1.
To clean the
finish on your wood furniture just use warm water and mild dish soap. Cleaning
furniture with water won't hurt it -- just be careful not to soak it. Use an
old toothbrush for hard-to-get areas. Wipe the dirt off the surface with soft
cloths or paper towels until they come up fairly clean. Then dry off any
residual moisture with a soft cloth.
2.
After a good cleaning, the best way to protect the finish is to use a
good-quality soft paste wax. Apply a thin coat as directed on the label. Wait
five minutes and buff lightly with a soft (shoe) brush or cloth. Wait another
30 to 60 minutes and buff/brush again with a bit more vigor. You'll see a
beautiful shine return to the finish that will last for many months.
3.
Keep your furniture out of the sun. The temperature of the summer sun
coming through a window can go above 140 degrees. It will cook fine finishes,
fading and destroying them over time, and dry out and shrink the wood, which
will cause cracks.
4.
Don't place wood
furniture near heating units or vents. Dry heat will cause the wood to dry and
shrink, leaving cracks. Use a humidifier in the drier months to bring the
moisture up to the 40 to 45 percent level.
5.
For a quick-fix touch up, use the appropriate color shoe polish on
scratches and chips, especially to make them less visible on the feet of
furniture. Carefully using a matching-color felt-tip marker first will hide it
even better.
6.
When polishing
metal hardware, take it off the furniture first. Take your time and make a note
to remember what piece goes back where. Use a quality metal polish to get it
shining again. Once it's buffed, put it back on, being careful not to scratch
the wood surfaces. I recommend that you don't try to do this all at one time. It
can be a lot of work, so take a few days, doing a few pieces at a time, instead
of getting tired and frustrated with trying to do too much.
7.
Wood isn't
hungry! You cannot feed furniture. No matter what the advertising says, wood
cannot be fed or nourished or enriched with polishes or oils. Once it has a
protective finish over it for beauty and protection, the wood is sealed.
Polishes and oils will not penetrate it.
8.
There are several
ways to remove the white hazy ring or spot that the hot coffee mug or hot pizza
box made on your table. The least invasive way is to rub it with a mild
abrasive, such as non-gel toothpaste mixed with baking soda or cooking oil
mixed with ashes. You can rub it in a small spot with your finger or use a soft
cloth on larger areas. Another method that has excellent results is
to place a soft cloth or towel over the spot and iron it carefully for 10 to 20
seconds at a time with the iron at a medium setting. You can turn the iron up a
bit if needed. Always keep the iron moving and check your
progress frequently.
9.
When shopping for new or antique furniture, look at the back, inside and
undersides of furniture and drawers. Many times it tells you more about quality
than looking at the "show" side. The so-called "secondary"
woods can speak volumes about the age of the item and the quality
of construction.
10.
Restoring or
refinishing an older or antique piece of furniture to its original glory might
seem like a good idea, and many times it is. But it's important to get advice
from someone who is knowledgeable about the item you are considering. You may
find that your piece is valuable and just needs a proper cleaning. Any more
extensive work should be left to a professional.
