Wood is the king of the house. Reigns in the interior with its shades and warmth. It warms the floors, on which it is comfortable to walk barefoot when they are parquet. It can cover the walls, creating mountain suggestions. It is the material with which kitchens, tables, wardrobes, chairs and beds are often built. It makes a fine show of itself naturally, but also colored, in the preferred shade.
Choosing wooden furniture and floors for your home means using a robust, elegant, natural, quality material. But like any valuable object, wood requires special care to protect it from negative repercussions due to humidity and sudden changes in temperature. A first important aspect to ensure the longevity of the wood is that of its cleaning, which is daily and fast, or “fine”, more accurate, performed once or twice a month.
So, how to clean wood to keep it shiny, healthy and protect it from wearFirst of all, it is worth pointing out that there are two ways to get good results. The first is to rely on the products normally on the market for cleaning wood. The second, on the other hand, involves the use of natural methods, preferable to substances that derive from industrial chemical synthesis.
Choosing natural products to clean the wood contributes more to nourish it. In fact, wood is not an inert material, but it continues to “live” even after being cut. For this reason it is a material sensitive to atmospheric agents and can be used for the furnishing of outdoor environments only after special processing. However, there are some types of wood that have characteristics suitable for humidity, such as teak, which is also used to furnish bathrooms and gardens, but must still undergo a specific treatment. How to clean wood: some general indications
The fundamental ingredients for a correct wood cleaning are two common products, present in all Italian kitchens and often also on the table:olive oil . These are two completely natural and organic products that can be used whenever you want, without contraindications. White wine vinegar can leave its characteristic, pungent and acid odor in the room for a while. It can be replaced with apple cider vinegar, so that the natural cleanser takes on a pleasant fragrance.
So, let’s see how to clean the wood with vinegar and olive oil, which usually accompany many of the dishes of Italian cuisine. Pour ¼ cup of white or apple vinegar and ¾ cup of oil into a bowl. Then with a ladle or a spoon the two components of the homemade detergent are mixed. If particularly delicate wooden surfaces have to be cleaned, it is advisable to add ¼ cup of water to the mixture obtained.
At this point you need to get a clean, lint-free cloth, dip it in the oil and vinegar mixture, take it out and squeeze it carefully. To complete the cleaning of the wood, the cloth soaked in the natural detergent is passed over the surfaces to be cleaned with a circular motion, then following the grain of the wood to obtain an even better effect.
The proportion of olive oil in the compound can be increased if a more intense polishing action is desired. How to clean parquet wood
Many types of wood are used to make elegant and warm parquet: teak, wenge, beech, oak, walnut and others. Parquet makes any room more welcoming, but it is a soft and delicate material . For this reason, attention must be paid to the task of its cleaning.
It is necessary to remove the dust and dirt that settles on the wooden floors. To do this, you can use an antistatic cloth, such as you normally find in the supermarket, or a brush vacuum cleaner, so that the plastic part of the appliance does not scratch the boards.
Also in this case, to carry out a thorough cleaning, which thoroughly degreases the parquet, you can choose to use the products on the market. An alternative is water and alcohol , which can be mixed together and used as a great cleanser.
A natural detergent for untreated parquet floors can be obtained by mixing half a cup of water with half a cup of vinegar and thirty drops of mint essential oil. How to clean wooden furniture
To clean wooden furniture it is possible to use the oil and vinegar compound described in the first paragraph of the page. To make the scent of the natural detergent fresher and more pleasant, you can add a few drops of lemon. If they are fromcleaning lacquered wood furniture can be cleaned with white wine vinegar diluted in water.
To rub the surfaces of the furniture you need to find a soft cloth, free of lint that could deposit or ruin the smoothing of the surfaces. The cloth should only be moistened with the solution of water and vinegar because a soaked rag risks depositing too much liquid on the wooden surfaces, which could become soaked and thus damaged.
Before starting to mop furniture, it is advisable to try the cleaner on a small, hidden area of ​​the object to be cleaned. In this way it can be ascertained that the use of the solution does not cause negative effects for any particular treatment to which the wood has been subjected.How to clean wood: maintenance of fixtures and parquet
The wooden fixtures are characteristic elements of a classic, warm and welcoming decor. The wooden windows were born in the Renaissance and their adoption spread during the Baroque era. Perhaps this is why their frames always have a little flavor of history, of something that is once upon a time, but is still, with stability and strength.
Wood guarantees good thermal insulation and is a resistant material, in fact, as well as in the suggestion it is able to instill. Its beauty is accompanied by the need for careful maintenance. In fact, wooden surfaces can be scratched, stained or even dented.
We briefly describe how to clean wood when, in addition to removing dust and grease, it is necessary to remedy the wear and tear of time. After completing the normal cleaning operations, you need to prepare yourself to practice with a little DIY . Once again, natural and commonly used products can be used. Some key resources are olive oil, shoe polish, lip balm, crayons.
The wax crayonsthey are reminiscent of childhood games, but they are very useful for doing some maintenance of wooden frames, parquet or furniture. The first step to use them is to melt them in a bain-marie, so without putting them directly on the fire, but in a container in contact with hot water. Once melted and mixed, the wax colors perfectly recreate the shades of wood and are ideal for covering scratches and dents. Even a simple stick of cocoa butter can cover a small scratch. You have to be careful to pass it gently on the damaged surface.
To treat scratches on dark woods such as teak, walnut or ebony, a cloth soaked in olive oil or shoe polish can be used. Iodine dye can be applied to the red mahogany, while for furniture and parquet characterized by a shellac finish the ideal is to spread over the scratches straw-yellow oil , of vegetable or synthetic origin, suitable for polishing wooden surfaces.
