At a Glance:
How Often to Clean Wood Furniture
How to Remove Different Stains on Wood Furniture
Why Wood Furniture is Making a Trend Comeback
3 Pieces of Wood Furniture You'll Want to Keep Clean
Whether it's family heirlooms or thrift store finds, traditional wood furniture never goes out of style and is frequently used in farmhouse, vintage, and mid-century modern interiors. Wood furniture can be challenging to clean, though. It often develops dirt or grime over time that is difficult to clean with a duster. Additionally, even after cleaning wood furniture, shiny streaks occasionally remain.
There are several terms that are used in relation to wood furniture maintenance, including dusting, cleaning, waxing, and polishing. You'll probably need to periodically complete all four of these cleaning tasks to keep wood furniture looking its best. While opinions on how to care for wood furniture vary among experts, the technique you use will depend on the piece's finish. Always look for specific cleaning and maintenance instructions when buying new or used furniture. Continue reading for cleaning how to clean wood furniture tips and maintenance advice for keeping wood furniture that has been around for a long time looking brand new.
How Often to Clean Wood Furniture
Spills of food and liquid should be cleaned up right away. Pooling liquid can warp and darken wood and cloud the finish. To keep dust buildup to a minimum, dust frequently, such as every few days or at least weekly. The minuscule particles that could scratch the surface will be removed by dusting. Once a month, polish your favorite piece of furniture to restore shine and smooth out small nicks or scratches.
The surface of wood furniture can become dull, cloudy, or dark from using too much polish or wax. The frequency of furniture polishing will determine when a deeper cleaning is required. There are two approaches that work. If the kinder approach of using a tea solution doesn't work, move on to the more potent approach of using mineral spirits.
How to Clean Wood Furniture
The best way to ensure that your wooden furniture lasts for a long time and can be handed down to your children and grandchildren in the future is to keep it clean. Therefore, to keep your wood furniture in top condition, we've discovered a variety of ways to clean it and even found ways to prevent further damage.
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Step 1: Prepare the Cleaner
Combine equal parts olive oil, denatured alcohol, gum turpentine, and strained lemon juice to restore scuffed wood furniture.
Step 2: Apply and Buff
Apply with a soft cloth, then polish off with a fresh one.
Step 3: Remove Sticky Spots
It might be necessary to clean sticky stains with soap and water. To do this, soak a lint-free cloth in a solution of mild soap or detergent and water before wiping the affected area. Rinse, then quickly pat dry with a soft, clean cloth.
How To Clean Grime Off Wood Furniture
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Step 1: Dust your furniture
Wipe the surface with a clean, dry cloth that has been dampened with some water (ideally, a microfiber cloth that won't scratch). Dust will be attracted to the moisture, but take care not to soak the wood.
Step 2: Use mineral spirits
Mineral spirits should be liberally applied to a different clean, dry cloth. Soak the wood, taking care not to use too much.
Step 3: Wipe the surface
Going in the direction of the grain, wipe the wood surface with the cloth, paying special attention to any particularly grimy areas. Right away, the dirt should begin to lift.
Step 4: Clean off the residue
Utilizing the same clean, slightly damp cloth from step 1, remove any mineral spirit residue. The size of the furniture will determine how many times you need to try this.
Step 5: Wipe away moisture
Use a clean, dry cloth to quickly wipe away any moisture. It's crucial not to leave any moisture on the surface.
Step 6: Polish and buff
This step is more of a precaution than a necessary step. Use a cheesecloth to apply wax polish while rubbing against the grain. Buff it thoroughly.
How to Clean Mold Off Wood Furniture
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Step 1: Vacuum and Clean
To collect loose spores, use a vacuum with a soft brush attachment. Then, wipe the area with a cloth that has been dipped in mild soap or detergent that has been dissolved in water and nearly dried.
Step 2: Rinse, Dry, and Protect
Rinse, then quickly pat dry with a soft, clean cloth. Apply furniture paste wax using the instructions above to protect the finish.
How to Repair Surface Scratches on Wood Furniture
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Step 1: Wax Surface
Apply paste wax or fill in the scratch with a felt-tip touch-up pen if the top of your piece has a small scrape
Step 2: Treat Deep Scratches
Utilize colored filler wax sticks or wood filler, both of which are sold in hardware and home improvement stores. Apply the color in several thin layers rather than one thick one, matching it as closely as you can to the color of your piece.
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FurnitureHow to Remove Different Stains on Wood Furniture
We have all experienced mishaps on our wooden tables, television consoles, or side tables due to either forgetting to use a coaster for the Nth time or children doing messy art projects that didn't quite stay on the paper. Therefore, we've gathered some advice on removing the water stains and dried glue on your lovely wood pieces.
Water Rings
Water rings or marks left by wet glasses and cups are common problems on wood tables or surfaces. If possible, treat them as soon as possible. There are two methods to try before you decide to refinish the entire piece.
Rub some olive oil or mayonnaise into the whitened area of the wood. Allow it to sit for one hour and then buff away.
Place some non-gel toothpaste on a soft cloth and rub the water ring until it disappears. Wipe away the toothpaste residue with a damp cloth and buff the wood surface with a soft, dry cloth.
Ink Marks
Gently rub the stained area with a soft, damp cloth dipped in some dry baking soda until the stain is removed. Any baking soda residue should be removed with a clean, damp cloth before drying with a soft cloth.
