The Best Ways To Keep Your Dining Set Neat and Tidy
Your dining set is the host for so many of the fun things that happen in your home. It’s a place for family and friends to gather to talk, laugh and enjoy each other’s company. You’ll eat delicious meals, pull during the holidays and talk long into the night.
As such an important piece of home furniture and focal point in your interior design, it’s important you keep your dining table looking in top condition every day especially when it comes to entertaining. Here are some quick and in-depth tips for you to keep your dining table and chairs neat and tidy.
Quick tips
Scratches
To avoid scratches, never slide anything (vases, plates, serving dishes, etc.) across a wood surface. Dining table and chairs with a light surface can be nicked and scratched easily. However, it can be treated touch-up solutions, it quickly repairs scratches and blemishes that go beyond the surface and require filling and won’t shrink, dry out, discolour, or rub off, but deep scratches can be costly even requiring professional restoration.
Liquids
Wipe up spills on your dining table and chairs immediately, and check to be sure liquid hasn’t seeped under any objects, such as a vase, where it can “pool” and dry, causing damage to the finish.
Tablecloths & placemats
Vinyl and plastic materials used for dining sets can damage some wood finishes or leave residues behind that build up on the surface of your furniture. Over time, these materials can make surfaces sticky and cause discolouration.
Other Tips
- Dust your wood dining set often
Small particles of dust may seem harmless, but enough buildup can scratch the on its finish especially with modern dining table and chairs. Dust at least weekly with a soft, lint-free cloth (cheesecloth, a cotton diaper, or a cut-up old t-shirt all work wonderfully). Stay away from specialised dust polishes, as they contain silicones that can soak into the grain of the wood and damage it for good. Instead, lightly dampen a cloth with water or use a microfiber cloth that will cling to dust particles on its own
- Use vinegar and oil to get water rings out of your wooden table
If you have watermark rings in your dining set from wet glasses, mix up equal parts vinegar and olive oil and use a soft cloth to apply it to the ring, moving with the wood grain. Follow that up with another clean, soft cloth.
- Keep it away from the radiator
Don’t place a wood dining table and chairs over a radiator or right next to a heat register. The temperature swings could damage the wood with warping or splitting. Also, store any extra leaves near the table itself. This ensures that the leaf will not warp or swell/contract differently from the table. If you store the leaf in a basement or attic, the moisture and temperature differential could take its toll.
- Watch humidity levels
As with all furniture, from dining set to other decors, try to keep humidity levels in your home between 40 and 45%. Any lower could crack the wood and any higher could cause swelling. For most of Singaporean, this means running an AC in the summer.
And always remember:
Ask for specific cleaning instructions when commissioning a custom made furniture or purchasing piece from an online furniture shop in Lifestyle Furniture. The finish of each piece may require slightly different care.
If you need a new dining set, contact us for a quote. Let our experts help you today.