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General Care
1. The ideal condition for furniture is a stable atmosphere with relative humidity fluctuations of 40 to 70 percent, and a temperature from 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. DUST frequently. The best cloth to use to clean and polish is soft cotton (or cotton blend) that has been washed several times to remove lint. Old diapers, T-shirts, flannel, or cheesecloth are some of the best. A damp clean cloth is all that is needed. Start in a different room each time for more uniform furniture care.
3. CLEAN up spills immediately. Blot the spill rather than wiping.
4. POLISHING. Never use water to clean any type of wood! Instead, use a “lemon polish” (which doesn't contain silicone) available at your local supermarket. This type of polish contains cleaners capable of removing most household soils, and also deposits a wax finish on the surface, which produces a pleasing shine. Furniture does not need to be polished as often as most polish makers would like you to think.Over-polishing is the main cause of damaged finishes. We recommend polishing your furniture approximately every six months, using a clean, soft, lint-free cloth.
5. CORRECT environmental conditions will add longevity to the life of fine furniture. Avoid placing your furniture in the direct sunlight because it has a bleaching effect on wood and finishes. Also, avoid extremes in room humidity and temperature. Too high or too low humidity can cause wood to warp and/or split, or the glue used in applying veneers to loosen. Arrange furniture away from radiators, registers, and air conditioning units.
6. ROTATE your accessories on the furniture so they do not sit in the same spot all of the time.
7. DO NOT place plastic or rubber objects, hot dishes, beverages, book-ends, flower pots, or vases on a wood finish--their ingredients may cause residue or soften the finish. Instead, use pads, cloth, or felt to protect the surface.
8. To prevent water rings, always make coasters easily accessible. We recommend using one made of wood that is felt or cork underneath and has an absorbent material to rest the glass on.
Maintenance and Repair
Please note that some of these care tips are best performed by a trained furniture technician:
• In most instances, you may maintain your furniture by simply dusting and rubbing it with a clean and dry soft cloth. Please do not use sprays of any kind. Dust often to remove everyday abrasive particles from wood surfaces.
• Removing stains from glass: Pour 3 parts vinegar and 1 part ammonia onto the stained area and let stand for 30 minutes to overnight, depending on the severity of the stain. Wash off with soap and water followed by glass cleaner.
• Removing wet rings from a finished surface: Clean the area with Murphy's oil soap and water; use terry cloth or a t-shirt and dampen it lightly with denatured alcohol. Pass the dampened cloth across the area, using light, quick strokes. #0000 Steel wool and lemon oil or wool lube should remove white spots and rings from units that have a stain or dull sheen.
• Waxy build-up: Use a soft rag or #0000 steel wool.
• Light scratches and scrapes: Clean the surface with mineral spirits; lightly apply lacquer with a soft cloth in the direction of the grain; avoid over padding as this could cause the finish to dull.
• Sticky drawers: Rub Briwax or any other paste wax on the drawer and the wood it rides on.
• Removing musty odor: Use a spray bottle or denatured alcohol or another microbial spray. Allow drying for one week. Surface scratches: Use rubbing compound or buffing paste followed up with cream polish.
• Please be very careful or contact your professional furniture restoration to reassemble your furniture. We strongly advise this, due to the natural tendency of our hardwoods to shrink or expand.
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FURNITURE CARE
Wood is an organic substance, and each species of wood has individual characteristics such as color, texture, and aromatic essence.
The best quality wood comes from old-growth trees. Old timber is harder, more dense, and more stable than wood from young trees.
It also tends to have fewer knots and structural defects.
However, old-growth timber usually comes from ancient forests – a precious and threatened resource.
Humidity, Heat, and Hardwoods
Water is the major contributor to the weight of hardwoods.
BENEFINDO use kiln dries to carefully dry the hardwoods before our artisans begin transforming them into works of art.
The hardwoods that comprise our furniture continue to exchange moisture with the air, shrinking and expanding in response to changes in relative humidity.
As with your own skin, solid hardwood furniture's natural response to extremely dry air is to lose moisture and shrink a bit.
Furniture pieces may part slightly, or a few tiny openings may appear on a solid wood surface.
These characteristics will correct themselves as the relative humidity rises, and the wood absorbs enough moisture to expand slightly.
To properly acclimate to different environments, there must be enough moisture for the furniture to achieve its sustainable relative humidity.
This is easy to do, but it requires understanding of these precious woods and their respectful care. On the other hand, your home's relative humidity
may become too high, and parts of your hardwood furniture may absorb excess moisture from the air and expand, perhaps causing drawers to stick.
Once again, this will correct itself as your home's relative humidity decreases. The furniture's quality and sturdiness are not affected by these natural changes.
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