How to Clean, Protect, and Beautify Your Furniture
What's the Rub?
Your fine wood furniture was built to be used and enjoyed, not simply
placed on display. But there are some precautions you should take to protect
and beautify your wood furnishings.
The furniture repair and restoration experts at Furniture
Medic offer some time-tested tips for avoiding potential harm to your
furniture and for bringing out its natural splendor.
Cleaning Tips
- Be proactive: Dust frequently with a clean, dry cloth.
- Be speedy: Clean up spills immediately using a blotting action,
not a wiping action.
- Be sensitive to silicone: Avoid using polishes containing a
large amount of silicone. Silicone-based polishes can seep through the
finish into the wood, which may cause permanent damage over time. Furniture
Medic products are virtually silicone free.
Protection Tips
- Avoid placing furniture in direct sunlight. It may cause the finish to fade and crack.
- Arrange furniture away from radiators and heating and cooling vents.
- Avoid extreme changes in humidity. This can cause warping.
- Do not place plastic or rubber objects on the wood. They can soften the finish.
- Protect the surface using trivets or table pads, particularly when placing heated surfaces on the wood.
- Prevent water rings by always making coasters easily accessible. One
of the best coasters to use is one made of wood that is felt underneath
and has absorbent material to rest the glass on. Metal coasters tend
to sweat on the table, and the chemicals in a plastic coaster may react
with the high tech finishes used on today's furniture.
Beautifying Tips
- Once or twice a year, have your furniture deluxed (buffed and polished)
by a professional. Schedule an estimate for furniture deluxing
by Furniture Medic professionals.
- Polish your furniture once a week with a quality polish.
- Rejuvenate the finish by cleaning with a mild soap – like one that
you would use to wash your hands – that has been diluted. Do not use
any household cleaner containing ammonia on your wood furniture.
Disguising damage
It's inevitable that an accident of some kind will occur, with a visible
effect on your wood furniture. Here are some quick fixes to help undo
the damage; or if that's not possible, to help disguise it, at least.
Water spots:
Let water spots dry out completely. Then, put a dab of mayonnaise (not
sandwich spread) on a soft cloth and rub it on the water mark. In most
cases, the spot will disappear. If cups or glasses leave a colored ring
on the table, rough the area slightly with an abrasive pad or paper, and
rub with cigarette ashes mixed with cooking oil.
Scratches:
There are specific scratch cover products that are effective in disguising
minor scratches. Just apply the product to a clean cloth and rub lightly
over the scratch. Shoe polish and felt tip pens also work wonders in hiding
small scratches on furniture. And, you can fill empty shoe polish applicator
bottles with stain and use them for touching up your furniture.
Candle wax:
If wax does drip onto a table, here's what you can do:
- Wait until the wax cools and hardens before trying to remove it.
- Apply an ice cube directly to the wax and give it time to make the
wax hard and brittle. Take a plastic spatula and gently scrape off the
cold wax.
- Polish the table with a clean cloth and a good cream furniture polish.
- Buff away any remaining residue.
For more assistance with wood furniture upkeep or repairs, schedule a
Furniture Repair estimate from the experts at Furniture Medic.
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For more assistance with wood furniture upkeep or repairs, schedule a
Furniture Repair estimate from the experts at Furniture Medic.
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