Your home furniture items are one of the integral parts of the home decor. Without furniture, a home looks incomplete. It provides comfort and the opportunity for homeowners to reveal their taste in style. Apart from comfortable seating, furniture pieces quickly become the room’s focal point, thereby lending a wholesome appearance to the room. Like everything else, quality items in this segment are not hard to come by but costs a little more than their economic counterparts. And it is pretty fitting to invest once in something that will last you for a long time rather than spending money in short intervals to replace a substandard household thing. This makes it more important to protect your furniture pieces in every possible way so that they can be a part of your home for years.
With usage, you can be sure that your furniture pieces will undergo some wear and tear. As it is one of the most used things around the house, you will need to be a little extra careful not to damage them. If you have been looking to find ways to increase their longevity, here are some ideas that can help.
Tighten and Secure Screws
As furniture gets regularly used, the fittings get looser with time. This is the reason why you may sometimes have seen screws and bolts coming out of the pieces. Though they may not immediately come out of their places of holding, the most usual tell-tale sign is when the units become wobbly.
Creaking sounds are another way to detect any loosening of the mechanisms. If you fail to curb them in time, then it may lead to permanent damage as well. Therefore, as a precautionary measure, you should always keep an eye out to tighten the screws. Usually, once in six weeks, it largely depends upon the usage of the particular item.
Keep up with the Cleanliness
Dust and your furniture are not best friends. Therefore, you need to ensure that these two keep apart from each other. One of the easiest ways of determining the age of a furniture item is by looking at its appearance. In most cases, the furniture is not as old as it seems. But due to negligence and in the absence of upkeep, they start to look much more worn out than they actually are.
And the reason is that dirt and dust fade away the natural glimmer and polish of the item. Even more so, if it manages to get into the little cringes and nooks of the design, it starts to sit and accumulate, making the deep cleaning very difficult later. Therefore, having a regular cleaning routine will prove helpful. Also, please do not use harsh chemicals for cleaning as they may erode the smooth, shiny surface. Instead, use gentle methods like wiping with clean, damp clothing or just air vacuuming so that the furniture piece rests undamaged.
Increase the height of the furniture
Floor touching furniture may look very alluring when it comes to the decor but trust us, and they gather a lot of dirt and grime with consistent use. The reason is that they get fixed at a place. When they are not moved from that position for a long time, apart from fine dust, there can be cobwebs and other kinds of infestations like insects and molds. For instance, having bed frames or couches touching the ground will not have any space for air circulation and breathing. With time, it gives rise to mold and other damages that bring down your furniture’s lifespan by a lot, not to mention the general hygiene and health hazard it poses.
The solution to this problem is raising the height of the furniture. No, we do not recommend you to get pieces that are giant-sized but elevating them off the floor with the help of furniture risers. This allows active cleaning from beneath, which helps you take care of any rising problems of insects and any other problems. Just not that, rising the height from the ground also allows you to sit and stand more comfortably. Imagine trying to sit on a chair, and because it is too low, you slump right into it! Now, that may result in a sprain easily. So, raising the furniture height to a comfortable level would not let that happen.
Wood Polishing
Sometimes, when the furniture has started to look old, you may think of tossing it away because it ceases to look appealing. Even though it has not aged, wooden furniture tends to lose its sheen over time. To revive its beauty back, all you need to do is have them get polished. Make it a point to use products that do not have ammonia in them, as it can be pretty harsh on the surface.
You can use mildly abrasive polish for this purpose. While you spray polish, ensure that you have the rest of the parts covered with adhesive to protect them from getting discolored. When you are done, allow it to dry up, and then you can take off the tape to reveal a new-looking furniture piece. This will save you from making unnecessary purchases.
Avoid Direct Sun Exposure
Sunlight is not the best friend to look for when trying to prolong your furniture’s life. The UV ray exposure can penetrate up to almost 70 percent through a plain glass window. The damage thereby caused can be seen in fading, discoloration, and damaging the wooden surface. The upholstery of your couches, bed, and chairs, thereby also gets affected.
To protect them, change the placing of your furniture away from direct sunlight. As an added measure, you can also use other things like blinds and curtains to reduce exposure. For more extended periods of unuse, like when you are away on vacation, you can cover them up with sheets to further protect them.
Apart from the above-mentioned upkeep methods, it would help if you were also a little handy and careful while moving your furniture. Improper handling of furniture may damage its longevity. Also, at home, have rules for your pets and kids. Jumping on them makes them more likely to become weak and break over time.
Your furniture is a one-time investment for a long time and therefore, you should do everything to protect it. We hope that reading this proves helpful.