Wood has a great role in our homes. It is one of the most popular materials in the furniture manufacturing and one of the most sought after thanks to its resistance and durability. These characteristics, however, do not exempt us from protecting, caring for and cleaning wooden furniture properly if we want it to keep its good appearance.
Wardrobes, dressers, tables, side tables, chairs, headboards ... many wooden furniture find a place in our home, but do we know how to clean it? If you are not very clear, be attentive to our tips for caring for and cleaning wooden furniture, to the many simple tricks that we share with you so that they can decorate your home for a long time.
General care
Wood is a natural material with two declared enemies, the water and the sun. Wood is a porous material and as such absorbs water, so it will be important for its conservation to avoid spilling liquids on these furniture. Nor are the sun's rays friends with these furniture. Direct exposure to these causes them to lose their color and deteriorates over time, so if you want them to last a long time, you should avoid exposing them to them.
Natural wood furniture, without any treatment, is more exposed to these dangers. Therefore, as far as possible, it is always advisable treat these with waxes or varnishes. The former do not give as much brightness or change the color of the furniture in a noticeable way, so they are a good choice to leave these as natural as possible, but protected.
Cleanliness, of course, is also key so that wooden furniture does not lose its good appearance. Every week is advisable clean them with a soft cotton cloth to remove dust and dirt that accumulates mainly in joints, reliefs or carvings. If the furniture also has a deep drawing, you will have to use a very soft toothbrush or brush to clean it. Don't make the mistake of vacuuming; no, at least, supporting this on the surface.
Deep cleaning for wooden furniture
From time to time your wooden furniture will need a more thorough cleaning. A cleaning that you can also use to revitalize the furniture, hydrate it and give it shine. And all of it using commodities that I am sure you will already have at home.
On varnished or lacquered furniture
The varnish protects the wood of the furniture from possible scratches and scuffs. It also slows down humidity, although we must always bear in mind that it does so from the outside in and vice versa. What do we mean by this? That it will never be advisable to clean a piece of furniture with an excess of water or abrasive products such as bleach or ammonia.
The ideal thing to do a general cleaning of your wooden furniture will be to moisten a cloth lightly in a warm water dissolution and neutral soap to go over the surface with this. You will have to do it by moving the cloth in the direction of the betas and without pressing too much. Then, wipe with a cloth only dampened in water and finally a dry cloth to remove excess moisture. Once done, make sure to ventilate the room well so that the furniture can dry.
It has spots?
To clean wooden furniture with stains you will need to prepare a olive oil and white vinegar mixture in equal proportions. With the help of a cotton cloth soaked in the mixture, clean the furniture using circular movements. Then, let the product act for half an hour and finish by wiping it with a dry cloth, without exerting too much pressure, to polish it. If this is the first time you apply it, do it first on a small and inconspicuous area of the furniture and observe, we do not want scares!
There are those who instead of using this mixture use one of olive oil and lemon juice or coconut oil and isopropyl alcohol. Use the one that is most comfortable for you, depending on the products you have at home. And mix with small amounts of product It gives a lot of itself!
In kitchen cabinets with grease
Kitchen furniture is more exposed to dirt. In the kitchen, in addition to dust, humidity and grease can require us cleaning wooden furniture more often making it an almost daily task. And vinegar will be the key product to make them like new.
A general cleaning with water and neutral soap is usually sufficient on a daily basis. However, if we let the fat accumulate white vinegar may be necessary to face it. You can use it undiluted or slightly diluted on a cloth to clean the cabinets. When you're done, wipe with a dry cloth and leave the kitchen ventilated to dry well.
There are few products that we need to care for and clean the wooden furniture at home. And it is very easy to do it if we integrate it into our cleaning routine, as we did with cleaning the wooden floors.