FLOORS NEED SANITIZING
pretty much every single square inch of it.
Me !! I could use this for many different projects !
The bath room certainly needs it.
Our bathroom could really use sanitizing, especially all the tile we have in our shower stall.
My bathroom.
Our bathroom flooded not long ago, and while it was professionally cleaned, I would feel better if I could steam it half to death. ;)
Everything! I have pets and really need to sanitize my floors. A steamer for sanitizing reclaimed wood is a wonderful idea! Thank you for posting about this!
The bathroom needs sanitizing
I had just finished getting a bunch of wood ready and wondered if there was a better way to clean it. Now I just need to get a steamer!
My bathroom and laundry room santizing
Personal wishlist of home sanitizing: counter tops, floors and reclaimed pallet wood stash.
Steam makes everything seem extra clean…
(PS. Thanks for the wonderful wood cleaning pointers!)
Ooh, this steamer would be so great to keep up with my kiddos’ messes!
OMG This is a GREAT idea! I never considering steaming my reclaimed wood! This raises things to a whole new level! Thanks!
My kitchen floors need sanitizing!
the tracks of my vinyl windows need sanitizing
All of the heat-resistance surfaces in my kitchen and bathrooms – stove, counter tops and of course, the floors – need a good steam clean.
Doing a project right now with reclaimed barn wood. Could use a steamer to finish it!
This looks awesome, and thanks so much for the tutorial!!
my bathroom!
Genius! never would have thought to clean it
I need to sanitize back by the furnace/water heater….we had a mishap and I need to scrub it up.
My bathroom definitely needs it more than anywhere else! Thanks for sharing this :)
i would like to sanitize my kitchen.
I would say the bathroom floors and kitchen floor I mop but this seems more effective
Ohhhh I would love to add this to my arsenal!
My bathroom floors!!!
Thanks!
My furniture, especially my couches. I have three bulldogs.
Thanks for sharing this. I have quite a bit of reclaimed wood that I am dying to use. I do have a question though since I’ve not yet done a project with the wood. If I use this in a bathroom, do I need to water seal it or would it be fine to just paint?
Thank you!!
Very interesting post – thanks fir sharing I am just wondering how you recommend sealing the wood. I jought a reclaimed wood table and it seems to hold the slightest bit of grease. Wondering how best to seal with ruining the natural look.
thanks for the info! I only like using old outside worn out dirty wood! Lol! I enjoy the finished look of it much better. My main concern has been am I getting it clean enough? I’ve been scrubbing w/apple cider vinegar steel wool brushes to get into holes and rinseing the heck out of them. Also spraying them w/bug spray! Thank you!
THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR TIPS. I CLEANED SOME RECLAIMED CEDAR FENCE BOARDS AND THEY BECAME “FUZZY.” I HAD TO SAND THE BOARDS FOREVER WITH A PALM SANDER AND 60 GRIT SANDPAPER. IS THERE ANYWAY TO AVOID THIS HEAVY SANDING STEP? AFTER I WASHED THE BOARDS, I SCRUBBED WITH A FLOOR BRUSH.
Just starting my reclaimed wood skills…hoping to turn it into a business and turn it into a business. Thanks for the information, I now know how important it is to clean your wood thoroughly. I’m interested in pallet work, so this was very helpful as you just do not know what had been shipped on the pallets.
please be aware of the dangers of Lead-based paint!
I wanna win a homeright steam machine plus! :(
Hi, I live in Germmany and I’m buying a house here in Germany I’m from Detroit area. I’ve got about 30 one-way pallets and I’m going to do my bedroom wall with them and thanks for to tips. I’ll try and send before and after pictures. write and lets correspond thanks Arthur
Great projects! I have been trying to clean wood furniture but I haven`t had success. Love your blog. It helps me a lot. Thank you for sharing it. Best regards!
Love the idea of steam cleaning barn wood before using it inside. I still am wary of using pallet wood because of the chemicals used in the making of the pallets and also what chemicals could have spilled onto the pallet wood while in use. There are so many great projects to try with pallet wood, though, I may have to make something for a less used room….
I need a HomeRight Steam Machine Pluse. I am just beginning the challenge of using recycled wood, making wood signs, etc. I read your peice of How to Clean and Sanitize Reclaimed Wood. I never thought of steam cleaning the wood, but it does make sense. Thank you for sharing.
Joel
Great post!! I love reclaimed wood, so this is great to know!
Your right about the steaming sounds THKS
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I have read that you can also use oxiclean to clean reclaimed wood.
Thanks for the info! Very interesting!
Thank you for this tip. I have a lot of projects and material at hand. This is the only thing that has kept me from proceeding. It is never told in project process. A steam cleaner sounds like the perfect cleaning tool for me.
