The holidays are here but the ice and days below freezing have already hit Central Virginia. Snow should arrive in January. Bitterly cold winter days are ahead.
This weather can do serious damage to your leather or wood furniture. You should take a few steps to preserve it this winter so it will look good and save you from having to repair or replace it.
The humidity changes in winter can cause more damage than the temperature if you keep your home at a consistent temperature all year. Here are some steps you can take to protect your furniture:
- Use lemon oil to treat your hardwood furniture. Not only is it good for the cold, but it also protects hardwood furniture from sun exposure since they are positioned close to windows that get a lot of sunshine.
- Keep the humidity level consistent inside your home. You should keep the humidity to 40%-45% as the ideal range. A humidifier adds moisture which keeps hardwood furniture healthy.
- Keep your hardwood furniture away from heat sources. Heating sources will dry out wood tables and chairs if they are directly exposed to them. Wood expands and contracts with changes in temperature. Humidity dries it out and leaves furniture open to splintering and cracking. Keep it in a shady area.
- Cover your outdoor furniture. Find a cover that fits properly and tightly on the furniture pieces. It must be protected from snow, ice, wind, and rain.
- Bring the furniture cushions inside. Keep them clean with our furniture-cleaning sprays. The patterns and colors of your patio furniture will be preserved, too.
- Ottomans or side tables should be stored in a shed.
- Use storage bags for outdoor furniture cushions. Then, store them in a bin.
- Take off removable pieces like umbrellas and cushions before putting furniture in storage.
So, while you are preserving your furniture, you also need to keep it clean. Here are several ways to do that:
- Use a high-quality leather cleaner. Don’t use a lot of water to clean up spills and other messes on the leather furniture. Leather is absorbent so too much water damages it.
- If you have purchased high-quality furniture, do all that you can to protect it all year long. A range of professional furniture cleaners can protect your investment for many years to come.
Hopefully, this will preserve and protect your furniture investment. Then, when spring arrives, you can pull out your furniture and be pleased with how great it looks and feels.
If your furniture or cabinets need refinishing, contact A&T Cabinet Refinishing and Interior/Exterior Painting at (434) 989-7217 for a free consultation. We can make it look brand new!
We serve the Charlottesville, Chesterfield, Lynchburg, Spotsylvania, Greene, and Madison counties in Central Virginia and points in between.