How to take care of antique mahogany furniture
Friday, 27 January 2012 12:01 PM
Incorporating mahogany furniture into your property's overall design scheme can certainly leave you with a beautiful-looking home. However, in order to ensure it stays looking as good as the day you bought it, it's important you take steps to maintain its elegance.
Whether you have just a few small pieces of mahogany furniture - such as a jewellery casket or coat rack - or many large items, like wardrobes or coffee tables, it is vital you ensure the timber does not lose its rich, dark colour.
While one of the many benefits to the material is that it is much stronger and durable than other types of wood, that does not mean it does not need looking after. This is particularly the case if you have antique furniture; however, by considering the following tips, you should find the process of maintaining mahogany to be a fairly simple task.
To prevent your furniture's colour from fading, you need to ensure it stays clean and is kept free of dust.
You ought to find that a simple wipe with a damp cloth or a duster is all you need to do to stop the surface becoming grubby looking. Do this roughly once a week and you should discover that not only does your antique furniture retain its appearance, but you can also prevent rot from occurring.
It is important to remember that in all parts of the home - although perhaps more often in rooms such as the kitchen, living room and dining room - spills can happen. However, if liquids such as coffee, tea or red wine are dropped on your mahogany furniture, you will need to act to prevent long-term damage from occurring.
Soak up as much as the spillage from the wooden surface as possible with a clean towel, before using a soft flannel cloth to dry it drown. Time will be of the essence here and the faster you clean up after any spills, the more likely your furniture will look good for longer.
To help guard it from scuffs and scratches, most mahogany furniture is stained and covered in wax. Over time, however, the protective element of the wax coating will fade, so you will need to clean it with a table wax or wooden furniture cleaner. A light rub with a clean cloth roughly once a month should be all it takes to restore the wax and give your pieces an attractive sheen.
Beeswax can be used to do this; however, to get optimal results it should be applied directly to the duster before coming into contact with the surface of the mahogany. You should also avoid using silicon-based polishes, as these can end up doing more harm than good.
Wherever possible, you should attempt to avoid placing mahogany furniture in the path of direct sunlight, as well as to keep it well away from radiators. In either of these cases, exposure to heat and light may mean your items start to dry out, something that can cause the wood to split.
If you do have mahogany furniture that is designed to be kept outdoors, meanwhile, you will need to give it a deep scrub every few weeks to maintain its appearance. Use a non-metallic brush and a bucket of soapy water to get rid of any mildew, before rinsing thoroughly to wash the soap residue away.
Bear the above points in mind and you should find that you're able to keep on top of maintaining your mahogany furniture without too much trouble and that it stays looking good for many years to come!
