FURNITURE CARE
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE ON HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR FURNITURE
While nothing lasts forever, with the proper care and maintenance your new pieces may last a long time. We all have those special pieces of furniture that are special to us, maybe something that has been in the family passed on from generation to generation. Whether you have just been given a vintage piece or purchase something with archdekor, you will want to follow a few guidelines to ensure the longevity of your possessions. This ultimate furniture care guideline, we outline practical tips, and advice on: stain removal, moving furniture, how to take care of your stones, and much more. Read this section if you need advice from a family of all architects, that also own a furniture manufacturing in the Dominican Republic. Over the course of our careers we have learned, how to repair common problems, we will advise you on how to keep your furniture in beautiful condition. With regular care and attention, your wooden or fabric furniture can avoid the need for repairs and look its best for years of enjoyments.
TO PROTECT YOUR FAVORITE PIECES, FOLLOW THESE HELPFUL CLEANING CARE TIPS:
GENERAL TIPS:
Keep furniture out of direct sunlight
Sunlight can cause discoloration: UV rays will fade and damage leather, wood, and fabric items. Try to position your furniture away from sunlight, if you have a lot of windows or you cannot avoid this, get drapes and/or window treatments.
Odors: I know we just recommended you keep your furniture away from the sunlight, however if well protect, letting your furniture sit a few days outside on a sunny day, can take care of odors. With the doors and drawers pulled out. Another remedy for odors is spray it with a 1:1 solution of water and vinegar. Whichever method you use, consider spray your furniture with essential oils afterwards, some oils we recommend are: lavender oil, rosemary oil, cedar oil (one of our personal favorites) and tea tree oil.
Clean with soap and water: A damp cloth and mild dish soap are usually all you need to clean furniture, after rinse with a soap-free, damp cloth, then use a third and dry washcloth. Avoid using household cleaners that have ammonia, as this can damage wood furniture.
Flip the cushion: We have all done this most likely, this does not take care of the problem, but it does help to evenly distribute the wear and tear, and provides a temporary solution for that favorite spot we all have in our spaces.
Be careful with chemicals: household cleaners are great for kitchens and bathrooms. However, when it comes to furniture, we recommend against them, as mention in the clean with soap and water section, avoid any household cleaner with ammonia. Cleaners can have strange reactions with fabric, natural fibers, and wood furniture, if the damage is deep and too late to clean with water and vinegar, hire a pro to help you with this.
Ink spots: Inks are water based, if the ink stain has penetrated the wood, strip the surface and add a mix of household bleach and lemon juice, use a brush to apply this, then neutralize with a solution of white vinegar and water, let it dry, and repeat if needed, after this, stain your furniture to the original stain tone, unless you would like a different stain.
Polish furniture after cleaning: Every time you clean your furniture, layers of polish start coming off, make sure, whatever you are using to clean it does not contain alcohol. After a while, polish can bring back the shine and protect the surface.
Dust your furniture: Constantly dusting your furniture protects from dirt-build-up, use a lint-free cloth or brush to dust your furniture.
Use coasters for glasses: this is an old tip, that most of us apply in our homes, always use coasters or cork to place your glasses on surfaces to avoid water rings, never let water stand on the surface of your wooden furniture.
Use mitts for hot dishes: Before placing a hot dish on a surface, place a mitt, placing hot dishes on stone surfaces and wood surfaces can create burn marks or stains.
Protection from pets: We all love our pets, some of the though like to scratch or bite furniture, if this is the case with yours, make sure to protect your furniture with a fiber tablecloth, chair cover or protective pad to prevent damage or accidental scratches.
Do not place coffee makes under upper cabinets: The steam from the coffeemaker can stain the bottom of the upper cabinet, instead place the coffeemaker on open areas or kitchen island.
Moisture damage: not using coasters, mitts or protecting your furniture from steam, can cause dreaded ring or stains. Take precaution to avoid this, if you furniture has any kind of this stains must be treated ASAP.
Follow these care tips to help prevent moisture or dryness from damaging your furniture:
➔ Sprinkle the spot with 4F pumice powder or baby powder and leave it on for a few hours to draw out the moisture.
➔ For superficial spots place a double layered fabric on the spot, next tap with a warm dry iron, after this if the mark is still visible, use a good polish or wax and treat it by rubbing the surface.
➔ For dark spots, try solvents such as paint thinner or alcohol, if this does not work us superfine (0000) steel wool. Apply polish or wax to protect your piece of furniture.
➔ For severe spots, you will have to strip and sand the spot, this alone may resolve the problem, if not try a solvent, then repair the finish and stain the finish.
➔ Avoid placing wood furniture near bathrooms or laundry areas.
➔ Maintain a consistent temperature in your home.
➔ Protect your surfaces from water.
➔ Do not allow your home to get to dry, dry areas can cause furniture to shrink.
➔ Do not allow moisture to get trapped between wood and glass.
➔ Make sure the surface is completely dry before placing a glass back after cleaning or if you are replacing a glass piece.
Worms and Insect damage.
Another problem that may damage your furniture are worm and insects, they cause the wood to become porous and dry, thus more susceptible and fragile to moisture. To prevent this, keep furniture in a dry a spot as possible and inspect for new holes periodically, especially with antique furniture. If you need to repair this, instead of spraying the piece, apply furniture-worm insecticide on the holes, but do not spray it, use a thin-needled syringe, every 10 inches is good enough, it does not have to go into every hole. Leave the piece overnight, as mentioned before check regularly for holes, and place cedar blocks inside to prevent new infestations. If your problems are termites, then your furniture is the least of your worries, because this means your entire house has termites and you need to call a professional to remedy this immediately.