6 Simple DIY Tips to Make Your Furniture Last Longer

We use different kinds of furniture pieces in our homes, such that today they have become the most integral house interiors features. So, it’s important also that you know how best to take care of them to last longer and save you money.

We love our furniture pieces, including chairs, tables, beds, dining chairs and tables, armchairs, sofas, and many more because of the visible functions they perform in our homes. These functions can be classified into two: utility functions and decorative/aesthetic functions.

Utility functions are the primary functions for furniture items bought. Tables, for instance, are purchased so we can read, drink, or eat on them, or simply drop things on them. We equally buy beds to rest and sleep on.

Apart from the primary function, however, furniture also performs a decorative function, which can be regarded as a secondary function. We use furniture to beautify and add weight and grandeur to our homes. We may not always think of furniture as performing this function, but it is surely one of the ways of injecting personality into our homes, the interior especially.

Because of these two functions, we really find we can't do without furniture in our homes. Also, being aware of their functions, we usually spend fortunes acquiring different varieties of furniture to satisfy our needs.

When we have committed such fortunes in buying furniture, it becomes essential that we take good care of them so that its span is not shortened by wear and tear which they are exposed to due to constant use. So, here we present to you some simple, do-it-yourself tips to help you increase the lifespan of your furniture items.

1. Make sure to clean and polish regularly

Furniture items are always exposed to dust, sweat, and grease as a result of continuous use and environmental elements. Therefore, you need to regularly clean and polish them to maintain both their functional and aesthetic values.

Without constant cleaning and polishing, over time your precious furniture piece may become dirty, dusty, and worn out. Cleaning and polishing your furniture is not difficult. Simply dusting it clean with a dry towel, washing with soap and water, or cleaning with a vacuum cleaner usually does the magic.

However, while cleaning and/or polishing, be careful care not to use materials and chemicals that end up doing more harm than good. The makeup of your furniture material should determine the type of cleaning, polishing, and general care material and method you use. What an item of all-wood furniture may simply need is dusting or cleaning with soap and water. A leather furniture piece, on the other hand, may need gentle cleaning as well as being sprayed with polish. During cleaning, care should be taken not to use a rough object as that may become counterproductive.

Some products like turpentine and linseed oil, olive oil, lime juice, and vinegar can be useful for cleaning grease, grime, and stain from the furniture. Salt has also been suggested to be helpful in cleaning a stubborn stain. When using any of those, however, care should be taken not to overuse them.

2.  Ensure your furniture is protected when moving

Moving homes or offices can be delicate with regard to moving heavy and precious furniture pieces to your new location.

During the process, furniture could be exposed to serious stains, scratches or tears which could damage it, make it unusable, or shorten its lifespan. So it is necessary that you make adequate arrangements to have your valued furniture items well protected before or during the move. This can be done by wrapping it properly before moving.

3. Protection from pets

Pets can be another serious threat to your furniture. Your pets are not likely to exhibit a sense of decorum as a person with regard to the way they use your furniture. They may scratch it with their nail or talon.

This is, of course, not an issue for those who don’t keep pets, but for those who do, it certainly is. So, if you’re a pet lover and own one, don’t forget to safeguard your furniture from dangers that pets can cause to them. Here are some easy ways to protect your furniture from pets.

4. Be careful with what you buy

Considering the usefulness of furniture, careful considerations should be made before going to purchase one. A furniture item should not just be bought based on how sleek and stylish it look. You should consider the physical conditions that surround your home before going ahead to make the purchase.

Don’t let your investment in your dining table go to waste as your beautiful table can easily be damaged by heat, spills, scratches, and dents. “When you have more of those things that cause spills, scratches, and dents in your home, then buying a glossy piece of furniture isn't the best idea. Buying a stronger and more robust one that’ll have the capacity to withstand pressure is a wiser thing to do. So, use your discretion,” he said.

5. Adjust your furniture from time to time

A piece of furniture is usually permanently positioned in a strategic location. However, over time it could get exposed to environmental hazards such as heat or pressure.  As a result, it is best that you adjust the position of your furniture piece from time to time as that will help distribute the heat or pressure evenly. If the pressure or heat is distributed in this way, the wear or tear it may cause will not be easily noticed.

6. Store away some pieces of furniture

Some pieces of furniture are antique or some kind of heirloom. Keeping such furniture where every eye can see it will expose it to the same kind of wear and tear that others are exposed to, which will definitely tell negatively on its lifespan. But storing it away and only occasionally exhibiting it will prolong its life.

On a final note, no one – no matter how affluent – wishes to buy a piece of furniture one day and then get a replacement the next day or week because the first one got damaged quickly. When we buy a piece of furniture, we always wish it lasts very long. But how long a piece of furniture lasts largely depends on how the care it is given.  These tips will surely be helpful in preserving the life of your furniture if you follow them. What’s more? You don’t really have to spend to use them.