Tips For Looking After Your Antique Furniture

Looking after your antique furniture is easy with these 5 quick tips from Moonee Ponds Antiques, Melbourne.

1. Cleaning dirty surfaces
To clean the surface of your wood furniture, just wet a cloth with water and squeeze it out until it's just damp to the touch. Wipe with the direction of the grain of the timber. Once you're done, dry off any residual moisture with a soft dry cloth and you're done. Never leave a damp or wet cloth on top of your furniture for extended periods.

2. The best way to protect a surface from heat marks
Use thick placemats and coasters with a cork base. They are cost effective, and cork is a great material for preventing heat transfer to the furniture's surface. They also work great for stopping condensation marks from a cold drink glass.

3. Restoring that beautiful lustre
Applying a beeswax polish to wooden furniture will enhance its natural beauty and provide a protective film which helps aid against abrasion.

4. Keep dust off your furniture
Use a microfiber cloth to catch the dust instead of a linen cloth which will only move the dust around.

5. Keep your Furniture away from direct sunlight
The temperature from an uncovered window with direct sunlight will cook fine finishes, fading and destroying them over time. This can also lead to drying and shrinking of the wood, which can cause cracks. If your furniture is placed near a window with direct sunlight, be sure to use curtains or blinds to protect it.