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Furniture Stripping, Refinishing, Restoration and Wood Care. West Interior Services P.O. Box 540 Natrona Heights, PA 15065 Phone: 724-224-2215 Fax: 724-226-3233 Wood Care Tips Proper Polishing Sunlight Damage Water Marks Scratches and Scrapes Mold and Mildew Go with the Grain Proper Polishing Proper polishing of real wood furniture is very important to prolong the life of the furniture. Wood needs to have its natural moisture replenished to prevent the wood from prematurely drying out. A polish containing real lemon oil is the best thing for treating your fine wood furniture. Make sure that the polish contains real lemon oil, not just a lemon fragrance. Always polish with a soft white cloth. Polish in the direction of the grain of the wood. Avoid using any polishes that contain alcohol or silicone. Alcohol can have a drying effect on the wood and silicone can often leave a smeared appearance. If your wood furniture is already coated with a high build-up of old polish or wax, you need to remove this first before applying fresh lemon oil polish. The old polish and wax can be removed by using a furniture cleaner designed for this purpose. Furniture cleaners and good lemon oil polishes are readily available at most major hardware stores. Call our office if you need a recommendation or supply source. Sunlight Damage Try to avoid putting your wood furniture in direct sunlight. Sunlight can fade the color of the finish. It can also dry the wood out and cause cracks, loose joints or delamination of veneers. Window blinds or drapes should be used as necessary to prevent direct sunlight contact with your wood furniture. Water Marks White water rings and water spots can sometimes result on table tops from moisture or condensation of beverage glasses. These water rings can usually be easily removed without damage to the finish, especially when they are removed shortly after they occur. Alcohol (also know as shellac thinner) can be applied to the water ring area using a soft, white cotton cloth. Apply the alcohol in the direction of the grain keeping it confined to the water ring area. The alcohol will displace the water and the ring should disappear. After using the alcohol it may be necessary to apply a light coat of lemon oil polish for a uniform sheen appearance. Please use caution while working with the alcohol. It is a flammable liquid and should not be used near any open flame or spark source. Also, you should pre-test the furniture in an out of the way area of the furniture to make sure that the alcohol does not harm the existing wood finish. Alcohol should not harm any finish other than shellac. If you see any harmful outcome in your test area, then do not use this technique on the water ring. Scratches and Scrapes Damages to finished wood top surfaces are often caused by the decorative accessories found around our homes. This can include lamps, knick knacks, vases, figurines and all of the other items that we place on top of our wood furniture. Damages caused by these items can sometimes be extensive and costly to repair. It often might result in the total refinishing of the top surface. Prevention of these damages is a more logical and cost effective solution. Felt discs and felt strips are readily available in several shapes and sizes at your local paint stores, hardware stores and home centers. They come in various colors and they usually have a self-adhesive backing. We strongly recommend that you look at all of the items around your home for the potential for surface damages. Even some items with flat bottoms, such as porcelain vases or porcelain figurines, might look like they will not cause any damage but can cause some slight abrasions over a period of time. These items are all candidates for protective felt discs. Please take the time to look around your home for these potential damage causing items. Almost every home has some form or another of these items that can damage your finished wood top surfaces. Remember! Prevention is much less expensive than correction. Mold and Mildew Mold and mildew growth and odor can be a tremendous problem on wood furnishings. The odor can usually be detected all over but the actual growth is usually on the inside and underside of furnishings. One method for elimination of this problem is to wipe down the interior, bottoms or other unfinished areas with a mild solution of chlorine bleach in water. If cleaning is also necessary, you can add a few drops of liquid dish detergent to the cleaning solution. The chlorine bleach should be used at a rate of 1 tablespoon to a quart of water. Remember not to drip the bleach on any of the finished wood surfaces. The finished areas should be cleaned with a wood cleaner (available at any paint store or home center) and then, if possible, the finished wood item should be left in direct sunlight to dry. You should only leave it in the sunlight for a few hours at the most. Sunlight can be a natural oxidizer and will have a positive effect on killing the source of the mold/mildew odor. Remember, this should only be performed after all the other mildew elimination services listed above have been performed. Go with the Grain Any work performed on wood, involving any type of physical or mechanical action, should always be performed in the direction of the grain. On finished woodwork, even such simple tasks as polishing the wood should be done in the direction of the grain. Polishing across the grain, over a period of time, can possibly result in very fine surface scratches that become detectable from working across the grain of the wood. Unfinished wood should be sanded in the direction of the grain. Sanding across the grain, even with very fine finishing paper, can cause slight surface scratches to appear after the wood has been stained and finished. 1207 Route 908 at the blinking light, Fawn Township Toll Free: 1-800-860-8815 Furniture Stripping, Refinishing, Restoration and Wood Care.