Wood you do that?

We have all bought baby furniture at one point or another, but how much thought have you put into it's protection and longevity?  While it may not be on the top of your priority list, it most certainly is for this furniture expert and fellow mother / business owner..

Furniture Care

Making the decision to invest in furniture for your baby’s room or any room really is sometimes difficult. There are so many options out there. At Kiddos Collection we try to make that decision a more affordable one and one that makes you feel good about the quality of the purchase you make.

Making the purchase is just the first step in caring for a piece of furniture. I guess you could say like having a baby is the first step of a long journey. The care you give a child makes a huge difference in how they grow and develop. It is important to care for your furniture too.

When wood is first cut it is more than 50 percent water. Wood that is used for furniture construction has been placed in a Kiln so the moisture content is brought down to only 8 to 10 percent. Wood responds to its environment. If it is in a room with high humidity it will absorb and expand and if it is in a room with low humidity it will shrink. The ideal environment for fine wood furniture is a room that is 65 to 75 degrees and a relative humidity between 35 to 40 percent. This fits the temperature of most homes year round. If furniture is placed or stored in areas that are outside the ideal temperatures the wood can and will shrink or expand and may develop some small cracks. Changes in humidity can also cause doors and drawers to swell and make it difficult to open or close them.

Here are some helpful hints about caring for your furniture:

• Avoid direct sunlight – Ultraviolet rays will fade colors or in some cases darken them and white finishes will yellow.

• Do not use synthetic fabric under accessories or lamps. Allow the surface to breath by rotating your accessories and lamps.

• Protect tops from pens, markers and crayons

• Do not drag items across the surface of the furniture.

• Do not over polish your furniture, two or three times a year should be plenty. Clean it with a damp, not wet, cloth. Use only a mild soap. Do not use abrasive cleaners.

• Do not wax your furniture, wax buildup can destroy the natural finish of the product.

• Keep your furniture level so doors and drawers open and close freely.

In addition to protecting the wooden parts of your furniture, it's equally important to protect any fabric areas that have stain potential:

• First, make sure that you Scotchgard™ any areas that will be exposed to unfriendly debris.  Although this may seem like a pain, it will pay dividends later.

• If you do happen to fall prey to an ugly stain, here are things to keep in mind during the clean up:

  • Know your fabric; different cleaners will react in a variety of ways.  Try a small test area first, if possible.

  • Although there are hundreds of options for stain removal, we use a great multi-purpose cleaner like Gonzo most of the time.

  • Rent a steam cleaner if the job is big or you want to be extra careful.

  • Make sure to damp in lieu of scrubbing to keep from damaging the material.

Whatever you do, don't stress out about it!  It's just furniture and if it isn't fixable, it is replaceable.  Since we handle hundreds of pieces of furniture per month, we have seen it all; if we can be of help, feel free to contact us.