Use wood polish to restore the finish's shine, as baking soda may have slightly dulled it.
Stickers or Glue Residue
Use the edge of a credit card or a plastic scraper to get rid of as much of the sticky residue as you can. Rub the stained area with a soft cloth and a dab of mineral or olive oil. As the residue is transferred, move to a clean cloth area and, if necessary, reapply more oil.
To complete, apply some wood polish to the entire surface of the wood to even out the sheen.
Why Wood Furniture is Making a Trend Comeback
It's the ideal time to return to the bare wood furniture roots and give that old wood a lustrous shine, because traditional furniture styles are currently hugely popular in interior design.
Over the past 10 years, farmhouse decor has been all about worn, weathered, reclaimed wood or distressed, chalk-painted furniture.
Even in interior design, every action has an equal but opposite reaction. The rich, lustrous furniture in the traditional aesthetic is, of course, the response to the farmhouse craze, as time always tells with the ebb and flow of what's "in style."
3 Pieces of Wood Furniture You'll Want to Keep Clean
Wood furniture can be found in everything from traditional to modern styles (along with the more niche design styles). When decorating your home, from the living room and dining room to the bedroom and office, we at BlvdHome want to make sure you have many options. Check out some of the items we chose to finish your look at home.
Best Living Room Wood Furniture: Classic Home Arden Black/Brown Round Coffee Table
This sculpture-like transitional table from Classic Home is ideal for you and your home if you enjoy visiting art museums. Your coffee table will stand out because it is handcrafted solely from solid walnut veneer wood with black and brown finishes to highlight the wood grain. Add unique furnishings to this table, such as abstract vases and artwork, a stack of books, and candles, to complete its artistic theme.
Best Dining Room Wood Furniture: A-America® Henderson Dark Brown Trestle Dining Table
This Henderson collection trestle dining table from A-America keeps things elegant yet casual. In contrast to a rectangular table's sharp edges, this wooden table's simple, smooth lines and rounded edges will prevent painful bumps into the table. It has a Muscavado brown finish. The best part is that this trestle table has a leaf that can be removed and an arch piece of wood connecting the legs. This implies that you can have a private, romantic evening for two while seated across from one another. Alternately, make room at the table for large family gatherings by grabbing your extra A-America Henderson chairs for grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Best TV Wood Furniture: Aspenhome® Alder Grove Brindle 97" Console
A family movie night on your big screen on this 97" wooden console from Aspenhome can be the perfect way to cap off the evening after dinner. With its brown color and brindle finish, which accentuates the wood grain, this rustic style console is earthy-chic and conjures up images of grassy hills and country roads. This wood console can withstand being bumped into by roughhousing children or jumping on by ecstatic pets trying to get a better look at the squirrel on the screen, thanks to its Dado construction. And if you have a game console, you can easily connect it to your TV by slipping the cord through the back of it while keeping your games, sound system, DVDs, and other items on the 11 shelves.
Wood Furniture Care Tips
Even furniture made of the highest quality wood can develop odors and kinks. Fortunately, there are a few simple ways to maintain wood furniture.
- If a vintage item still has an odor, let it air outside on a warm, dry day. (Protect the wood furniture from direct sunlight.)
- To remove odors, sprinkle baking soda or talcum powder on the surface.
- Put charcoal briquettes in a shallow pan inside the drawers.
- Rub the upper edge of a white candle over stuck drawers.
When you visit BlvdHome, we have a huge selection of brands, styles, and different types of furniture for your bedroom, office, and home décor to add the finishing touches. But we do more than just sell; we also want to ensure that you take home furniture that will sparkle for as long as possible. To that end, we provide guidance on furniture upkeep, such as how to clean wood furniture so you can get the most out of your pieces.
FAQs
Look at some of the questions we've gotten from BlvdHome customers if you are thinking about buying wood furniture.
How do I get the musty smell out of the drawers?
Charcoal bags are fantastic at eliminating unpleasant furniture odors of all kinds. Put one in a drawer and let it work for you for a few days. You could also try putting some dryer sheets and baking soda in a drawer.
What is an alternative wood furniture cleaner?
Spray your wood furniture with a mixture of 4 parts water, 1 part vinegar, and 1 part olive oil, and then dry with a fresh cloth.
Why Trust BlvdHome?
The roots of this family business began as early as the pioneer settlement of Southern Utah. One descendant of those 1861 pioneers was Lester Wittwer. In 1928, he started a trucking business with other family members, delivering homegrown fruits and vegetables to many outlying areas. The story of BlvdHome began in 1974, when Lester's son Tony decided to venture off into the furniture world - with two full-time employees and a small showroom of only 8,000 square feet. Today, BlvdHome has 4 retail locations with over 160,000 sq. ft. of showroom space, located in St. George, Utah, Hurricane, Utah, Cedar City, Utah, Mesquite, Nevada, and a new Las Vegas store coming soon. With over 230 amazing team members, Blvd Homes continues to deliver on a commitment to customer service that started over 90 years ago.
Shop Wood Furniture at BlvdHome
At BlvdHome, we provide quality name-brand appliances, furniture, and mattresses for great prices. Shop furniture online or visit us today at one of our locations in Utah or Nevada. In the meantime, browse our website to shop BlvdHome Bargain Barn and check out our flooring selections to increase your home value. More available than ever, our experts at BlvdHome are always happy to help you learn more about how to clean wood furniture, whether you call us or use our online chat feature. Contact us today!
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