Is it true that just one dusting is enough to preserve classic branded and designer furniture? It depends on the type of material and the surface coating. And from what we take care of them.

The choice of a piece of furniture always requires some commitment on our part - it must be to our taste, with appropriate dimensions for the room in which it will be placed, with a special style, functional shape, etc. So it is normal, once he enters the house after an intense search, to give him the respect he needs. First of all, if it is veneered with thin sheets of wood (all modern furniture is made of plywood, chipboard or MDF and is surface-clad with wood) - with the classic maple, cherry, walnut, but also wenge, which has long been used with the favor of designers and interior architects because of its tonality and patterns. Or with teak - solid wood, which is back in fashion with the return of design from the sixties and seventies.

There is a tree and a wood

If they are treated with glossy varnishes or have special surface coatings, the furniture does not need special care, but only wiping the dust with a soft cloth. A common daily habit for veneered furniture with different surface coatings (colored, glossy or matte), to which it is advisable to add periodic treatment with antistatic agent to prevent sticking of dust. In addition to the Procter & Gamble Disposable Swiffer Dusters Starter Kit, we also recommend a cleansing milk that forms a protective film that repels dust. However, be careful not to resort to abrasive products; special products or a neutral detergent are used for deeper cleaning. The same applies to solid wood furniture - for them it is recommended to use a damp and soft cloth or one made of microfiber, which passes in the direction of the veins of the wood, so that even the smallest pores are carefully cleaned.

Varnished and laminated boards

White or with sparkling colors, these materials used for kitchens are on the crest of wool and in designer items such as sideboards, bookcases, wardrobes. Varnishing is usually done on a medium-density fiberboard (MDF), which in turn is varnished with polyester or polyurethane, matt or glossy varnishes. The quality of the varnished board depends a lot on the varnish itself. To ensure color fastness, some companies subject laboratory products to laboratory testing to verify their resistance to light. Therefore, varnished surfaces should be cleaned with a soft cloth and non-abrasive detergents or a microfiber cloth. In case of stubborn stains (only for glossy lacquered surfaces) they can be treated with highly diluted ethyl alcohol. It is absolutely forbidden to use acetone, trichlorethylene, ammonia and abrasive pastes or steel household wire, which would scratch everything irreparably. For cleaning laminates, the solutions are soft rags, special detergents and microfiber towels. If the stain is stubborn, a sponge and liquid detergents or glass cleaners are needed, after which the surface is wiped with a dry cloth to avoid streaks or matte areas. These materials should also avoid household wire, acetone and products containing abrasive pastes, or powdered detergents that could damage the gloss of the coating.

Pay attention to the label

Good care means not only cleaning, but above all proper use. It is therefore important to remind, as advised by the technical department of Molteni & C, that all furniture, furniture accessories and any other thing or object made of wood must be accompanied by an information sheet. It describes the typology of hull and cladding materials (even when wood-like materials are used) and, just like a personal file, lists a long series of instructions - from destroying the wood product after its life cycle to maximum load resistance. on shelves and shelves and, of course, cleaning and maintenance instructions.

And the stain disappears

It often happens that we accidentally put a hot dish on the shelf or countertop of a piece of furniture or pour liquid on it. To repair the damage, we can use as a first aid with small natural methods - white circles left on the surface of hot dishes are removed by smearing with cream or paste of vegetable oil and salt (after a few hours can be polished) . Ink stains on laminate are removed with a cloth soaked in denatured alcohol, and those on untreated wood - with salt and a little lemon juice.

source Brava Casa magazine, ed. Savina Kostova