Buying, arranging and generally owning furniture isn’t the end of it. Caring for furniture regardless of the type goes without saying – well, if you want to keep it looking good and stain-free, that is. Maintaining the fresh look of your furniture is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly, yet it doesn’t involve covering your sofa with a plastic bag. Here are a few tips on how to take care of your furniture.
Upholstered Furniture
When it comes to upholstered furniture, dust and dirt are simply a nightmare. This is why you need to make sure that you vacuum your upholstered furniture on a weekly basis, lift the cushions and clean thoroughly. Use the crevice tool to remove hidden crumbs and similar things from underneath it.
Use spray-on fabric protectors to protect your upholstery from spills and stains. This is perhaps the most important part of preserving this type of furniture.
Wooden Furniture
Fine wood is something to be taken care of and nurtured carefully – with proper care, it can last for decades.
Avoiding heat and light exposure is a priority, when it comes to wood furniture. To explain – wood, in its natural state, contains a certain amount of moisture, and preserving it is the key part of preserving a piece of furniture. Avoid placing fine wooden furniture near heating vents, fireplaces and radiators. Avoid storing it in the attic, seeing as how moisture levels here vary throughout the year. Finally, avoid exposing it to direct sunlight – this can fade the fine furniture.
Damage protection is as important as the above mentioned. You don’t even have to spill beverages onto your furniture to cause it to deteriorate – moisture caused by wet glasses can leave round rings in the finish, and the heat from a hot dish can easily ruin it. This is why it’s so important to provide cork- or felt-bottomed coasters and to avoid putting your glasses and mugs directly on your fine wood dining tables.
When it comes to cleaning – in addition to frequent dusting – every now and then, you’ll have to perform heavier cleaning. Remove greasy soil or cigarette smoke stains with oil soap and water, using a natural sponge. Be gentle and careful when performing this and don’t soak the sponge in the mix, but simply damp it.
Leather Furniture
Expensive and good-looking, leather furniture requires a lot of attention. If you are not someone who cares about their furniture, perhaps avoid getting leather furniture to begin with.
On the other hand, if you look after it correctly, leather furniture can last for years. As is the case with wooden furniture, keeping your leather away from heat and light is very important, as leather furniture is also extremely sensitive to heat and sun. Heat sources, such as fireplaces and radiators, should be avoided – sunlight-caused drying can cause those ugly cracks in your furniture.
There are two types of leather furniture:
– Coated leathers
– Uncoated leathers
When it comes to coated leathers, these require frequent dusting. Avoid using leather creams, conditioners or saddle soap on uncoated leather.
When it comes to coated leathers, well, these vary in accordance with what the manufacturer recommends. Vacuuming should be performed frequently, in order to remove surface soil. Here you can use leather creams and conditioners, but keep in mind that you should always check with your manufacturer.
Caring for your furniture is an easy, yet an often neglected task. If you follow these guidelines, your furniture is likely to keep its fresh new look for years to come, but if you neglect it by leaving it in the sun for too long, your entire place will start looking spookily rustic.
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