How To Care For Wooden Furnitures?

Improvement

oi-Staff

By Staff

Tuesday, May 25, 2010, 14:11

Wooden furnitures are considered life time assets to home, may be for several lifetimes. They add warmth to your home and decorate each room with an antique look. Wooden furnitures are valued treasures passed for one generation to others. Taking good care of your wood furniture ensures its longevity. It is simple and easy to protect and care for your wood furnitures natural beauty. All that's needed is some tender, loving care. Here are a few tips to care for your furniture:

The most important step to protect wooden furniture is to avoid humidity in your home. Wooden furnitures have the tendency to loose shape and hardness according to natural changes such as rain, hot seasons, humidity etc... It is most common for wood furnitures to shrink or expand in response to weather conditions. Avoid placing wood furniture directly in front of radiators, heat runs or fireplaces. Don't expose hardwood furniture to continuous direct sunlight.

Never leave your furnitures dust covered. Dust can create scratchy marks on the furniture. Frequent dusting removes airborne deposits that build up in a filmy layer. Clean your furnitures in a weekly basis. Use clean, dry, soft cloths or feather dusters to remove dust from furnitures.

All-purpose cleaning sprays are never recommendable for wooden furnitures. Avoid cleaning wood with water. Use water and soap only to clean the sticky spots. Once you use water on your furniture immediately dry with a clean soft cloth. Hardwood furniture surfaces can be cleaned with a mild non-alkaline soap and water.

Occasional waxing and polishing is necessary to keep your furniture healthy and looking good. A paste wax can be applied every six to twelve months. Remove old wax first with a mild non-alkaline soap and water solution.

Stain do eternal damage to wooden furnitures. When it comes to stain removal special care and attention is necessary. When ever removing stains yourself always test your remedy on a small area to see if it removes the stain without disturbing or damaging the finish.

To remove white marks from your furnitures rub with a cloth dipped in a mixture of cigarette ashes and lemon juice or salad oil. Or rub with a cloth dipped in lighter fluid. Wipe dry and apply wax or polish.

Paint marks can also stain your furnitures. Fresh latex paint can be removed with water and use mineral spirits to remove oil-based paint marks. If dry, soak spot in boiled linseed oil, wait until paint softens and lift carefully with a putty knife or wipe with cloth dampened with boiled linseed oil.

Always replace broken or damaged parts of your furniture. Blot all spills immediately. Keep solvents, alcohol, nail polish and polish removers away from your hardwood furniture surfaces.

Always lift hardwood furniture to move from one place to another - don't drag them. Whenever you clean the surface of your furniture never drag the thing on it. Carefully lift things up to avoid scratches on the furniture. Open and close doors, drawers and lids gently.