Murphy Oil Soap Multi-Use Wood Cleaner Review

 We recently updated our kitchen cabinets with new pulls and knobs, and I noticed they needed a thorough cleaning before adding the new hardware.  I saw a spray bottle of Murphy Oil Soap Multi-Use Wood Cleaner on the shelf at our local home improvement store, so I picked up a bottle for a little over $5.

I had never used this product before, but I remembered an old commercial depicting church ladies using it to clean the sanctuary floors and pews.  The tagline went something along the lines of: "If Murphy's Oil Soap is good enough to clean their floors, it's good enough for your floors."  What can I say, I trusted that it would clean my kitchen cabinets.

It seems that a product that contains "natural orange oil" and "pure vegetable soap" would smell awesome, but this cleaner does not.  At all.  It's hard to describe, but there isn't anything pleasant about the scent.  Even so, it does work well.  With a little elbow grease, I cleaned all of the cabinets of built-up grease and assorted fingerprints.  Once I had finished the cabinets, I began cleaning the oak stair hand railings.  Again, the Murphy's Oil Soap-- coupled with some elbow grease and a soft cloth--did a good job of cleaning the wood without damaging it.  It doesn't leave behind a sheen or polish, though.  It really is just a cleaner.

Overall, I'd say it was definitely good enough to clean my wood cabinets and handrails.  Even though it's a multi-surface cleaner, I wouldn't use it on any other surface because I don't like the smell at all.  The package says it can be used on ceramic tile, marble, vinyl, painted surfaces, car interiors, and washable wallpaper.  I'll pass on those applications, but I will definitely keep Murphy Oil Soap Multi-Use Wood Cleaner on hand for periodic cleaning of wood surfaces in my home.