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Why your furniture easily gets spoilt
What you need to know:
Home owners put a lot of thought into acquiring furniture, yet, at times they have to watch it wear out because of simple mistakes.
Buying furniture is a big investment. It is usually one of the items that represent your taste, class and at times, creativity.
Furniture often is also the centerpiece of the room, and in other cases, be it a bed, table, dining or chairs, they are where you spend a big part of the day.
For that reason, buying furniture is something people do not take lightly. Yet, after spending a lot of time and money, they watch their treasured items get spoilt.
Tinah Mbabazi of Excel Cleaning Services says, people tend to use one spot of their furniture for a long period of time which quickens their wearing out process.
“Imagine a couch, sitting in one spot will end up making it saggy and worn out on one side. It is better you ensure that furniture usage is balanced,” she says.
Mbabazi says using only a side or spot of a couch is common with people that watch television so much or love reading because they always want a comfortable place.
Playing with furniture
She says, no matter your weight, it is not right to play and throw yourself on furniture. Putting excessive weight on furniture can cause damage to the frame whose repairs are complicated.
“Children love playing, which is okay, but if they are regularly doing it on furniture, they will damage it. It is advisable to keep children away from the delicate furniture in the room, if it is possible, the sitting room should not be the place they come to play,” she says.
Mbabazi says that if furniture is to last, it must be handled well and maintained regularly.
“Failure to clean up furniture regularly can wear it out because of dust and other debris. In the long run, these cause damage, especially in the joints,” she says.
Chemical exposure
According to Mbabazi, it is not only dirt that that can cause damage but even exposing furniture to chemicals can be disastrous.
“Chemicals can be in form of kitchen grease, liquids, smoke and soot from the indoor kitchen. These can settle on your furniture and spoil it,” she says.
She adds that other chemicals could be exposed to furniture from things such as soap, cleaning liquids or powders. These, when in contact with wood, they could easily damage the vanish forcing it to peel off.
“Sometimes, these chemicals can spoil furniture because they are not formulated to be in contact with specific materials such as cloth, leather, wooden or metallic,” she says.
Sunlight
Mbabazi says that exposing furniture to direct sunlight also cause damage. Direct light can bleach leather and wooden pieces, it is important to place them in areas where there is no direct sunlight because sun rays can distort the fabric.
“Some fabrics are not supposed to be exposed to direct sunlight so it’s advisable to keep them in shades and cool areas or to put up blinds during day to block direct light,” he says.
Avoid wet clothes
Avoid using wet clothes to clean furniture at your home. It’s recommended to use clean and dry wiping fabrics instead. Moreover, dust should not be left uncleaned during monsoon, as it has a tendency to stick to wooden items.
Use pesticide deodorant
Camphor or naphthalene balls are great moisture absorbers. They will also help protect clothes as well as wardrobes from termites and other pests. In case you want to go for something more natural, neem leaves or cloves will serve the same purpose.
Apply a coating
Depending on the polish of the furniture, apply a coating or varnish at least once in two years to fill the pores and increase its longevity i.e. it prevents the wood from swelling.
NOTE
Mbabazi says that It’s advisable to for do research before buying your interior items because not all showrooms have genuine items , some can have nice items on their adverts yet they are selling fake items on the market .
Genuine products have labels you can look for the specific genuine labels to avoid making losses in short period of time. At least ask a friend to advise.