Furniture Care

Wood, leather, bamboo, and upholstered furniture last longer and look better with regular cleaning; with just a few simple ingredients you can make excellent furniture polishes and cleaners. You'll find furniture first-aid remedies for spills, burns, stains, and scratches in this section, too.

Furniture Polish (Wood Surfaces)
*Rub toothpaste on wood furniture to remove water marks.
*Polish wood with 2 tsp. lemon oil and 1 pint mineral oil in spray bottle. Spray, rub in and wipe clean.
*Mix two parts olive oil to one part lemon juice. After rubbing the mixture in, let stand for several hours and then polish with a soft, dry cloth.
*Melt 1 tbsp. carnauba wax into two pints mineral oil. Use sparingly and rub hard.

Lemon furniture polish
Extra virgin olive oil helps to protect the wood in the furniture. Lemon essential oil cleans the wood and provides a refreshing scent.
125ml (4fl oz) extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon lemon essential oil
Mix the ingredients in a glass bottle, shake, and store. Rub a small amount on to wood furniture with a soft cotton cloth.

Raw walnut rub
To remove white, hazy water rings from wood surfaces, rub the mark with half a raw walnut.

Heat marks
Hot cookware can mar wooden surfaces with white discolouration.
To repair the damage. rub a candle on to the mark (choose a light or dark coloured candle, depending on the colour of the wood surface).
Cover with a double thickness of paper towels, and press the area with a warm iron.
Buff with a soft cloth and repeat if necessary.

Wood furniture cleaner
A mixture of extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice makes an excellent cleaner for wood furniture.
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Combine the ingredients in a small glass jar. Shake well. Apply to furniture with a soft cotton cloth.

Remove water stains from wood
To remove hazy water spots from wooden surfaces, mix baking soda and mayonnaise to the consistency of a thick paste. Gently rub a small amount of the paste into the wood and leave it for five minutes. Buff the surface with a clean, soft cloth.

Spilled candle wax
To clean the drips and puddles of wax that collect around candles, first let the wax cool thoroughly and then carefully scrape it from the wooden surface with a dull knife.Wash off the remainder of the wax residue with hot soapy water, rinse, and dry. When the surface is completely dry, apply ar oil polish.

Repair wood scratches
Superficial scratches may disappear when rubbed with an oil-based furniture polish-To repair deeper scratches, melt a few drops of a wax crayon that matches the colour of the wood and fill the scratch. (Heat a dull kitchen knife over a flame and hold the blade against the crayon to cause it to melt) Smooth the wax even with the surface of the wood and let it cool. Scrape away excess wax with a dull knife and buff the surface with an oil furniture polish.

Clean upholstery
To freshen and clean upholstery, apply a simple homemade foam cleanser, which helps to remove the dirt without soaking the fabric with water. Lavender essential oil provides a fresh scent
1 teaspoon borax
60ml (2fl oz) hot water
2 tablespoons natural liquid dishwashing soap
3 drops lavender essential oil
Pour the hot water into a medium-sized bowl and add the borax, stirring thoroughly to dissolve it. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. Add the natural dishwashing soap and the drops of lavender essential oil to the mixture. Beat with a wire whisk or egg beater to create foam.
Working on a small section at a time, rub the foam on to upholstery with a damp sponge. Immediately remove with a damp cloth. Let it dry.
Regularly vacuum your upholstered furniture to prevent dust from accumulating.

Clean leather upholstery
Vinegar, olive oil, and lemon essential oil will clean and condition leather.
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 drops lemon essential oil
Mix the ingredients in a small jar and shake well. Test it on an inconspicuous area to check for colour changes to the leather. Then apply it sparingly, rub it in thoroughly, and buff with a soft cloth to remove excess oil.

Caring for bamboo, rattan, and wicker
Bamboo, rattan, and wicker furniture benefit from regular vacuuming and dusting. A large, soft brush cleans woven furniture thoroughly. To prevent drying and splitting, spray woven furniture with a plant mister every couple of months to restore moisture to the canes. Alternatively, take the furniture outside and hose it down once a year with a fine spray from the garden hose.

Remove sticky labels
Vegetable oil safely removes gummed and sticky labels from wood finishes and surfaces. Apply a liberal amount of oil to the label, leave overnight and then rub it off with a soft cloth.