Your dining table is probably the most important piece of furniture you own. It’s the one place your family can come together and share stories as you eat your dinner. Guests will come for meals and everyone will sit around the table as you have a wonderful night. Lots of great things happen while sitting there. You would have spent quite a bit of money buying one you could feel proud of. You definitely don’t want people to sit at a table that looks like it’s been through a couple of rounds with Mike Tyson.
It will eventually look that way if you don’t look after it. How long does a wooden dining table last before it starts to lose its appeal? Neglect it and you’ll have to go out and spend money on a new one. It’s crazy to throw away money for nothing when it’s so easy to keep it looking beautiful. That’s what we’re going to be looking at. Simple tricks to make it shine like the first day you bought it. After you’ve followed these tips you will feel proud of your table for many years to come.
Get your duster out
You should be dusting your table more often that you’re doing now. Twice per week is always good. You probably don’t think dust can harm a wooden table; it’s so small. But if enough dust builds up it can easily cause little scratches in it. It’s also a good idea to stay away from furniture polish because it will soak into the grain of the wood. This can damage it so it’s better not to take the risk. The best thing to use is a damp, lint-free cloth. You’ve just saved yourself some money on polish.
Mayonnaise is for more than food
Everyone loves mayonnaise, but what you didn’t know is that it’s great for cleaning your table. When you put a glass or mug on the table you’re usually left with a big round ring. This isn’t actually going to be a mark on the wood. It’s more likely to be on the wax which sits on top. All you need to do is give it a little rub with mayonnaise and it should come right off. You don’t need to empty the jar onto it. Just a little on the end of a cloth should work and the rings will vanish.
Positioning is everything
Be careful about where you place your table. It can’t just go anywhere, or that’s when problems start popping up. Temperature will play a big part in how long the wood lasts, so it should be kept away from any radiators or anything else that emit’s a strong heat. It’s also a good idea to tuck the chairs under the table when you’re not sitting there. Don’t leave them pushed out so they’re close to the heat. There’s no point in having a lovely table if your chairs are a mess.
Keep it waxed
We’ve already talked about why it’s a bad idea to use furniture polish. It will just end up damaging the table. But you definitely want to keep it waxed so it keeps its shine. Grab yourself two different cloths. One to apply the wax and the other to give it a good polish. This is quite a hard task, but give it everything you’ve got. Luckily you only need to do this about twice per year, so once it’s done you can rest easy for a while.
Watch the humidity
Humidity can be a big danger to your table. It’s not like you’d even see it happening. You should be keeping the humidity between 40 and 45% all the time, because all your wooden furnishings are at risk throughout the house. If your humidity doesn’t sit there naturally, you should be using a humidifier in the winder and a de-humidifier in summer. Don’t do it and your table will swell or crack. When? I don’t know. But sooner or later it will.
