Regardless of your home’s size or interior theme, some pieces of furniture will always be present. It’s where homeowners sit back, relax, and enjoy whatever their surrounding has to offer.
As a homeowner, it’s your responsibility to apply care and provide maintenance to these comfort providers. Whether it’s the small chair in the living room, the console table in the corner, or the wooden porch swing in your garden, you’ll have to give it love and care for it to last longer.
How To Care For Wooden Furniture
The furniture in your home could last for centuries. There are families who pass furniture down through generations as an heirloom. That, however, isn’t possible if such furniture isn’t handled and cared for. Even the finest wood could develop scratches or gashes without proper care. So, in addition on knowing how to repair broken wooden furniture, it’s wise to always seek out accurate and reliable care instructions for your newly-bought furniture.
Below, are some tips for keeping the wooden pieces of furniture in your home to look their best for many years to come:
1. Dust It Often
Dusting isn’t only done on your interiors or other objects. It’s needed on your wooden furniture as well. Otherwise, airborne particles might scratch the surface of wood as it develops a filmy layer. Removing clouds of dust on a regular basis prevents this accumulation.
If you want to prevent damage to your outdoor wooden benches or tables, you can always use lightweight fabric such as cotton shirts, fabric sheets, or microfiber cloth. These materials effectively attract and retain dust. For your furniture’s carvings or hard-to-reach spots, you may also utilize lambswool dusters.
2. Keep Wood Smelling Fresh.
When certain pieces of furniture age and are stored for an extended period, they often emit an unpleasant odor. To overcome this, it’s believed that sprinkling baking soda on it could freshen it up.
Another method of removing foul smells is placing a pan of charcoal on your drawers or other corners of your wooden furniture. Charcoals are thought to absorb any odors that emerge from the inside. Positioning them outside, on the other hand, works as well. On a warm and dry day, place them in a shaded location. This is believed to provide relief from a pungent stench and make your wooden furniture still smell good as new.
3. Keep It Protected.
Avoid abusing or mistreating your wooden furniture. It may cause damage over time. If you intend to put mugs, bowls, food containers, vases, or lamps on your wooden table, always use pads. This can help avoid discolored white rings or other marks that may detract from its attractiveness.
Furthermore, be careful with the commercial polishes and sprays you use in finishing your wooden furniture. Most of them contain petroleum or silicone oil, which, if used excessively, could cause dust accumulation. This may result in a bland and sticky film. Therefore, make sure not to use too much.
4. Treat It Well
Take special care of your wooden interiors. You can practice this by not putting your feet on it and not allowing pets to walk or play on it. These might produce scratches because of your pet and of the embellishments or sharp edge of your shoes.
When you’re writing, protect your wooden furniture by placing something thick underneath your paper. Since wooden objects are delicate, avoid allowing your handwriting to travel through your tabletops.
5. Minimize Too Much Sun and Heat Exposure
As much as it’s fun to bask under the sun, it has detrimental effects. Too much sun exposure could cause you sunburn and other skin complications. Just imagine the potential damage sunlight exposure can do to your wooden pieces of furniture?
With that said, it’s wise to place your furniture away from heating and cooling vents, a fireplace, and direct sunlight. Having too much exposure to these sources might cause the wood’s finishes to fade and eventually dries it. This promotes cracking, which you must prevent.
6. Make Any Necessary Fixes
Despite how hard you try to care for it, mishaps and accidents might still happen. If damages have been done, try to do quick furniture touch-ups. Dents and minimal scratches can be balanced with a marker or furniture pen color to your furniture’s finishing. This may lessen the imperfections on the affected areas.
As for those white rings, they’re caused by the moisture that came from a glass of drink. Such moisture transitioned to the surface of your furniture’s covering. The good thing is, there are various ways to fix this. It’s said that rubbing the affected spot with toothpaste and baking soda could resolve this.
Final Thoughts
The measures for caring for your wooden furniture are not difficult or time-consuming to follow. By doing so, you could be rewarded with a house containing pieces of furniture that are looking brand new. With minimal oversight, your wooden furniture could be a masterpiece that lasts.
