1. Manage The Humidity
We recommend trying to keep the humidity between 40 and 45 degrees in your home, which can be reliably achieved with the help of a humidifier/dehumidifier. With our notoriously dry winters and our notoriously humid summers, these appliances can be a godsend. Just make sure to store your table leaves somewhere that’s similar in humidity. If you store your leaves in a damp basement, with your table in a humidity-controlled environment, after a while they might look wonky together.
Other than those five tips, common sense should get you the rest of the way. Don’t bang your furniture around too much, and if you spill something, clean it up. The solid wood furniture we craft has the potential to be around for a number of lifetimes, as a family heirloom, with only a little bit of care and attention.
2. Use Coasters
Having people over? Break out those coasters, doilies, mitts, mats and whatever else you need to use to create a buffer between hot or cold surfaces and your solid Wood Table– your guests will understand. It’s not only that the different temperatures can be hard on the wood, but sliding a glass around or emphatically setting a teapot down on a bare wood surface can cause minor damage.
3. Address water issues immediately.
Whether your toddler spilled his water or an open window allowed a rogue rain storm to sprinkle the arms of your rocking chair, moisture needs to be dealt with immediately. There are two reasons for this. The first is that your furniture’s finish is only designed to protect the wood for a short time.
Any long-term exposure will destroy it. Secondly, as mentioned above, moisture causes wood to swell and this can lead to cracks and other undesirable changes in its appearance.
4. Remove built-up grime.
Like attracts like, and grime attracts more grime. The goal here is to remove surface grime without damaging the furniture’s finish or the wood. Start with warm water and a mild dish detergent. Soak up a sponge with this solution, ring it out so it’s just damp, and try a sample spot.
You can also use mineral spirits. If this method works without damaging the finish, great. You can continue what you are doing and remove decades of accumulated dirt and grime (So, that’s what this table was supposed to look like…). If it doesn’t work (or the finish is altered) stop right there and contact a woodworking professional to make sure you don’t do any further damage.
5. Be wary of polishing or waxing your furniture.
Not all finishes are created equal, and this means that not all finishes should be polished or wax. Always adhere to the manufacturer’s instructions when it comes to polishing, waxing and the types of chemicals that can be used on your wood furniture and upholstery.
These instructions should have been provided by the furniture store where you purchased your pieces. If you don’t have the instructions any longer, we recommend taking a picture or brining the piece in to a furniture store that specializes in solid wood furniture to see what they advise.
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