cleaning and taking care of an antique/vintage set

Hello all,

I have just got an antique french regency style set (dating back to around 1900, I think). One black rook is missing but I am quite happy with this purchase overall (don't look at the board, that's a very cheap one!).

The set, though, is kind of dusty and also has a musty/mouldy smell I would really like to get rid of so I was wondering what should I do to clean and take care of it properly.

I did a search on this topic and I found contrasting opinions on the use of oils and waxes... I have some experience with antique wooden flutes made of boxwood and ebony and linseed oil (raw over boiled, if possible) is often used there so I wonder if that could be a good approach here too?   

Any idea is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Have a look at Alan Dewey's site chessspy.com - this may help you. In one of his videos he uses clear shoe polish on the boxwood pieces, and black shoe polish on the ebony ones