Please use specialised care products for your furniture that are silicone free. Chemical cleaners and harsh detergents can damage the finish on your furniture.
General Care: The best way to care for your wood furniture is to wipe over it with a clean furniture microfibre cloth to remove dust and light finger marks. If you need to remove sticky finger marks or heavy smudges use a silicone free furniture polish. In the photo below we used Aussie Furniture Care Quick Polish.
Before After
Scratches: Light scratches can sometimes be buffed out of your furniture. We had a coffee table that was lightly scratched (the protective lacquer had not been broken) and we gave the Aussie Furniture Care Quick Polish a go. Below is the video of the results and we were pretty impressed.
Heavy Scratches or Small Chips: If you google how to fix a small wood scratch various DIY solutions will pop up from lemon juice to walnuts. We haven't tried any of these solutions but we will give them a go in a future blog. Our tried and tested method is to use an Aussie Furniture Care Scratch Fix Pen. The pens come in a variety of colours to best match the wood that is in need of a touch up. The Scratch Fix Pens also can be used for small chips. The pens are not a filler but colour the damage.
Cracks and Deep Scratches: Cracks and deep Scratches will need a filler. There is Wax Putty that comes in various colours. The Wax Putty will need to be heated (follow the suppliers instructions), melted into the crack/scratch and then scraped away to remove the excess wax.
Wax Filler Sticks can be used on lighter scratches and do not need to be warmed/melted. They are almost like a crayon and they are very effective at filling small cracks easily.
Sometimes wood is so badly damaged, weathered or old that there is nothing for it but to sand the wood back and apply a new finish. However, most minor damage can easily be fixed.
Dull or Lifeless Wood Furniture: Sometimes a piece of furniture just needs a little love, care and oil to bring it back to life. We stock an Aussie Furniture Care Antique Furniture Oil that contains all natural ingredients.
Synthetic Leather: At The Antique Reproduction Shop we sell furniture that is upholstered with synthetic leathers and real leathers. Any spill should be quickly wiped up with a damp clean cloth. A build up of soiling, food, finger marks ect should be cleaned by using a specialised synthetic leather/vinyl product. The most important part of using these products is to use a colour fast cloth to clean. Below we tried the Aussie Furniture Care Vinyl and PU Cleaner on one of the chairs that we use behind the counter. We must say we were shocked at how well it worked. Now I have half a clean seat 🙂
Genuine Leather: We also offer genuine leather upholstery at The Antique Reproduction Shop and good leather needs good care.
1. Wipe furniture at least once a week with a soft damp cloth to prevent dust build up and soiling.
2. Always use a good quality and specific Leather Care Product, never use saddle soaps, abrasive cleaners, furniture wax, furniture oils, ammonias or excess water for cleaning leather.
3. When spot cleaning leather always use a Neutral PH Leather Cleaner to avoid harmful reactions with the top coat, pores and stitches. This same tip applies when you’re doing a complete leather clean.
4. Always apply a good quality Leather Conditioner every 3 to 4 months to keep leather soft and supple and to prevent cracking or drying.
5. Apply a Leather Conditioner or Protection cream to help repel grime, stains, liquid spills and body oils.
6. Never place leather furniture near a direct heat source such as a radiator, heat vent or open fire place.
7. Keep furniture out of direct sunlight to prevent fading.
8. The salts and body oils, which occur naturally in human skin, can damage the surface of the leather if left uncleaned for lengthy periods of time.
In warm or humid weather it’s important that leather is wiped over as often as weekly, particularly if the leather has become damp from perspiration or deposits of body oils are visible on areas such as head rests.
Always clean along any creases that have developed in the leather and pay particular attention to areas that have come in contact with the skin such as arm covers, head rests and seat cushions.
9. Vacuum regularly with the soft brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner to remove dust and grime. Then wipe with a soft colour fast cloth dampened with straight water.
This should be done as often as possible, at least every 1-2 weeks.
Every 3 months to 4 months clean the leather with a good quality leather cleaner and follow up with a leather conditioner to keep moisture in the leather.
The best way to protect your fabric is to have a scotchgard applied to your furniture. Scotchgard protects your furniture by applying a stain and water repelling layer that makes spills and messes easy to wipe up rather that being absorbed into the fabric. Fabric upholstery should be vacuumed regularly for dust, crumbs and other little detritus. In the event that there is a stain, such as a pen mark, we use the all natural Fabric Magic. Again we wanted to show that this product really works. We purposely added some pen marks to a seat cushion and used the spray on them. You must use a white or colour fast cloth when cleaning fabric stains! Below are our results.
We did have to wait overnight for the Fabric Magic to dry but the results were absolutely amazing.