Hey there! Your projects are just beautiful! I am on the beginning end of working with reclaimed wood and have been researching what I need to do with it first. My first thought about reclaimed wood, especially if it’s been outside, was bugs being inside of it. I have a fear of making some beautiful project and then having it begin to crawl!! Ugh! It seems as though everything I read says to treat the wood with costly pesticide glaze type thingys. Plus they are epensive! Does steaming the wood take care of any bugs and their larvae they may have left behind?
Thanks for your time and input.
If the piece is small enough to put in the oven, I would bake it at a low temp (225 f) to make sure. I have never had larvae in my wood. The steam get very hot but if they are inside of the wood the heat may not reach them.
how cool! I love how reclaimed wood looks like but before reading your post, I had no idea how i would ever do anything with it. Thanks for the inspiration.
Blessings!
Claudia via http://missfiercelyindependent.com
Thanks for sharing these great techniques with us at the Merry Monday link party.
Thank you so much for this valuable information. I am about to start some creative idea with reclaimed wood, so once I know this my projects will awesome. And it will be fun and it will make and the people I care about happy. Thank you again. Oh I love what you done with wood. Sincerely, Linda
Hello, when using reclaimed wood, how would you know if the wood was pressure treated/ contains toxic chemicals and therefore can or cannot be used in the house? If it is pressure treated with chemicals, does this process that you describe make it “clean”? I’m new to upcycling wood but would love to do it but put safety of my family first!
If it is really old wood (older than 1970) then is probably wasn’t treated. After reading up on it that was the date when wood started being treated. The process and the chemicals used have changed over the years and sometimes varies from company to company. If you cut the wood and you can see the grey layer, then a green layer, then the yellow of the wood, then the green layer indicates that it was treated. BUT sometimes the green isn’t visible even though it was treated so just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean it wasn’t treated. Aside from doing a chemical test at a lab, there is no sure fire way to know if it was treated if there is no green. I have only ever used wood from old barns (pre 1970), wood I bought but it got left outside for several years without being used, and fences being torn down by people I know. I asked if it was pressure treated and they said they were pretty sure it wasn’t. Obviously there is still a risk since they weren’t 100% but I decided to chance it.
I don’t believe the steaming process will remove any chemicals. Unfortunately if they are there, they are there to stay.
Either way, I never use reclaimed wood for items that would come in contact with food. I use them for outdoor projects and shelving for books and baskets.
I hope that helped!
Will a steamer such as yours also kill parisites? I have recently contracted a parisite called giardia . i believe it had to have been from an old shed that i got some old boards out of. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. I am on antibiotics now, but it has been aweful. People need to be aware of the risks of using old wood.
Anything that comes into contact with feces (poop) from infected humans or animals can become contaminated with the Giardia parasite. People become infected when they swallow the parasite. It is not possible to become infected through contact with blood.
I had asked (below) why one might steam the wood. I don’t know if steaming would ‘sterilize’ the wood – but it likely would clean fecal material from the wood!!
Why do you steam the wood?
I don’t have a steamer, what is another way of sanitizing re-claimed lumber, that is as effective as the steamer,(“germ-wise”)?
I take old stockade fence to the car wash. Easy process. I Then pour or spray part water and part bleach over the wood for a couple of minutes then rinse. Just an easier way since I own a truck and can do the whole process in the bed of the truck
A couple questions here, I hope you don’t mind. 1. Can steaming the wood sanitize enough to make a cutting board? 2. I have a house that instead of subflooring has mixed wood floors they need the nails rest and was wondering when I go to sand and restain could I steam them to sanitze this way as well because it is a fixer upper and I am trying to combat the old house smell.
Hi! Wondering if you seal the reclaimed wood at all?
After washing the wood so much doesn’t it warp?
Enjoyed the article, I’m a nurse and woodworker who is germaphobic on infinite levels. My time is valuable, fast paced with over whelming detail, and while juggling my OCD the innovation of fun is a must! So spending a lot of time sanding, scrubbing, and steaming are proper sanitation techniques the system can be discouraging. Time is critical for anyone and I’m no exception, to be innovative I’ve develop a fun way for anyone with limited time to sanitize like this article.
I went to a local autozone searching for a brush when I stumbled across a self propelled water hoes brush with a chemical container attached. I washed down the old barn wood first, then using the water hoes brush and adding 1 part bleach and 2 part water in the attached container I went to work. Within minutes the wood was looking much cleaner and I had lots of fun scrubbing that old nasty barn wood.
Next once the wood was dry I took it to the planer, this cut the sanding process down 75%. When I finished sanding the Hoover floor steamer came out which not only steamed the wood but gave it another scrub down making the barn wood grain pop out.
Once the sanitation was complete I went to my local hardware store buying a can of polyeruthane satin flat. This kept the wood in its original look and sealed.
Thanks and hope this will help others too.
I’m wondering if in the case that you don’t have access to a steamer, would pouring boiling water over the word sanitize it just as well as steam?
Thanks for the tips.
Thanks for the input. Love that it was simple and to the point.
How do I sanitize if I don’t have a steamer.