How to Properly Dust Wood Furniture

Protect Your Investment. Care for Your Furniture.

Wood and laminate furniture can represent a significant investment. Furniture needs regular and proper care to maintain its beauty. Most wood furniture is finished with a fine lacquer or varnish. It has a sheen or gloss ranging from high to low, depending on the finishing specifications selected. The finish enhances and protects the beauty of the wood. While no finish is totally indestructible, regular care will help it last much longer, providing years of satisfaction and enjoyment.

Which Materials Should You Use?

Dusting your wood furniture is possibly one of the most important things you can do, but doing it wrong can cause small scratches on the surface of your wood, which will become more noticeable over time. The cloth you use should be polish-treated, soft, clean, and lint free. Using fine furniture polish with a gentle cloth is the best way to avoid unwanted surface scratches.

Choosing the right furniture polish is crucial in caring for wood furniture. Fine furniture polish helps wood furniture last longer, but there are a couple common ingredients found in furniture polish that can have the opposite effect.

Which Ingredients Should You Avoid?

One common ingredient that should be avoided is wax. Regular use of wax polishes may result in the build-up of wax film on the surface of the furniture. This build-up may then pick up dirt, smoke and other pollutants in the air, which may result in smudges and streaks. This can cause the finish to soften, requiring expensive refinishing work. Wax build-up over time hardens, making it difficult to remove from the furniture’s finish.

Silicon oil is another ingredient that should be avoided. It’s used by many furniture polish makers to create a high degree of shine, but it comes at a price. Silicone seeps into even the most lacquered finishes, making it difficult to remove. Should it become necessary to refinish a piece of furniture, silicone makes it very difficult process, even for a professional refinisher.

Don’t Use Too Much.

It’s also imperative to be careful with the amount of furniture polish you use when dusting. After applying the polish, make sure to buff it out until the surface is completely dry, otherwise it can seep into the wood, causing damage.

Make Your Furniture Last Longer.

Properly dusting your furniture might seem tedious, but it is the best way to make it last through daily use for years and can prevent the need of future repairs, saving you a lot of time and money in the long run.