We are more than half way through spring and Christmas is fast approaching! We all know what this means, time to give the house one thorough clean and polish before we can go out and enjoy another beautiful Brisbane summer, but what are the best techniques to keep your timber furniture looking fabulous.
Here are our favourite timber tips:-
Cleaning Product Selection
Make sure you are using the right products on your timber furniture. Never use harsh products like, bleach, ammonia or jiff when cleaning your timber furniture.
Abrasive products are sure to leave scratches in your timber polish and alkaline products will just leave you with no polish at all!
A duster and damp soapy cloth is all you need to clean your timber furniture.
Timber Polish
It's a great idea to polish your timber once a year to restore moisture and shine to the timber but be prepared for a bit of elbow grease.
A quality timber bees wax will help restore your polished timber furniture. Apply with a soft lint free cloth in the direction of the grain and ensure to continue polishing until all the wax has been completely absorbed to ensure no milky residue is left behind.
A timber oil can be used to preserve your outdoor furniture for years to come.
Removing Sticky Marks
All parents have experienced the delight of finding stickers plastered all over the timber furniture! Sometimes these can be easily removed others can leave a nasty sticky residue.
To remove the residue without effecting your timber polish use a small amount of tea tree oil on a cotton bud and gently rub over the residue. The tea tree oil will help dissolve the residue and wipe with a clean cloth to remove the remnants. If your first attempt doesn't remove it all then repeat the process until all the residue has been gently removed.
White Cup Rings
Finding white cup rings on your furniture can be horrifying but taking advice from the team at "This Old House" http://www.thisoldhouse.com/how-to/how-to-fix-furniture-finish it seems moisture rings are not as big a deal as we all think.
Using a clean cloth with a light misting of Mentholated Spirits gently work over the surface until the white ring disappears. Ensure to be very careful with the amount of product you use to ensure you do not dull the polish.
Heat Damage
Similar to the white cup rings finding heat damage to your timber furniture can be devastating as we recently found out. And unfortunately repairing this damage can be a lot harder.
For only minor damage as seen in our before and after pictures below we were able to repair the surface with an application of quality bee's wax worked into the surface however for more extensive damage you may need to consult a restoration specialist or have the piece refinished.
We hope these tips have your timber furniture look great for the festive season and another year to come.