One of the perks of growing up is learning to appreciate the finer things in life – fine wine, fine food, fine furniture. If you’ve invested in beautiful wood furniture, then you know that fine wood needs some upkeep to continue looking its very best. Dusting, cleaning, polishing and waxing all help protect the wood from damage and preserve its gloss and shine for years.
It doesn’t have to take hours to clean and maintain your fine woods properly, though. Just make a bit of furniture care part of your weekly household cleaning schedule so that it becomes routine. All it takes is a few minutes with a quality cleaning product to freshen dull wood and restore the gleam that attracted you in the first place.
Maintenance Care for Fine Furniture
Most care for fine hardwoods is just common sense – mixed with a little elbow grease. Here are some tips from furniture manufacturers to help you keep your hardwood chairs, desks, tables and other furniture in tiptop condition.
1. Follow manufacturers’ instructions for care.
2. Dust at often to remove surface dust and grit that could eventually scratch the finish. Use a soft cloth – an old diaper or t-shirt are great for dusting wood.
3. Moisten the cloth with a spray product before dusting. Dry cloths can leave minute fine scratches on the wood’s finish. If you choose a product with a light wax and silicone in the ingredients list (Lemon DCW Furniture Wax) you’ll actually spend less time dusting because you leave a light, protective coat on the surface of the wood.
4. Your skin loves a good moisturizer – and so does your dining room table. Once every couple of months, give your furniture a deep moisturizing treatment with a high quality lemon furniture oil (Lemon Furniture Oil). The treatment will bring out the grain of the wood, and brighten the finish – as well as prolonging the life of the wood.
5. Every six months or so, take the time to deep-clean all the wood in your house. Use a quality wood cleaner enriched with lanolin (Wood Cleaner and Polish) to clean away fingerprints, collected grease from cooking and other dirt and grime that dulls the finish of kitchen cabinets, woodwork, doors, paneling and furniture.
6. Prevention is half the battle. Protect your fine wood from beverage rings and other common damage by keeping a set of stylish coasters nearby. If water or other liquid gets spilled, wipe it up immediately, and take a minute to rub some lemon oil (Lemon Furniture Oil) into the spot.
7. More prevention – heat is just as damaging to wood as moisture. Be sure to use trivets when serving food to prevent damage to your dining table.
8. If prevention doesn’t work and you end up with a water stain on your new cherry coffee table, don’t panic, says furniture expert Don Aslett. You could do more damage if you start scrubbing at it while the finish is still soft. Instead, wait till it’s completely dry. If there’s still a visible stain, you may be able to smooth it away with rubbing compound, or very fine wool.
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