Wipe On, Wipe Off- How to Clean Wood Furniture

You've made the investment in your home and purchased real wood furniture, no more will you have to worry about a single ding in a particle board top bringing down your entire piece- but now what? How do you care for it? How do you clean it? What if the unthinkable happens and those tiny moisture droplets sink into your beautifully finished top and leaves a WHITE RING??? Don't worry, we have you covered and are going to discuss how to care for your furniture and how to deal with many of the tragedies that might befall your furniture- because life happens and wood furniture is for REAL life!

Dusting 

Let's start with the basics; dust your wood furniture WITH the grain regularly using a microfiber or cotton cloth. Dusting with the grain helps you to eliminate the possibility of dust or dirt streaking your wood surface. Allowing dust and dirt to build up increases your chance of scratches occurring when moving items along the surface. While we all know NO ONE likes dusting, it does help to keep wood furniture scratch-free. You can find microfiber cloths by following our affiliate link here.  

Cleaning

For many items the occasional dust and polish might be enough, but let's talk about how to clean those everyday items such as your kitchen table. For items such as tables (and my in house; the coffee table), clean your furniture with a mild detergent and a damp soft sponge. No need to drown your piece in water, in fact, using too much water can lead to discoloration, warping, swelling or cracking. So when using water on your wood furniture remember Mr. Miyagi's words, amended to be, "wipe on, wipe off".  Follow these affiliate links for both sponges and mild detergents. 

Polishing

Now let's talk about polishes. There are many products marketed as "good" for wood furniture, but unfortunately that is not always the case. My first recommendation would simply be to stay away from chemical laden products, but here is a list of ingredients to steer clear of. 

What you DON'T want in your wood furniture polishes/cleaners:

• ammonia
• acidic DIY solutions that include vinegar or lemon juice
• acetone or nail polish remover
• bleach (yes, that means no bleach wipes)
• alcohol
• oil, silicone, or wax based products- you items are already sealed and these will only serve to collect dust, dirt and grime and build up to look dingy over time

I know that's quite the list, so what DO we recommend?  We use Method Wood Polish and microfiber cloths about once a month to give our furniture a little shine. You can follow the affiliate links for both the polish and cloths. Once again it is good practice to polish with the grain of your wood surface to help prevent scratching.

Life Happened- Now What?

So there you have it, cleaning and maintaining your wood furniture doesn't have to be a chore or a mystery! With these quick and easy steps your wood furniture will be like new for years to come!