General Daily Cleaning
After meals the table should only need a quick wipe over with a clean soft cloth which is slightly damp NOT wet. When you wipe the table clean it should feel dry within 5-10 seconds. There should be NO visible droplets of water left on the table. If there is food and sauce on the table surface then just work the soft cloth a little harder.
- ALWAYS use a gentle soft cloth that is slightly damp
- The cloth should not be dripping wet.
- There should be no visible droplets of water on the table and it should be dry to touch within 5-10 seconds.
- DO NOT use any cleaning agents or detergents.
- NEVER use any abrasive cloth like a scourer pads, steel wool or sponges with the abrasive green backs.
- At the end of the evening if your normal procedure is to clean the tables down the next day then a quick check over the tables looking for any spills would be a good as spills which are left for several hours (overnight) could lead to a problem.
HEAT
Heat can damage your timber table. The concentration of heat can cause white marks on the table. If its too hot to hold in your hands then its too hot for your table.
- Fish and Chips
- Pizza Boxes
- Baked dishes coming out of the oven.
- Other high heat servings which go straight onto the table
- Coffee cups (less of an issue because they are being regularly lifted away from the table surface.)
- A barrier such as a cork placemat or something similar to sit under the dish as its delivered to the table.
Cleaning Spills – Drinks / Soup / Food
- Remove the spill with a slightly soft damp cloth.
- To Clean spills you just need a clean cloth which is slightly damp NOT wet.
- When you wipe the table clean it should feel dry within 5-10 seconds.
- There should be NO visible droplets of water on the table.
ON GOING CARE
There is no need to wax and polish your furniture every week.
- Every 4- 8 weeks the tables could be polished with a high quality wax such as Howards feed and Wax. Using the “karate kid” wax on wax off approach with 2x cloths.
- Natural oils and waxes are the best
- NEVER use spray polishes that contain silicone
NAIL POLISH REMOVER
- NEVER do your nails at your timber furniture. This is the MOST COMMON cause of damage I get calls about.
- It can be fixed but the average table costs $500+ to re do.
REFURBISHMENT
- Your quality solid timber furniture can be refurbished and brought back to new.