You know you are adulting when furniture shopping turns you on! But shopping is easier than maintaining that beautiful wooden furniture. You are not done after just buying your furniture because now comes the responsibility to take care of them.
And, trust me, this is one thing you honestly cannot procrastinate because if you do, then it is a waste of your money. Hence to save your money, I am here to help. I have listed bellow the do's and don'ts and a few bonus points to help you maintain your wooden furniture.
Few Do's And Don'ts
Here is a list of 10 do's and don'ts to keep your furniture as new as possible
1. Wipe your wooden furniture using a soft cloth.
The first step is to wipe off the dirt from the surface of the furniture with a soft cloth or paper towels and then use warm water with mild diluted soap to clean the rest of your wooden furniture. Also, wiping your furniture with just water will not damage it but make sure you do not soak it. Dry off the extra moisture using a soft cloth.
2. Use soft paste wax to protect the finish.
After you are done cleaning, you need to protect the finish, and the best way to do it is to use soft paste wax of excellent quality. How to apply the wax and everything will be written on the label of the box or the can. Please follow the procedure as it is written.
3. Keep your wooden furniture away from the harsh rays.
No direct sunlight. During summer, especially in the afternoon, the temperature of the rays coming through the windows can go above the boiling point, and it can cause some severe damage to your wooden furniture. It will dry beautiful finishes. They will fade and get ruined over time. This will cause the wood of your furniture to dry out and shrink and hence results in cracks.
To avoid this situation, you can use window coverings or else tablecloths to prevent your furniture from getting the direct ray of sunlight.
4. Quick fixes.
You can use shoe polish or makers for a quick-fix or a quick touch-up. Especially to make the scratches on the wooden surface less visible.
5. Use mild abrasive to remove hazy spots.
If you keep any hot object such as your teacup on your wooden table, it will leave behind a spot on the surface of the table. Use a mild abrasive to remove such. Mild abrasive like any non-gel toothpaste mixed with the right quantity of baking soda or you can also try cooking oil mixed with ashes. Use your finger or a small piece of soft cloth to rub the spot off.
6. Use a plastic spatula to remove wax off your furniture.
If you are keeping a candle on your wooden table, the candle wax drips onto the surface of the table. Let it cool and when it gets hard, use a plastic spatula to remove it.
7. Stay alert.
Stay alert for any squeaky noise, especially in the case of a wooden bed. The noise means that the wooden joints are getting loose and need to be re-glued or repair.
8. Paste wax.
If the drawers stick and it gets hard to open them then rub some paste of wax on the drawer, and it will come out smoothly. If this does not work, then it means the drawers are too old, and it needs repair.
9. Coasters.
Use coasters to keep your hot cups or mugs on your wooden table to prevent stains.
10. Wooden Screws.
Try rubbing a little candle wax or beeswax or any soap on the wooden screw thread. This will help them to move more smoothly.
Bonus:There are more to these 10 points and hence:
1. If you are keeping objects such as vases on an uncovered wooden surface, then rotate the objects regularly to prevent spots on the surface.
2. Use a humidifier during the dry months to raise the moisture and prevent cracks in your wooden furniture.
3. Using a matching-felt-tip marker carefully will hide scratches on your wooden furniture even better.
4. Polishes and oil cannot infiltrate the protective finish. Hence your wooden furniture cannot be nourished or enriched with polishes or oils.
5. Avoid cleaners with ammonia to clean your wooden furniture.
6. Avoid using polish containing silicone or alcohol.
7. Before polishing your wooden hardware take off the metals.
Conclusion
It is advisable to hire a professional while it comes to handling wooden furniture, but, understandably, it is not always possible to get a professional, and you can save a lot if you learn to do them all by yourself.
Thus, I hope the above do's and don'ts points will come to your help. At first, it will be tough to do the polish yourself, but you will learn and hey there is always a first time!
Have fun!