How to Prolong the Life of Your Furniture. Step 1: Identify the Enemy
If you are like most people, you are extremely protective of your new piece of furniture… for the first week. You treat it gently, don’t let anyone bring food anywhere near it and yell at everyone to get “their dirty feet off the couch.” But that doesn’t last long: the “newness” soon wears off and your brand-new leather recliner becomes just another piece of furniture.
Showman Furniture is here to give you tips on how to keep your furniture looking like new for a long time. There are many dangerous things in your house that don’t really affect you, but can be lethal to your furniture – know them!
Sunlight
If you care about a piece of furniture, don’t put it close to a window where it would be hit with direct sunlight. Over time, sunlight will discolor upholstery, dry out wood and crack leather. If there is no way around it, make sure to periodically treat wood and leather with a protective coating of recommended care products, such as wax-based polishes for wood and oil-based for leather.
Additionally, try not to place furniture where it will be subject to frequent temperature changes. An example would be next to an indoor AC unit or close to a radiator. Wood and leather are both natural materials that can react to temperature change.
Pets
Even if your pets haven’t made it their goal to scratch and chew your new table or couch till nothing’s left, they are still a danger. Cats and dogs both have sharp nails that can ruin any upholstery by leaving scratch marks, snags and pulls. Make sure you keep their nails trimmed and train them to stay off the furniture.
Food
Food stains are the worst on fabric upholstery, especially if the covers are not removable. The solution, however, is very simple: eat food in the kitchen if you care about your furniture. As for the drink, use coasters on wooden furniture to avoid water damage from condensation. Wipe the spills as soon as possible.
Children
Kids just want to have fun, and quite often it involves climbing, jumping, standing and performing various acrobatic numbers on your furniture. The only way to stop this is to teach your kids discipline, which would help them later in life anyway. Make sure you supervise them until they understand that furniture is off limits, and if they want to play, they can do so outside on a trampoline or in their playroom.
Paint
This might be obvious, but you won’t believe how many pieces of furniture get ruined by paint. Cover your furniture well when you are painting walls and keep it as far away from paint action as possible. Additionally, if you are working with paint or some other messy substances outside the house, inspect your clothes before coming back in and taking a seat on that white couch. You could be tracking in dirt and paint, which will be a pain to get out even from a leather surface.
Furniture stores in Maryland, and other states for that matter don’t give you a care manual when you buy a piece of furniture. However, if you avoid these five main furniture enemies we have identified today, you have a good chance of making your furniture last.
