How to clean the wood furniture in your home

We love beautiful things, well-made and built to last, that really make a home. We’ve put together a few tips and suggestions to help you care for your new piece of wood furniture, so it will be with you for many, many years to come.

Everyday wooden furniture cleaning

1. When cleaning or dusting, always use a soft lint free clean dry cloth, ensuring there is no grit contained within the cloth.
2. If a more thorough clean is needed, occasionally wipe your furniture with a soft cloth dampened with a mild detergent solution.
3. Surfaces should then be thoroughly dried with a lint free cloth to prevent watermarks.

Tip: Never use any types of solvent-based or abrasive cleaning products or materials as these will score and damage the surface finish.

How to clean wood furniture without damaging the finish

If the surface of your furniture has a wax or oil finish, it is important to periodically treat this using a suitable furniture wax or oil. This will help to protect and hydrate the wood whilst maintaining the appearance and durability of the finish.

How to remove stains from wood furniture

If you have any spillages on the furniture’s surface, please remove them quickly, particularly for any strongly coloured liquids such as tea, coffee or red wine. Use a blotting action rather than a circular motion to soak up the liquid, then clean appropriately as required.

If your furniture becomes stained, scratched, chipped, or suffers other damage, we recommend professional help is sought to help restore it.

Tips for Caring for Your Real Wood Furniture

All our wood furniture is made from responsibly sourced timber. As a natural material, your furniture will naturally change colour over its lifetime due to light effects, but this is just part of the ageing process. To help slow this down, avoid placing your wood furniture in direct sunlight.

Please also ensure any objects or ornaments placed on furniture surfaces are re-arranged regularly to allow even ageing and prevent patches of discolouration.

Prevention Tips: What You Can Do

• As with all wooden furniture, an acceptable amount of movement may take place over time. Variations in humidity and temperature may cause the wood to shrink or swell. To help avoid this, do not place your furniture near to any heat sources (such as radiators or heaters) or in excessive areas of moisture (such air conditioning units or similar devices).
• Hot items should never be placed directly on the surface of the furniture. Even for any items which are warm or may generate heat, suitable protection should be used to prevent damaging your furniture.
• To prevent scratches, avoid placing sharp or abrasive objects on the surface of your furniture. Remember to always lift items when removing as dragging them across the surface may cause scratches.
• All fittings should be checked regularly and re-tightened as necessary.
• To maintain the easy sliding action of any drawers, a candle or a little beeswax can be rubbed on the runners to keep them operating smoothly.
• The finish of your furniture can become damaged from prolonged contact with certain rubber and PVC based products including exercise/ yoga balls, so please keep such items away from your furniture.
• If your furniture becomes stained, scratched, chipped, or suffers other damage, we recommend professional help is sought to help restore it.

When it First Arrives

Many items of furniture are very heavy and awkward to lift or move, so always ensure at least two people are available to help move such pieces. Please do not drag a piece of furniture as this will likely damage the furniture and your floor.

If you are positioning your furniture against a wall, always leave a gap of approximately 25mm between the wall and the back of your furniture. This will not only help with air flow around your furniture and but protect your walls from unnecessary marks.

For storage furniture, if the anti-tip strap and instructions are supplied, please ensure you follow the advice given and fit it securely.

Need some advice?

If you require any additional information, replacement parts or have any queries, please call our Customer Services team on 0333 200 1725 or email us at customercare@cotswoldco.com