Hardwood Furniture Care

Care Tips for your Hardwood Mission Style Furniture

Caring for your solid hardwood furniture will ensure that its natural beauty will be maintained for a lifetime and enjoyed by succeeding generations. The following suggestions will help you in the care of your wood furniture.

Crafted from a natural element, wood furniture will exchange moisture with the air---responding to changes in the relative humidity of your surroundings. This causes the wood to expand and shrink. When the air is very dry, wood will lose moisture and responds by shrinking. That is what causes small openings on the surfaces of wood furniture. As the humidity increases, wood will absorb the moisture causing it to expand and the openings are no longer seen.

Most people have air-conditioned homes today. If you don’t, high humidity may cause your wood furniture to absorb excessive amounts of moisture and expand. This corrects itself as the humidity drops to a more comfortable level. With these factors in mind, it is important to remember that the quality of your wood furniture will not be damaged by these factors of nature.

In addition to these suggestions these good wood care habits will protect your wood furniture for a lifetime:

--Never place your wood furniture over a radiator or place them too near a fireplace or heating register.

--Direct sunlight will cause fading to occur and may cause the wood to dry out.

--Good indoor temperature and humidity control will help with the expansion and contraction of wood.

--Protect the surface of your wood furniture by using coasters or some sort of padding to prevent scorching or scratching.

--Store your dining table leaves in the same or similar room environment as the table to prevent the swelling of the leaves.

--Never us alcohol, other cleaning solvents, or nail polish remover on unprotected wood.

Cleaning and Repairing Your Wood Furniture

Always use a soft cloth for dusting. A cotton fabric works well. Be careful about allowing too much dust to collect before cleaning. The abrasive particles of the dust may damage the wood.

There may be times that you will want to do a deeper cleaning than dusting. Use mild non-alkaline soap and water along with a soft cloth or sponge. You may want to test out this soapy solution in an area of the wood furniture that cannot be readily seen to make sure it will not cause any damage.

If you should spill or drip nail polish on a wood surface, blot it up immediately. Use a 0 grade fine steel wool with a small amount of Guardsman Furniture Polish and wipe dry.

Fresh latex paint drips may be removed with water and a soft cloth, oil-based paint drips may be removed with mineral spirits. If the spots have dried, soak the area in boiled linseed oil until the paint softens, then use a putty knife to remove the spot or wipe with a cloth dampened with boiled linseed oil. Rubbing along the wood grain with an extra-fine 0000 grade steel wool will remove any residue, then wipe dry.

To remove contact paper from a wood surface, dampen the paper with salad oil and after five minutes, rub with a 0 grade extra-fine steel wool along the grain of the wood, then wipe dry.

Chewing gum or wax can be removed by wrapping an ice cube in a soft cloth and pressing it on the substance. Carefully peel it off with a fingernail and with a 0 grade extra-fine steel wool dipped in mineral spirits, rub the area and wipe dry.