How to maintain wooden furniture

Every day, furniture is subjected to many stresses and strains: stains, dust, dirt, impacts... You need to maintain it regularly to prevent it from deteriorating. Mobilier de France is here to give you valuable advice on cleaning wood and maintaining your furniture.

Cabinet wood, also known as noble or precious wood, comes from temperate and tropical regions around the globe. These noble or exotic species fall into four categories: hardwoods, softwoods, fruit woods and softwoods:

To clean the wood of a piece of furniture, you need to know its type of finish. There are three types: waxed, lacquered and varnished wood:

- Wax can be colorless or tinted. One of its functions is to nourish the wood, while giving it a shiny appearance after polishing.

It offers good resistance to the aggressions to which furniture is subject, and is perfectly suited to furniture in antique, authentic, rustic or traditional styles.

Cleaning waxed wood is relatively simple, but cleaning must be regular in order to preserve the shine of the material.

Wax is most often presented in paste form. On the whole, waxing old wood enhances its appearance and lasts over time.

- Lacquered furniture is characterized by its smooth, flat, shiny surfaces. Lacquer is made from a vegetable resin.

This type of furniture reflects light. Applying lacquer enhances the aesthetic dimension of a piece of furniture. The material beneath the resin layer is properly protected, but the surface remains exposed to scratches.

Although lacquers, waxes and varnishes protect the furniture to which they are applied, it is important to clean and maintain the wood to extend its life, prevent soiling and preserve its shine despite time and wear. Each type of finish has its own constraints and advantages

- Since lacquered furniture is protected but fragile, care must be taken when cleaning the wood. Choose mild cleaning products and avoid acidic substances. You should also avoid abrasive sponges to limit the risk of scratching. To clean wood, wipe in circular motions with a damp cloth, then dry with a dry cloth. To hide scratches, use a wax crayon or felt-tip pen in the same color as the surface.

- For waxed furniture, first dust the surface with a microfiber cloth to avoid leaving marks. On a day-to-day basis, you can maintain your furniture with a damp cloth, but avoid oil, which tends to dull the color of the wood. Apply a maintenance product specifically designed to clean wood, once a year. You can apply a coat of wax at the same frequency, once a year, but no more, to avoid clogging the surface. Cleaning waxed wood to remove a stain requires the use of a stain remover, but take care not to pour the product directly onto the surface, but to soak a cloth in it.

- Cleaning varnished wood is very easy, especially as varnish is usually applied to wood species treated against humidity. You can use a soft cloth to maintain the furniture, but avoid abrasive cloths and harsh chemicals. To remove stains, avoid using stain removers that can attack varnish. Instead, soak a cloth in a mixture of turpentine and linseed oil.