‘Tis the season for polishing, dusting, and cleaning. Caring for your precious possessions will prolong their life, your enjoyment and if you use cleaning gloves…your manicure.
Caring and protecting leather furniture: My husband adores his orange Barcelona chair (and I love this picture of it in our London home),but the colour and the leather needs constant care. To maintain your leather furniture, clean it often and condition it occasionally. There are so many products on the market meant to help you along with each step, so be sure to read the label of the product carefully before you use it. The cleaner you use should help preserve the natural lubricating oils rather than stripping them. It should not leave any greasy residue behind as it will make the leather susceptible to bacteria which will break down the stitching of your item. Leather only needs conditioning occasionally and should be used only to restore its natural suppleness. Avoid using a conditioner that contains petroleum or mineral oils, over time these additives will ruin the leather.
Dusting antique or high gloss furniture: Dust is a mood killer and the evil enemy of all fine furniture. For antique pieces, clean with a barley damp cloth and then buff with a dry one. If you insist on waxing use a specialist wax. Avoid at all cost those lovely feather dusters as they scratch the surface, rather use a micro fibre duster on a frequent basis. For high gloss items, follow the same advice but stay clear of the wax.
Prolong the life of your antique ceramics and porcelain: Never put antique ceramics or porcelain in the dishwasher (…no matter how hung over you are). These gems deserve to be hand washed with love and care. Before washing them place a clean towel at the bottom of a sink filled with warm mild detergent. Wash a piece at a time with a soft cloth, avoid scrubbing at all cost, then rinse and hand dry with a soft dish towel.
Caring for silver and other precious metals: For plated items, wash in the same manner you would wash porcelain. After they dry, buff them with a metal cloth (silver, gold or brass). Store them in either an acid free tissue paper, or white linen away from direct light and heat. For silver items (not plated) wash and care for them the same way as above. However if they need a good polish, save the elbow grease for the Gucci end of season sale and follow this method instead:
Boil your silver (yes, boil! It works wonders for our cherished marmite lid). The boiled solution of baking soda and water will separate the sulphur from the silver, transferring it to the aluminium foil that is lining the cleaning pot.
- Line your cooking pan suitable for the size of item with aluminum foil.
- Add enough water to completely cover the tarnished item. Add 3 table spoons for a small item, or up to a 2 cups for a larger item, then bring the water to a boil allowing the baking soda to completely dissolve.
- Once the water is ready, place your silver into the boiling water, taking special care to ensure that the item is touching the foil as much as possible, then remove from heat. Let stand for 10-30 minutes (expect to see dark matter floating around the pot and the foil turning black).
- After your allotted time, remove from the pot, dry, buff, and store in a blissful way. And if you have removed it and it is not shining back at you…shame on you, do it again.