- Don’t use water or water based products to clean your furniture. (Well, unless it is Formica or plastic.)
- Don’t use sponges or paper towels, they are too abrasive. (If a furniture sales person tells you that you can clean something with a sponge, soap and water, walk out.)
- Don’t use citrus based products. They are too strong.
- Don’t use ammonia to clean furniture. It will damage the finish and can discolor the wood underneath the finish. (It is OK to use a mild ammonia and water solution on floors that have been finished with polyurethane.)
- Don’t polish hardware while it is still on your furniture. The polish has ammonia in it and will damage your finish.
- Never apply oil to anything that other then furniture that was oiled in the first place. It will not “feed the finish”.
- Never use fingernail polish or remover anywhere near your good furniture. If you spill it, it will completely eat the finish.
- Never use permanent magic markers on anything other then your crafts table. The ink in the marker will travel through the finish and right into the wood.
- Never iron on you dining room table. (Seriously, I see this kind of damage at least once a month.)
- Never take something from the microwave and place it on your table. It is too hot and could cause blushing.
- Never take something from the freezer and place it on your table. It is too cold and could cause blushing.
- Never use a vinyl table cloth with the felt back, straight out of the package. The strong chemical smell is a fume that is strong enough to actually soft the finish you are trying to protect and then stick, permanently.
