THE FINISHING TOUCH
FURNITURE SERVICE
FURNITURE CARE
Preventive Care for Fine Wood Furniture
Wood is a natural substance, part of the Earth's living system. It reacts to extreme environmental changes. The finish which covers it acts like a sealer. It's tough, but still vulnerable to sunlight, heat, humidity, liquids and abrasives, much as the human skin is sensitive to environmental hazards. The following steps will help you preserve the beauty of your furniture finish.
- Keep furniture out of direct sunlight to avoid heat damage and bleaching of wood.
- Keep furniture away from heating and air conditioning sources to prevent loss of moisture in the wood.
- Use felt backing on lamps, ashtrays, and other accessories to prevent scratching and gouging.
- Use placemats under the plates and hot pads under serving dishes when serving hot food.
- Put house plants in drip-proof pots and keep foliage from touching furniture surfaces to prevent moisture damage to wood.
- Use coasters under both hot and cold drinks.
- Do not place synthetic rubber or plastic items (feet on radios, phones, computers, etc) directly on wood to avoid chemical change to furniture finish.
- Do not leave newspapers or magazines lying on wood due to possible ink "bleeding" into the furniture finish and wood.
- Do not use nail polish remover or other harsh household products near wood furniture to avoid possible damage from spills or splashes.
- Rotate the placement of accessories on wood furniture surfaces and change the placement of wood furniture within the room from time to time to redistribute wear patterns.
Recommended Care
Once a week, dust furniture with a lint-free cloth slightly dampened with water or a recommended furniture care product like Endust. This prevents dust particles from scratching wood finish. Dust more frequently in the summer when windows are open or when carpentry and other dust-causing work is being done in the home.
Four times a year we recommend that you apply a good quality water-emulsified furniture polish. A water-emulsified
polish cleans oily based dirt as well as water soluble dirt like food. Some examples of this type of polish are Guardsman and OZ. Make sure you always buff off any excess polish with a dry rag every time you apply it, otherwise you will get an unwanted wax build up.
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