A Cleaning Guide for Wood Living Room Furniture

Posted on 01/26/2012 in View All ,

Topics: furniture, cleaning, wood

If you want to keep your wood living room furniture looking new, you have to work a bit—really, though, just a bit. Wood remains one of the sturdiest and most reliable materials for furniture. It doesn’t stain easily, it requires a tremendous amount of brute force to chip or dent, and it lasts for centuries. Most of the care it needs is basic. Maintaining a certain humidity level, keeping it away from direct heat sources or sunlight, and cleaning the furniture occasionally are all it needs. If you’ve never done it, though, the products and methods of cleaning may seem complicated, so we’ve compiled a little guide for keeping wood living room furniture spotless.

Some pieces of wood furniture require specific care, so consult manufacturer’s directions if you have them. Otherwise, most hardwoods can be cleaned with water and some non-alkaline soap. Apply it with a damp (not dripping) sponge, covering every area of wood. As soon as you’ve cleaned the area, dry it immediately with a soft cloth, and then buffer gently along the grain.

That regular attention will retain the newness of wood living room furniture, but once or twice a year, use a polish or wax too. Both of these products add a safety barrier to the pieces, making scratches and stains even more difficult. They also create a nice sheen in the wood. Just be sure to remove the old layer with some fervid scrubbing with the same soap and water mixture. Thick, accumulated layers will look worse than no treatment, but the effort is minimal to produce beautiful and lasting furniture.