1. FURNITURE MAINTENANCE
Theroadmapforfurnituremaintenance is prettysimple. Ifthefurniture is appliedwiselyandcaredcautiously, it
willrequireverylittle in themeans of regularmaintenance. But in
cleaningandpolishingfurnituresurfacesandhardware, and in re-upholstering, somewell-
meantcaretakersintroducedamage. As a matter of fact, a lot of whatfurnitureconservators do is
reacttodamagingsustainmentpractices.
CleaningSurfaces
Forthemostpart, maintainingfurnituresimplysignifies holding it clean, cautiously. Woodfurniturecommonlyrequiresto
be cleanedonlyifthere's a buildup of waxordirt. Onlyunfinishedwood, paintedwood, orwoodwith a
sturdyceaseoughtto be cleaned. Thefinish on giltwood is frequentlyusedwith a soluble size, oradhesivematerial; it
should be cautiouslydispersed, not cleaned, orcleanedonlyby a professionalperson.
Beforecleaningwoodorcoverings, thefirstandmostsignificant step is toappraisethesurfaceand be sure
thatthesurfaceorcovering is stableand not tendingto be damagedbythecontactrequired in cleaningandbrushingup.
Ifthesurface is unstable, thepolishingmayknockofflooseportions. Damagedsurfacesoughtto be referredto a
conservator.
Afterthesoundness of thesurface has beenaccomplished, thenext step is todiscoverwhatthedirt is
andwhatthesurface is. Ifyou can not decidetheseprecisely,
discoverwhatdispatchesthedirtwithoutimpactingthesurfaceunderneath it. Frequently, dustmay be
dispatchedwiththecarefulrub of a dampcloth. Oilydirtorwaxyresiduemay be dispatchedwith a
milddetergentandwatersolutionorwith mineral spirits. Allthesame, it'scriticalto be sure
thatthecleaningsolutiondoesn'timpacttheunderlyingsurface. Evenwhenyoudecide a
cleaningtechniqueworkingwithsuccess, carry on carefully.
Loosedust on thesurfacemay be dispatchedwith a cushy, lint-freefabric, softlyscratchedoverthesurface. Dust is an
harshandmayscratchthesurface, thus be cautious. Unevenareasmay be dispersedwith a clean,
naturalbristlepaintorartist'sbrush. Onceagain, don'tattempttodust a surfacebeingbadlydegenerated.
Clothfibersmaygrabandtearawaypieces of thefinish, veneerorlooseparts. Evenroughedgesmay break away.
Carving, fretwork, andotherdelicateworkmay be dispersedwith a cushybristlebrush, with a
vacuumhostheldcloseenoughtotake in thedustoneit'sdisplacedbythebrush. Don'tapplyfeatherdusters, since
theymayscratchandpulloffloosefragments of veneer.
Surfaces in goodcondition but with a heavyaccretion of dustmay be cleanedverycautiouslywith a vacuum.
Applythelowestsuctionavailableandtheroundbrushattachment. Do not allowthe metal or hard plasticparts of
thevacuumtoknockagainstthesurfaces; theymayscratchthefinishorwood. Muchharm, as a matter of fact,
comesabout as thefeetandbases of piecesarehitwiththevacuumcleaner.
Dirtthatcan't be simplyvacuumedoffmight be dispatchedwithcleanersmixed in a dilutesolution, but onlythefinish is
in goodsolidcircumstance. First, decidewhichsolventdispatchesthedirtwithoutabsentingthefinish. Thoseto be
examinedcontain mineral spirits (whitespirit), paintthinner, andnaphtha. Second, test a small spot in an
obscureareawiththesolution on a cottonswab. Allareasthatlookto be a differentcoveringormaterialmust be tested
on an individualbasis. Onlyifthesolutiondoesn'tharmthe test areaoughtto be usedtocleanthe rest of thepiece.
Forfinishedwood, dampen a cottonclothwiththesolventorcleaningsolution, andsoftlyrubover a smallarea at one
time. Keepoffapplyingtoomuchliquid, as they can causeharm. Andso, rubthecleanedsurfacewith a
cleandampenedclothtogetrid of anycleanserremainders, accompaniedby a drysoftcloth.
