Solid wood furniture will last a long time. If you take care of it, it can last for
hundreds or even thousands of years.
Here is our advice for caring for your solid wood furniture so it lasts a lifetime.
Ask the furniture maker.
If at all possible, talk to the person or company that made your furniture if you’re
concerned. Wood furniture can have different types of finishes, and you don’t want to damage the finish.
Keep it out of the sun.
The ultraviolet (UV) rays in sunshine can damage wood furniture. UV rays can
lighten or darken the wood, and depending on the finish, the UV rays can alter the
color of the finish.
Sunshine can turn a wood finish darker or often yellower depending on what it’s
finished with. So, it’s a good idea to keep your solid wood furniture out of the
direct sun or at least shielded by some thin curtains.
Dust your furniture.
It’s a good idea to keep the dust off your furniture. You can do this with a dry, soft
cloth or a feather duster. A better idea is to use a very slightly damp soft cloth, like an old cotton t-shirt or a microfiber cloth. Cotton makes great rags.
By using a damp cloth, you will pick up the dust onto the cloth rather than just
moving the dust into the air, where the dust will fall back on the furniture when
you’re not looking.
If you don’t dust regularly, over time, you will get a dingy film on the furniture
because the dust will mix with other airborne pollutants like kitchen grease or
cigarette smoke. That film is harder to remove. And when you do try to remove the film, some of the microscopic particles in the dust can actually scratch the
furniture.
A damp cloth is your friend.
A soft damp cloth will solve a multitude of problems. You don’t want your
furniture to be wet, so follow your damp cloth with a clean, soft, dry cloth.
If you’re desperate, add a drop or two of dish soap to your cloth. Follow the damp
soapy cloth with a dry cloth.
Don’t leave water on the furniture.
Water left on solid wood furniture will likely stain the finish or the wood. So, if
you see that something is wet, grab a soft towel and wipe it dry.
The best way to prevent this problem is to put coasters on every table. If guests see coasters, they will use them. Coasters are inexpensive, and they can be part of your décor.
Similarly, on dining tables, if you don’t use tablecloths, then get some trivets for
hot dishes which can also damage the wood and the finish. A super inexpensive
trivet solution is to buy a few pretty porcelain or ceramic tiles and just put some
little felt dots underneath them. You’ll have an instant trivet.
Wax is good.
If you want your wood furniture to shine, rubbing it with some paste wax is fine.
Just keep rubbing with a soft cloth until it’s gone. Rub with the grain as much as
possible.
Be ultra-careful with old or antique wood furniture.
If you’ve ever watched the Antiques Roadshow on PBS, you’ll know that antique
wood furniture loses a lot of value if you strip it or paint it or do anything to it that
changes its original state. For this kind of wood furniture we would recommend
consulting a professional in high-end or museum-grade restoration if the furniture
needs cleaning or repair.
We love solid wood furniture, and that’s our business. Come by our showroom,
and see what we have in stock.
Based in Coquitlam, BC, off of United Boulevard, Prestige Solid Wood Furniture
specializes in high-quality, Canadian-made, solid wood furniture with
customization options. Prestige has a beautiful 10,000 square foot showroom
where you can experience excellent customer service to go along with their
massive inventory.
If you have any questions about this article or would like to talk us about solid
wood furniture please feel free to call us at (604) 522-7344 or stop by the
showroom.
