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Dust Never Sleeps and Keeps Coming Back To Your Furniture To Make Its Presence Felt
While you enjoy the new shine of your furniture, there will soon come a time when the dust starts to settle on it time and again, slowly making it lose the glow. The most common mistake you can make is to use the same furniture polish for all types of material. Wood furniture is an expensive investment, and one simply cannot just clean it with regular furniture polish.
When it comes to taking care of wood furniture, you can use the right cleaning methods to reduce the maintenance time spent on it. Most wood furniture comes with instructions to follow on keeping the surface clean, but generally, people avoid it. Below are some gentle reminders from experts on how you can keep your wood furniture intact for years to come.
Treat It Properly
The elegance of wood furniture knows no bound. More and more interior designers are now flaunting wood pieces of furniture in their collection. Treat your wood furniture properly and take care of how you use it. For example, to prevent ring marks on wood tables, always use a coaster when setting hot utensils like mugs, pots, or plates on it. Use decorative placemats and table cloth to protect your dining table. It will also act as a protective layer in case there are any spills.
Keep It Clean
Dusting is not just enough to keep your wood furniture clean. At the same time, using al purpose cleaners is not the right choice for cleaning it as it may damage the finish. For different types of woods, you will need to use materials that are specific to them. For example, when you are looking after teak furniture, then you will need to use a microfibre cloth to dust it and a gentle cleaning solution. If you have spots on your wood furniture that are heavily soiled or sticky, you can dip the cloth in the liquid solution and wipe the area gently. Then use a dry cloth to dry the table. Always make sure you leave it dry.
Add A Protective Layer
To give your wood a protection layer and keep it fresh and shiny, polishes that contain petroleum distillates or silicone oil are generally used. It does serve the purpose, but you should be careful not to overuse it. Overuse of it will eventually lead to a buildup that is combined with dirt. It will form a sticky and dark film on the surface. Buff the products well to avoid the buildup. Also, make sure never to combine it with other products like wax protectants as that will create a gooey mess which will not be a pleasant task to clean.
Fix Wear And Tear
Apart from looking grimy, minor scratch marks and scratches and spoil the look of the wood furniture. No matter how much you take care, these injuries are bound to happen to your furniture. You can use liquid polish to hide any types of abrasions. It will restore the look of the wood as well. If the damage is big, you will need to use something more powerful. You can repaint it or retain it. In case you are not sure which paint to use, you can ask for professional help to restore your wood furniture.
Keep It Smelling Fresh
As the wood furniture gets old, it tends to develop unpleasant odors. This especially happens if you store the wooden furniture in damp or dark places for a long time. You can sprinkle little baking soda on the surface to make it smell fresh. If the furniture has been in a damp place for too long, then try to keep it outside during the daytime to remove the stench. Do not put it directly under sunlight but rather in a shaded yet dry area.
Deal With Tough Stains
The inevitable always happens. Something always spills on your beautiful wood furniture, and you struggle to remove tough stains from it. In such a case, you will have to be very quick to clean it. The longer a stain stays on the wood surface, the harder it will be to remove it. A quick fix is to use white toothpaste and baking soda. Use an equal amount of both and rub gently over the stain until it is gone. Wipe the furniture with a dry cloth.
Your wood furniture will only be as good as you take care of it. When you do so, you are rewarded with enjoying its beauty for now and years to come.
Featured Photo by Talles Alves on Unsplash