To properly care for your antique furniture you will need to do more than the occasional dusting with a can of Pledge. You must also protect your furniture from the damage that can be caused by environmental effects as well as the climate and amount of activity that it will be subjected to. Kids and antiques are not necessarily great mates.
You may be surprised to discover that ultra violet rays are one of the most damaging things to which you can expose your wood or fabric antique furniture. For this reason it is a good idea to make sure you store your antique furniture far away from windows that allow direct sunlight into the room. Not only will these rays cause bleaching and cracking of the wood they will also cause fabrics to fade over time. Buying heavy-duty drapes can help reduce exposure of this beautiful furniture to harmful ultraviolet rays as well as treating it with furniture oil or wood polish that is specifically designed to protect wood from ultra violet damage.
By keeping the rooms in which you store your antique furniture at a fairly consistent temperature and avoiding excessive or extreme highs or lows you can also extend the life and beauty of your furniture. Extreme temperatures can cause the furniture to rapidly expand and contract resulting in cracked wood. You should also work to avoid exposing your antique furniture to humidity. Humidity creates an environment that is favorable for bacteria to grow in fabric and mold to grow on wood, neither of which are attractive situations for your antique furniture.
By learning the proper care for your antique furniture you can extend its life another century or so and enjoy years of use and beauty from your furniture. There are plenty of online sources from which you can learn a great deal about caring for your furniture be sure to check them out and find out how you can get the maximum enjoyment from your antique furniture.
