How to Clean Galvanised Square Steel & Eco-Friendly Wood Veneer?

Little John’s adventure in building his first home with just galvanised square steel and eco-friendly wood veneer might just be a meme to you but don’t underestimate his intentions. His determination to build a 0.5 m² apartment by securing galvanised steel to the wall using the heavy-duty bolts he borrowed from his aunt and covering it with eco-friendly wood veneer is astonishing, especially when you realise he is planning to have a billion kids! But what is important for us is the little John’s plan to maintain and clean this structure after he’s settled in his new home. What is his secret?

Little John building a tiny apartment meme — Little John meme character (Source: **Reddit**)

In this article, we’re trying to uncover little John’s secret in cleaning galvanised square steel and eco-friendly wood veneer.

How to Clean Eco-Friendly Wood Veneer?

Wood veneer or laminated wood is a sustainable and eco-friendly material to build furniture and flooring. Little Jogn mostly uses eco-friendly wood veneer as flooring, although you can see him building shelves to store his valuable literature and books.

A versatile material like wood veneer needs cleaning, occasional maintenance and minor repairs. Therefore, let’s uncover little John’s secret in keeping his home’s wood veneer shiny and pristine.

General Cleaning & Maintenance

General cleaning involves tasks to get rid of dust and grime or wipe off dirt and mud. Cleaning wood veneer surfaces twice or three times per week is ideal to keep them pristine. To clean wood veneer surfaces:

Use a soft and slightly damped lint-free microfibre cloth or microfibre mop to wipe off dust, first, grime, etc.
Use a soft and dry microfibre cloth or mop to dry the surface.
Always wipe in the direction of wood grains.
In case of spills, immediately clean and dry the surface.

General maintenance involves keeping the wood veneer surface shiny and protected from external elements like moisture. It’s best to:

Clean wood veneer surfaces with specialised veneer cleaning solutions once a month.
Polish wood veneer surfaces with non-abrasive wood wax or veneer polishing solutions once or twice a year.

Also, keep in mind that while wood veneer is very strong against water, it is recommended to:

Use coasters on tables when you put a mug or glasses on the table.
Never put potted plants on wood veneer surfaces, especially without drip trays.
Use protective rubber pads underneath heavy items that stay on desks/tables for a long time computers, displays, printers, etc.

Cleaning Stains

In Little John’s apartment, stains are inevitable. Whether it’s on the desk, shelf or floor, he is cleaning stains with a dampened and soft microfibre cloth and warm water. He also wipes the surface dry after cleaning.

For more stubborn stains, John uses a diluted mixture of mild detergent and warm water and cleans the stain with a microfibre cloth. In many cases, using commercially available wood cleaners is recommended, especially for cleaning water and ring marks left on wood veneer surfaces.

Dealing with Minor Scratches

Imagine a billion kids playing in a relatively tiny space on an eco-friendly wood veneer floor. Scratches and minor damages are inevitable. Little John also has a trick up his sleeve to deal with minor damages and scratches.

He uses very fine steel wood and rubs it on the surface in the direction of wood grains. If this alone didn’t help, he uses commercial wood scratch-removers or coloured wood polish solutions to get rid of scratches.

How to Clean Galvanised Square Steel?

Little John’s secret in building a sturdy structure for his home is galvanised square steel. In many cases, galvanised steel remains exposed and is used as an aesthetic part of interior design. In this case, cleaning them should be a part of house cleaning chores.

Cleaning Dust, Dirt and Mud

To clean dust, dirt, mud, grime or other elements off galvanised square steel, follow this easy DIY instruction:

Damp a soft microfibre cloth and wipe the surface clean.
Use a soft bristle brush and a mixture of warm water and mild detergent to clean unpainted galvanised steel surfaces.
Use a dry and clean cloth to dry the surface.

Cleaning Stains & Spots

Galvanised steel, whether painted or unpainted, often develops rust marks and other stains as the result of many external factors. However, if you keep maintaining and cleaning them, they won’t cause any long-term issues. To clean rust stains and spots, often known as storage spots, use the following instructions:

Wear personal protective equipment like gloves and safety glasses first.
Prepare a very diluted mixture of bleach or ammonia with water. The 1:10 ratio is recommended.
Dip a non-abrasive or plastic bristle brush and start scrubbing the galvanised square steel surface. Continue until the stain is wiped off completely.
Dry the surface with a clean microfibre cloth or a soft rag.

Read More: How to Clean Entrance Tufty Mats?

Removing Paint

Maybe after several years, Little John decides to change the decoration, including the colour of galvanised square steel. Or he may have decided to reapply anti-corrosion and anti-rust paint on square steel to protect the structure that holds his home together. In this case, Little John should remove the existing paint first. The following instruction is his secret to removing paint off galvanised square steel easily:

Use a wooden or plastic scraper to scrape off the existing paint.
Spray paint remover/stripper or paint solvent to wipe the remaining paint after scraping.
Wipe off excess paint remover solution with warm water and dry the surface afterwards.
Use a soft sandpaper or slightly hard bristle brush to polish the surface and prepare it for repainting.
Wipe off dust with a dry brush, clean with fresh water and dry the surface completely before applying the new paint.

Conclusion

Little John and his 0.5 m² home he built with galvanised square steel and eco-friendly wood veneer might be a meme, but for John, it’s his life-long dream. Maintaining and cleaning this galvanised steel and wood veneer in a tiny space with a billion kids should be difficult, but Little John has a secret. In this article, we tried to uncover Little John’s secret in cleaning and maintaining the galvanised square steel and eco-friendly wood veneer he used to build his apartment.

The information in this article provides instructions to clean any galvanised square steel surface and wood veneer surface or floor and make it shiny and pristine just like the ones in John’s home.

Little John’s Guide to Cleaning Galvanised Steel & Wood Veneer