Free Tip #1
Posted by Jennifer on Monday, May 11, 2009
When dusting furniture, never use a product that contains silicone waxes. Silicone additives create a secondary finish on top of the factory finish the piece already has. The wax combines with household dust and dirt and dulls the appearance of the piece. With tables, this is how many water rings are created. The moisture gets between the factory finish and the wax finish you are creating with dusting products. Keep in mind, I'm not saying wax products are bad. (some pieces of furniture have wax finishes) I'm saying most modern pieces are acrylic, laquor, or polyurethene. With these types of finishes you only need a damp rag. An old T shirt or sock can work great as a rag. (If the peice is high gloss, use a rag with very fine fibers as to not "micro scratch the finish") Every once in a while you can use any kind of citrus oil(orange, lemon oil) to brighten up the piece's sheen. So, in conclusion don't use silicone wax products for dusting. They make your piece look great for about 3 hours and then the damage occurs. When buying your cleaning and dusting products read the back label. Look for "contains no silicone" You want a product that cleans but also evaporates without any kind of residue left on the piece of furniture.