How to take care of your wood furniture.

The best way to clean and maintain furniture is to use a furniture care product available at your local furniture store, hardware or grocery store. These products contain cleaners as well as leaving a pleasing shine. Dusting should be done with a clean soft rag (diapers work great) or a soft dust cloth. At Ippolito's we recommend Guardsman Furniture Polish ($6). Many of our vendors do not recommend polishes that contain silicones. Silicones may be harmful to the lacquer finish. In the event that an item needs to be refinished, silicone can make it a very difficult job. The Guardsman product that we recommend contains no wax or silicone. Guardsman is a special blend of natural and organic oils with cleaning emulsifiers. The oils nourish and revitalize the finish while the emulsifiers dissolve the dirt that dulls the finish.

It is important to polish your furniture at least twice a year as the polish helps to keep the surface lubricated and resist scratches. Polish also helps to separate the lacquer from the dirt, allowing easier soil removal. Water will bead up on the lacquer after being polished. When polishing your furniture make sure that none of the polish lands on upholstered furniture, walls, or drapes as it could leave a stain.

For small repairs on your wood furniture Guardsman sells a repair touch-up pen ($4) to cover the scratch. The touch-up pens are available in a variety of colors to match the most popular furniture finishes. You can also use a small amount of stain to hide a small scratch. After the stain is dry, polish the area with Guardsman polish.