[Eliot Ness]

Ian, you should note there are three grades of NOVUS: 1, 2, and 3. 

#1 is to clean and shine plastic (no abrasives)

#2 is a fine scratch remover to remove fine scratches, haziness and abrasions from most plastics.

#3 removes heavy scratches and abrasions from most acrylic surfaces.

https://www.novuspolish.com/products.html

NOVUS is geared toward plastic type surfaces and I have never used it on wood.  However I see no reason Gojo could not be used on plastics as a cleaner to remove years of built up grime.

On wood you would typically clean it with Gojo (white not orange!), let it dry a few days, then apply Old English or Howard's, and then finish with a good paste wax.  Eventually, as you become more comfortable, you might want to experiment with wood stains instead Old English/Howards for a more lasting scratch cover.