If you have installed a natural oak staircase railing in your home, then it's important you know how to clean and protect it from the damaging oils on people's hands. With proper cleaning and maintenance, you will keep the hardwood railing looking amazing for the lifespan of your home.

Use this procedure to protect the beauty of your new oak staircase railing:

Polish the Railing Only with Natural Beeswax

As people's hands rub over your home's oak wood railing, they will invariably transfer the oils and grime from their hands onto the wood railing. While the oak hardwood will not as readily absorb stains as a softer wood like pine would, the oak railing will look dirty after a while from being handled. The best product that you can use to protect your new oak staircase railing from damage is a natural beeswax polish. The absolute worst thing you can use on your new hardwood railing is a residential cleaning and polishing spray. This type of cleaner is just not appropriate for high-end wood products and should be avoided.

To correctly apply the beeswax polish, rub it on the surface of the railing with a natural cotton cloth. Rub the wax into the wood and then polish it with a second cotton cloth. If you prefer a high-gloss finish, then you should rub the railing enough to bring up the shine in the beeswax polish.

Clean the Railing Each Week

Each week when you do your regular house cleaning, take a minute to wipe down the entire wooden staircase railing with a moist cotton cloth. If you have young children with sticky hands in your household, then you should wash the oak railing with a cloth dipped in a mild soapy water solution. Follow up the soapy water with a cloth dipped into clean water that has been wrung out well. You should never use household cleaners on the wood railing because they can damage the protective beeswax polish and permanently discolor the wood.

Have the Wax Professionally Stripped Every Few Years

Finally, when the wax on your home's oak staircase railing starts to look soiled or darker in color than it was on the day it was installed, then you should have a professional railing installation and maintenance company like Bracci Fence Inc come to your home and strip off all of the old wax and clean the oak railing. They can safely remove the old wax, make any adjustments or repairs necessary to the railing, and then apply a new coat of wax to revive the railing's oak wood and make it look beautiful again.