Dining Set Care
It was probably the Egyptians who first learned to appreciate wooden tables and, of all the materials available today for furniture (glass, plastics, metals etc) a wooden dining table is still the preference of most people. It is not recorded how the Egyptians treated and cared for their wood to preserve its quality but they undoubtedly will have had some secrets.
Fortunately nowadays we have the TV bombarding us with information about the multitude of products to care for, clean and restore the beauty of our wood, but there are also some basic common-sense habits we can easily acquire that will protect our furniture and keep it looking beautiful; so before we think about commercial products, let’s just consider some of these.
Always use place mats and coasters to prevent heat damage, spillage and staining from food and drink. Use a table cloth or runner for greater protection. If spills do happen (and they will!) blot these up immediately, never allow liquid to soak into the wood. If you are using hot serving dishes, always place these on a trivet. Keep solvents away from wooden surfaces. Alcohol can damage as well, hence the need for coasters. Make sure your glasses have wide enough bases to allow them to sit solidly on the table. When moving furniture, lift it carefully, do not push or drag it.
Avoid positioning wooden furniture in front of radiators or fireplaces, or in direct sunlight. Wood is response to the humidity in the atmosphere but if the air is too dry, the wood might shrink. On the other hand, in high humidity, it could expand so if your table has drawers or drop-leaves these might become stiff to use in excessive humidity. The more durable woods are usually the more expensive ones: mahogany, oak, walnut and teak but soft woods like pine are used much more commonly in modern furniture and care needs to be taken with these as they dent easily.
