A wooden showpiece or furniture is something timeless and classic. It always adds an old-world, rustic charm to your home decor while keeping it trendy and spectacular. But with time your prized possession starts losing its shine and gathers dirt grease and debris. To keep your wooden furniture looking its best, you must give maintenance a little extra care and attention.
Classic wood furniture never goes out of fashion and is frequently viewed as family heritage. In the home, office, and farmhouse we found the antique, mid-century modern wooden interior. Wood furniture is always a challenge to clean. It ends to accumulate dirt or dust over time, which cannot be cleaned with a duster. And occasionally even though you try to clean the wooden furniture it leaves behind a lot of shiny streaks. There are a variety of terms that get thrown around when it comes to the protection of wooden furniture such as dusting, wiping, and polishing. You’ll probably have to tackle all of these cleaning activities on a regular basis and then keep your wooden furniture looking at its finest. Keep reading to learn how you can clean and maintain wood furniture with care instructions to keep old wood furniture looking fresh for years.
Dust it Well
We know no one likes dusting, but this is one of the simplest ways to take care of your wood furniture and showpiece. You should regularly dust your wooden piece of furniture to maintain its luster for a long time. You can use a soft and dry cotton cloth to remove all unwanted dust. Also can make use of a feather duster or brush to keep the dirt away from your things. On the wood floating particles can produce a layer that harms the surface. Frequent dusting can prevent this accumulation from occurring in dirt and dust. Do not damage your furniture while cleaning, always use soft fabric such as old cotton T-shirts and cloth diapers. Always make sure you clean any dust by using a smooth and dry cloth. Woolen dusters are perfect for carves or areas which are difficult to reach because these parts attract dust efficiently. A radiant polished piece of furniture makes a room more outstanding. You should clean your sofas, chairs and other wooden things once every two months. To remove dust from fragile surfaces which can be easily damaged a feather duster is perfect like an ostrich-feather duster. You also can use feather dusters on items such as lampshades, picture frames, mirrors, art, and in addition to wood furniture.
Deep cleaning
Clean your wooden furniture with some warm water and mild cleanser once in a while. Use your regular dish soap for this. In the soap water gently dip a soft cloth and wipe out your wooden showpiece, table, chairs, and cabinets with it. After that, you must remove extra moisture with a clean and dry cloth. To reach out to hard-to-get areas you can use an old toothbrush. While taking care of your wooden items you must follow this technique and report them regularly – Oil and wax occasionally, Conceal unattractive scratches, and Mind the temperature. With frequent dusting and cleaning you must wax your home and office wooden furniture with good quality wax. It is highly recommended to do oil wax on wood because it gives it a shiny varnish. Add a protective layer, with a coating on the surface. After every six months, you can wax your wooden furniture to maintain its shine and brighten up its appearance.
Tough Scratches & Stains
Scratch and stain never look good but your wooden furniture is bound to get many of them overused. This eventually would make your favorite piece of the wooden piece look old. To avoid scratches is to keep all sharp objects away but it is impossible every time. So you can use some clever tricks to remove scratches and stains from your wooden furniture. Always use petroleum jelly over the place or a matching color crayon to hide the stain, coffee powder, vinegar, and olive oil can also be used to conceal those scratches and stains away. No matter what kind of stain it is, the longer it remains there the harder it will be to be removed.
Rings from wet glasses and mugs use a paste with equal amounts of toothpaste and baking soda rub it into the stain and wipe it out with a dry cloth.
For removing dark spots from water-damaged wood, soak a soft dry cloth in white vinegar and rub the place with it.
If you have kids in your home then indeed your wooden furniture has pencils and crayons stained on it. It is time to remove them, apply some mayonnaise over the mark and let it sit for some time, and rub it out to make sure the surface is dry before doing this.
Mind the temperature
Be aware when exposing wooden furniture to sunlight for a long duration. Heat and temperature cause wood to fade and shrink. It will make it dry, and leave cracks on its surface. Always try to keep your wooden furniture away from direct sun ray as much as possible. Do not place delicate wooden furniture in front of uncovered open windows or fireplaces, as light and heating will harm and ruin the wood surface. Also avoid keeping extremely hot and cold objects on their surface to maintain the texture and shine. Do not use extremely hot and cold cleaners for maintenance on wooden furniture. They will leave a mark that distorts the surface’s original texture and shine. You may use a proper tablecloth on a wooden table and try to cover your wooden items to manage their damage. Use pretty covers to give a vintage look. Heats like Sunlight, and other factors on your fine furniture can be damaging.
Don’t Mistreat
You should be very careful with your wooden furniture. Do not leave sharp items too close to wood. To prevent your table surface from heat and rings, always use a coaster while placing glass or mug on the tables of wood. Never put hot and cold food on it without the safety of a potholder. Try to include decorative table linen to shield your table.
Wood Smelling Fresh
Older pieces of wood can develop an unpleasant odor sometimes. Especially, in monsoon time if they have been stored for long, you can sprinkle baking soda on the surface and put a pouch of charcoal inside the drawers so it can absorb the smells that emanate inside. On a dry day you can leave the piece out of the room in a shaded area to give relief from the strong smell and make your furniture smell good as new. With white vinegar and water solution in equal parts cleaning the surface you can remove the odor from your furniture. An old tip what always works. For easy odor absorption pour talcum powder or baking soda over the affected surface. Vintage furniture drawers always cling, for that use white candle wax and rub on the upper edges.
By following these tips you can keep your wooden furniture simply shimmering in its best way.