Wood Furniture Care

The choice of furniture in your home speaks volumes about your personal style statement. Nothing can enhance the look of your house like a nice piece of wood furniture. If you are a proud owner of such furniture, you have to take special efforts to maintain it, without which the piece may get damaged and lose its beauty. Most commonly, this type of furniture gets damaged by the elements and also by wrong cleaning methods.

On exposure to sunlight, the ultraviolet radiation of the sun causes severe damage to wood furniture. Therefore, you have to keep your furniture in a room that does not get a lot of direct sunlight. When the intensity of the sunlight is high, shield the room with proper window treatments so that sunlight cannot enter.

Excess humidity is not suitable for wood furniture as it tends to swell up and spoil the shape. If the humidity is low, then it causes splits and cracks on wooden surfaces. So the humidity of the room should be kept constant with the help of humidifiers in winters, and air conditioners in summers.

Liquid spills can cause substantial damage to wood furniture. As soon as any liquid spills occur on the it, you should soak it up with a clean soft cotton cloth. Do not rub the cloth as it will spread the spill over a larger surface.

Whenever you are keeping any flower vase, beverage glass or cups on any wooden surface, place a coaster below so that the spill does not spoil the sheen. High temperature is also not suitable for wood furniture. Therefore, protective pads have to be placed on it before you put hot utensils, cooking appliances, etc., on them.

An integral part of wood furniture care is the use of the right cleaning techniques and products. For regular dusting, use a soft, clean piece of cotton cloth. Rub the dusting cloth in the same direction as that of the wood grain, and also make the moves in an oval pattern. During dusting, if you find that your cloth gets very dirty, replace it with another clean cloth.

Use a paint brush with natural bristles to clean up the corners and carvings of the furniture effectively. Never use feather dusters as they fail to thoroughly clean the dust from the surface. Do not use water to clean up the dust from the wood as the water will get absorbed and cause damage. If required, use a damp cloth to rub off the dust.

When you choose the cleaning products for your furniture, do so very carefully. You should be polishing it with furniture oils regularly to maintain the shiny look. Oils that contain linseed should not be used repeatedly as they tend to darken the wood. One of the common ingredient of most of the furniture sprays is silicone oil.

Such products should be avoided as it makes the surface so shiny that refinishing of the wood can become difficult in the future. You can make a homemade furniture polish by mixing one part of lemon oil with 3 parts of olive oil, and apply it on the furniture regularly. Do not change the cleaning products frequently. Even the type of polish you are using on the wood has to be consistent.

Spots of water on a wooden table is a common occurrence. To get rid of such marks, you can apply some mayonnaise on the affected area with the help of a cotton cloth. When some candle wax drips on the surface of the wood, it should be allowed to cool and turn hard.

Then put an ice cube on it for a few minutes. Then scrape off the brittle wax with the help of a spatula. After that apply some polish on the affected area. Keep all your furniture away from fireplaces, radiators, etc., as the heat may dry up the wood.

You should be very careful while moving furniture from one place in the house to another. Do not push or pull the furniture as it can damage the legs. Lift the furniture by their legs and not by their top, when you move them. Do not try to do this task alone if they are heavy.

If you have to transport it from one place to another, then place the piece on its top or back and not on its legs. For the purpose of storing your furniture, you should choose a cool, dry place where the possibility of a change in humidity is minimum. And lastly, antique furniture should be handled and cleaned with extra care.

Taking care of wood furniture is not a tough task. However, you have to follow the guidelines thoroughly so that they can be used for several years.