Getting any furniture is a big and long-term investment. We don’t go furniture shopping every year; that is neither budget-friendly nor practical and not necessary either. People buy furniture in hopes that it will last. So, they tend to get a bit picky when buying them- we understand that. But like any object, you can’t just buy furniture and expect it to last for years without looking after them. Everything needs a bit of care if you want them to last. Furniture is no different. And with proper care, your furniture can last longer than you expected. Today we are going to discuss some basics about taking care of your furniture.
Move with care:
If your furniture is damaged then caring will not make them any better. And a large number of furniture are damaged because people were not careful while moving them. As a result, maybe the furniture gets a bump here, another bump against the door and it leaves a spot. A permanent spot and sometimes not only do they look ugly but they are also damaged beyond repair. The easiest way to deal with this is obvious- move your furniture with extra care. Some modern furniture is made with different curves and edges. Keep them in mind while moving them. Notice the joints and be careful not to put too much pressure on the narrow joints lest they should get broken. The best idea would be to wrap your furniture with pieces of hard paper or carton packs or wrapper so that they absorb all the bumps that might come their way. This leaves your furniture unharmed.
Cover up:
It is not uncommon for people to take a vacation every now and then. Or consider the Eid and other festivals when everyone takes a trip home. You will be gone for days or even weeks. Your house or apartment will be empty this whole time and dust, mites, insects and even small animals like cats might sneak into your house. These creatures and dust will make your furniture dirty and since you will not be at home to clean them up instantly, there is a chance that they might leave a mark. To avoid this inconvenience, you should always try to cover up the furniture whenever you are away from home. Not only will it protect these pieces from dust, but it will also make cleaning easier after you return.
Careful with liquids:
At HATIL, we use the best quality of wood when creating any furniture. The dry wood is coated with a lacquer finish which makes them long-lasting and gives them a dashing a sleek look. But even these can get an undesirable spot on them if you are not careful with liquids like- water and milk. The Dining sets that come with a glass tabletop are safer since glass will be more resistant to such marks and you can easily clean them with glass cleaner. But be careful with liquids and try to wipe the wet spots as soon as you can. That way you won’t have to worry about a permanent mark and your furniture will look clean and new.
Dust and Clean:
While it would be ideal to dust your furniture daily to keep them looking new, it is not entirely necessary. To be precise, it depends on where you live. For example, if your apartment is near a busy road and dust is a constant issue then you might need to dust every day. But dusting every two or three days should be enough. If you feel like dusting is not doing enough, you might want to clean the furniture with more effort. Deep cleaning should be done every week or every other week- depending on how dirty your pieces look. But how to clean them? For the glass tabletops or doors, use glass cleaner. They will work much better than a damp cloth. For the rest of the furniture, try cleaning them with a damp cloth. If they are overly dirty, you can use soap water. But we recommend using a cleaning agent- as long as they are light. Always remember to use soft cloths for cleaning. Avoid harsh rags or cloths that has a rough side like sandpaper. They will only damage the polish rather than cleaning the furniture. And remember- you should always wipe the furniture with a dry cloth after you have cleaned it to get rid of any excess water.
Clean the Ridges:
Modern furniture follows a rather minimalistic design that focuses more on solid shapes, yet ridges and grooves are added to give the furniture a personality. It’s even more common in furniture with heavy designs and a traditional tone. While cleaning, make sure to clean the ridges and grooves. If your washcloth can not reach them all, use a paintbrush or cotton swab to clean the grooves.
Mind the Humidity:
During the rainy season, it is very common to feel like your room has extra moisture and humidity- that’s because it does. The change in temperature and the rise of moisture in the air causes this feeling of dampness and it can be concerning for wooden furniture. As long as you have furniture of high-quality wood that’s engineered with modern technology and well-polished, you shouldn’t have to worry. Poorly made furniture will show signs of decline. This is why we recommend high-quality pieces made from HATIL. Of course, you can manage the humidity by using an AC or dehumidifier but getting quality furniture is much easier.
Remember, using heavy chemicals to clean your furniture will do more harm than good. If you really want to do a thorough cleaning, take it to the professionals who might repolish it for you. But as far as caring for furniture at home goes, your best choice is to clean them with light cleaning agents or soap water. DO NOT soak your washcloth. Lightly dampen them and then use a soft circular motion to clean. Avoid rubbing on the furniture with force, it will only add to the scratch marks rather than getting rid of them.
And last but not least- pick furniture that is better in quality so you don’t have to worry. HATIL can help you with that.
