Dealing with and caring for antique furniture can be both a blessing and a burden; whilst you get to care for a piece of history and refined art, at the same time caring for these pieces is not always the easiest of tasks. It’s due to the complexity of looking after these antiques that we’ve decided to guide you in how to care for your antique wooden furniture. So for information on how to store, clean, and polish wooden antiques; look no further.

 

Storing Antique Wooden Furniture

One of the first things that you must ensure when storing wooden furniture that you may wish to sell at a later date is that ti isn’t stored in direct sunlight. If you’re going to store your antique wooden furniture in a room that has a light of natural light, you should cover your furniture with a cotton sheet to prevent the wood from being marred by the UV light.

 

You should also attempt to store your wood in a room that is neither too damp nor too dry. If there is too much humidity in the air your wooden furniture may begin to rot which will decrease the value; it’s also difficult to stop the process of decay once it has begun. A room with not enough moisture in the air will cause the antique wood to begin to crack as well as displacing glue.

 

The temperature of the room can have a massive impact upon the condition of the antique wood and should be monitored carefully a room that becomes too cold can cause the wood to expand and contract which will also lead to cracking. Severe expansion and contraction can cause the wood to become displaced and will lead to the varnish becoming stressed, the joints loosening and the shape of the antique can sometimes distort due to severe fluctuations in temperature.

 

Cleaning and Polishing Antique Wooden Furniture

There are many different oils and waxes on the market that are available for you to use on your antique furniture; however using oil on antique wood can attract dust and dirt which will cause the wood to degrade much faster. Rather than using oil, we advise that you use a good quality oil on your antique wood, such as carnauba or another high quality wax – when using wax you must buff the surface of the wood until no streaks or smears remain to achieve the best protection for your antique wood.

 

Another method of cleaning wooden furniture is to dust it – there are two different ways in which you can dust antique wooden furniture without damaging it. If the wood is not particularly delicate but you wish to refrain from damaging ti you can use a soft cotton cloth to do so.

If the wood can be scratched particularly easily you may wish to use a very light feather duster as this will remove the dirt without damaging the surface of the wood.

 

There are many other ways in which you can actively care for your wooden furniture, although by following these simple steps you should find that the antique wood can care for itself the rest of the time. For more information on collecting or caring for antiques you can get in touch with us at Loveday Antiques; we’d be more than happy to help.