How to Clean Wood Furniture

Wood furniture adds class and style to any home. It is beautiful by nature, and requires very little work to maintain its original glory. However, it does require simple, routine maintenance to avoid grime build up and more difficult work in the future. Any wood furniture should be lightly dusted every day. This can be done with a feather duster, a rag, or a variety of other products-however, the one I have found to be the most effective is simply using a sheet from a Swiffer dry floor mop refill pack. These sheets seem to virtually suck the dust up, preventing it from scattering in the air around you and settling back on the furniture with time. When you dust your furniture, make sure to get into every groove and corner to keep stores of dust from building up and causing damage.

If you notice any smudges or fingerprints, you can easily remove them with a damp sponge. Make sure it isn’t too damp, however, or you will end up with water spots on your furniture. Cleaning the smudges as soon as you notice them stops them from attracting further dust and grime to their surface and creating an even bigger problem in the future.

To keep your furniture beautiful and shiny, routine deep cleaning will need to be done in addition to the dusting. Oils and polishes merely cover up whatever may be on the surface, so although your furniture will look shiny, it will not be clean or conditioned at all. There are several suggestions as to how you can go about your routine deep cleaning. Murphy’s oil soap is an easy solution; you can buy it at nearly any store with cleaning products, and it has a variety of other uses, so it won’t go to waste waiting for its once-a-year wood cleaning job. It is naturally gentle on the skin and your wood, so it’s safe to use. If you prefer, a mixture of mild soap and water can be used instead. However, make sure that you spot test this mixture first to ensure that your wood will not suffer damage, and dry the surface immediately after cleaning it. An environmentally friendly alternative is a mixture of vinegar and olive oil. This cleanses your furniture while simultaneously adding shine, and contributes to a green, healthy living atmosphere.

If your furniture suffers from water stains, you can try erasing them with a small amount of mayonnaise. Let it sit for about 15 minutes and then wash it off, repeating if necessary. You can also use lemon oil for this job. Lemon oil will need to sit overnight before having the excess oil wiped off the following morning. It is also effective for treating stains from any product containing alcohol; in this instance, you merely need to wipe it on and right off again.

With wood furniture, prevention is key; the more time you invest in dusting, spot cleaning, and once-a-year deep cleaning, the better condition your wood is going to be in for the long run.