Child's Hutch Before

 

This is my new project in all of her hideously dirty glory.   I saw her online at the Decatur, Alabama Habitat for Humanity Re-Store (https://www.facebook.com/DecaturReStore?fref=ts).  My wonderful parents picked her up for me.  They were told that a man brought in the hutch and said it was his sister (or mothers, not sure) and was at least 60 years old.  It was handmade for the woman as a child. It is child sized, and less than three feet tall.  It is made primarily from plywood. 

There is a chance it was in a barn for 50 years, considering all of the funk on it. There was a dirt dauber nest and at least three spider egg sacks (no spiders, thank God).

 Above is just one swipe down the side . . .

I used warm water mixed with a small amount of Murphy's Oil Soap to clean it up.  It took four changes of water, and an assistant to get it finished.

(Don't worry, she was supervized with this bucket of water the whole time.)
After a cleaning:

I plan to replace the hinges and paint the piece.  I am undecided if I will keep it or sell it to a good home!  If anyone is interested in this piece, please e-mail me.  I can customize the color and design for you.