Furniture maintenance requires cautious cleaning to avoid damage. The key steps are to assess the stability of surfaces before cleaning, determine the appropriate cleaning method without harming the surface, and clean carefully in small areas. Professional help should be sought for unstable or damaged surfaces. Overall, gentle cleaning methods like vacuuming or using diluted solvents on cotton swabs are recommended to keep furniture clean without risk of damage.

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.