How to Care For Wood Furniture

By Dan Keech

Cleaning wood furniture can be tricky. You have to worry about streaks, chemicals that eat through the finish, things that contain both wood and fabric, etc. There are ways to make it easier. Be sure to use a very clean damp, cloth. Apply lemon oil to keep the wood from drying out. And avoid furniture polish because it leaves a dull coating on the wood.

Water and wood do not always get along. Standing water can ruin wood floors. Damp, dirty rags can leave streaks on wood. And many chemicals, even those diluted with water, can ruin the finish of wood furniture. Wiping down furniture should be part of regular maintenance when it comes time to clean the room it is in. Be sure to do it often and be careful how you do it. Use a very clean cloth. A reusable rag can work but sometimes the best bet is to use a heavy paper towel to be sure it will be clean enough. If there is any dirt in the rag it can leave streaks that will make even clean wood furniture looking dirty.

Occasionally use a bit of lemon oil on wood furniture to keep it from drying out. Wood looks best right after it is oiled. Do this with all wood including cabinets, china cabinets, wood coffee tables, everything. Just dampen the rag or paper towel with the oil and apply that to all wood surfaces. Even if this gets on fabric, a bit of lemon oil will not ruin furniture. Do this every few months and wood will look new and the lemon has the added benefit of making the house smell clean.

Oil may be good for furniture but regularly using polish is not. Furniture polish leaves a dull coating on wood. Over time this will make the wood look more faded. It will just look older and worn out. Wood furniture can be expensive, especially rarer woods like mahogany, cherry, teak. Do not let thousands of dollars go to waste by using polishes when all they need is a bit of oil. Old English and other oils are great but polishes are better left for bowling alleys.

Wood furniture looks great and can be very expensive. Keep it looking new for years so you don't have to get it professionally cleaned or worse, replaced. Remember to wipe down wood furniture regularly with a clean, damp rag. Use lemon oils like Old English on anything wood, not furniture polish. Polishes may look good in the short term. But over time they will leave a dull coating that oil does not. If you take care of your wood furniture it can look great for years, even generations.

Dan Keech is a carpet cleaner in Raleigh, NC. He writes regularly for his own blog at http://www.fibercleanonline.com/blog.