How To Clean Your Furniture At Home

How to clean wooden furniture – the right way!

There is no question that a wooden aesthetic makes a house look significantly more stylish and elegant. Add to that, it is one of the simpler ways to give your home a sense of warmth and grace. To keep it that way, it is vital to maintain and know how to clean your wooden furniture. Regular, and the right care could extend the aesthetic value and shine of the wood for a very long time.

Read on for the best ways to clean your furniture at home.

Good ol’ Fashioned Wipe-off

You can have expensive spa treatments every week, but if you don’t shower every day your skin will become dry and rough. Just like that, advanced cleaning solutions won’t help much if you neglect basic surface cleaning.

Use a microfiber cloth to wipe down the wooden surface of your furniture. Its split fibers trap the layer of dust formed as well as absorb any dirt or water on the surface. The small, soft fibers of the cloth also make sure the wood faces no damage at all, making it a safe and efficient cleaning technique.

A vacuum cleaner or hoover can be just as effective, but the microfiber cloth treatment is still recommended at least 3 to 4 times a week.

The Detergent Hack

Grime can be very unappealing to look at. It’s like tanned skin, but not the kind you get sunbathing on a tropical beach. It’s like the kind you get walking through the desert for a week.

Grime makes your furniture, and by extension, your house, look old and jaded. The number one reason is that a lot of us don’t know how to clean cupboard doors properly when covered in grime.

Usually, a damp microfiber cloth should do the trick. If not, add a tinge of detergent powder designed for cleaning wood. Half a teaspoon should be enough. Start off by cleaning in a small corner, just to make sure the wood does not damage. Be sure to quickly wipe away excess water from the surface as well.

Spill the Tea (on your furniture)

Polish to wooden furniture is what makeup is to your face. It helps accentuate the features and gives an overall nice and shiny look. Old, bland polish on furniture takes away from the shine of the room.

Here’s a handy trick on how to clean polished furniture: Tea

Add 4-5 tea bags in water, allow it to dissolve, and immerse a fiber cloth in the water. This concoction restores the shine of the furniture because of something called tannins. Tannins absorb the surface grime and clean it away to give the polished furniture its dark finish.

Handwash for the Aged

You cannot just use any soap or skincare product once you start to age. Your skin needs special products and treatment to keep it clean and healthy.

Old furniture is no different. Especially antiques, which can be extremely valuable. Cleaning them requires the utmost care. First and foremost, use mild soaps. The regular dishwashing soaps are too abrasive for old wood and can ruin its texture. Handwashing soaps are much more preferable, being milder. Dilute them further if necessary. Lastly, avoid aggressive cleaning motions on the wood. Keep it soft and gentle, and very importantly, keep the movements along the grain of the wood.

Brush off the Rings

Some guests can be quite careless, can’t they? Leaving their drinks on the table instead of a coaster creating those ugly rings. How annoying!

These ring-stains can be quite tricky. A simple damp cloth won’t do the trick. Luckily, we have a creative solution for it: Toothpaste! Apply some toothpaste on the stains, and gently wipe with a soft cloth. Water rings should be no match for the toothpaste technique.

For more stubborn stains like tea or coffee, mix equal parts baking soda and toothpaste, and watch the stain disappear faster than the plaque in your teeth. Finally, wipe off the toothpaste with a damp cloth and then a dry one. Easy.

Fun fact: the above method works just as well for an ink mark!

Keeping clean furniture is also a lot about preventive methods. Protect your furniture from damage by keeping these in mind:

Keep your furniture, especially the precious ones, away from direct sunlight.
Avoid prolonged heat exposure such as a hot plate or cutlery.
Protect from spills. Substances like oil and wax can cause irreversible damage to your furniture.
Use safe cleaning agents. Avoid ammonia-based ones which leave a residue build-up over time.

Wooden furniture gives a quality of life and soul to our homes. Learning the best ways to clean furniture at home is vital to keeping that quality for years to come.

Looking to furnish your new home? Or just some information on all things wood? Visit tesorworld.com or drop a text on WhatsApp at +91 998 604 8525