How to Care for Your Antique Furniture

  • Why is your Aunt Mabel’s dining room table warped?

  • Why is your Grandmother’s sewing table discolored?

  • Should you use aerosol polishes on your antiques?

Relative humidity
Central heating is the worst thing to happen to antiques. A warm inside and cold outside makes life comfortable while wreaking havoc on antiques. It’s the fluctuations in relative humidity that central heating creates which cause the problem. Wood responds to relative humidity by expanding and contracting as it tries to maintain a balance with its environment. It’s not the rapid changes during the course of a day that cause the most damage. It’s the long-term seasonal fluctuations, which cause the serious damage. During the dry winter months when it is cold outside and warm inside, wood tends to shrink. During hot damp summers when it is warm outside and cooler inside, wood tends to expand. Long-term exposure to these conditions leads to cracking, warping and splitting.

How can you guard against the fluctuations in relative humidity in your home? Use a humidifier during the cold winter and a dehumidifier in the damp summer. Think twice before putting a good piece of furniture in a basement, attic, near heating vents or near fireplaces. Keep fresh air circulating. Maintain a constant room temperature and turn it low at night.

Finishes are affected by relative humidity. Just as the wood expands and contracts, so too does the finish, which becomes brittle and crack. This is called crazing.

What can you do about crazing? Restor-A-Finish is a great multi-purpose product that penetrates through the existing crazed finish and stain, bringing up the color and restoring the luster.

Sunlight
Just as sun damage to the skin is cumulative and permanent, its effects on wood are just as destructive. Diffused sunlight over a long period of time can be as detrimental as direct sunlight over a short period of time. Sunlight can turn a clear finish yellow.

How can you avoid sun damage? The only good news about sun damage is that it’s easy to avoid. Draw the drapes, pull the blinds or have an UV-filtering film applied to your windows.

Insects
Termites are a menace to North American homes and are often found in older homes. Hopefully, you’ll notice an infestation of termites in your home before they reach your furniture.

The termite solution? Professional fumigation is the best remedy.

The wood beetle is a nasty archenemy of European antiques. It’s not as common in North America. Nevertheless, you want to be aware of the wood beetle in case you bring an antique from overseas into your home and infest the rest of your furniture.

The wood beetle lays its eggs in the crevices in wood; the larvae hatch and eat their way through the wood creating a series of tunnels. As the beetle ages, it digs its way out of the wood leaving a hole, flies off to lay its eggs and continues its life cycle.

A tell tale sign that you have wood beetle is the pile of frass (wood dust and insect excrement) on the floor. Another sign of a serious infestation is to pick up an item; if it is very light, likely a large portion of the inside has been eaten away.

How to rid your furniture of this pesky insect? Isolate the infested object. Ensure that the infestation has not spread. Hope that this infestation happened during the winter because the easiest way to get rid this bothersome bug is to place the item outside on a dry sub-zero day.

Surface damage
A great deal of surface damage can be prevented if you always remember to use coasters, mats and trivets and avoid placing hot and/or wet items directly on furniture.

Scratches — Never slide anything (vase, plate, serving dish etc) across a surface because it will scratch. A very light scratch can be treated with Restor-A-Finish. Deep scratches require the skill of professional restorers.

Liquids — Spilled water should be thoroughly wiped up immediately. Alcohol and solvents (nail polish, nail polish remover, perfumes) should be dabbed, not wiped because they can act like a furniture stripper and damage the finish. White rings left from either a hot drink or a wet glass should be attended to right away. A little Brasso applied with a clean cloth may do the trick. Or, I have found that Restor-A-Finish works well to remove white rings. Always test on a small area first.

Candle wax — Wait for the wax to cool then gently loosen using a fingernail to remove.

Cleaning
For daily cleaning, use a clean cloth or a clean duster. For those who like to use something more, I recommend Orange Oil because it works well to clean and polish wood finishes. I like it because it doesn’t leave a wax build up and doesn’t contain linseed or silicone oil. Avoid aerosol spray polishes because they can contain silicone oil and other agents that can be harmful to your furniture.

Every couple of months, wax with a good quality paste wax that can be found in any hardware store. If you wax too much, it can dull the finish and attract dust. To remove a waxy build up, apply varasol with a clean cotton cloth. Proper waxing will bring up the color and grain of the wood and protect it. Rub a small amount on a soft cloth and apply it in circular motions. Let it dry then buff with a clean cloth. A

Moving/Handling
Remember to treat your antiques with care. They are old and should be given the respect that their age commands. Pick up chairs from underneath the seat; not by the arms. Lift a large piece of furniture; dragging it can put excessive pressure on the legs. Tables should be lifted by the apron; not by the top or the legs because they could be loosened. Open drawers using both draw pulls; not just one. Sit squarely on a chair; don’t tilt back on it.

 

 

Ten Tips for Choosing the Right Direct Sales Company

Direct sales can be your ticket to a profitable HOME-based business. There's low risk and low overhead - and you'll find lots of conversation, creativity, and cooperation among the company's representatives. But how do you know which company is right for you? Here are ten things to look for as you research your options.

1. Products. Successful direct sales consultants exude a genuine enthusiasm for their products. Before joining a company, you'll need to have the inner conviction that your company brings products and an opportunity that no other company can. It's important for you to get your hands on the products before you sign. Place an order or, at the very least, request a catalog and product samples before joining.

2. Passion. Does this company involve a business you are truly passionate about? One of the nice things about a direct sales business is that you can often find one that suits your personal passion...whether it's cooking, HOME décor, beauty, or scrapbooking & cardmaking. And when you're genuinely enthusiastic about the industry and the product, you'll feel as though you are sharing, teaching, and helping - not selling.

3. Initial investment. What kind of cash outlay will your start-up require? Look closely at the company's joining fee and/or the cost of your business starter kit, but also think realistically about how much inventory you'll need to have on hand and what kinds of business supplies or products you'll need to get your business started.

4. Monthly minimums. What kind of personal sales volume is required? Are you ready to invest the time and energy that this level of business building requires?

5. Compensation Plan. Each direct sales plan is different, and it's important to look over the fine print. What is the commission rate and how is it paid? How are you awarded for recruiting others? How does the company handle breakaways?

6. Control. How much control do you have over the way you build and promote your business? Ask to see the company "rule book" before signing on.

7. Support. What kind of support networks are in place? How involved in the business is your upline? (Is your upline able to answer the questions in this article, for example?) How quickly does he/she return phone calls and emails?

8. Advertising. What kind of advertising and promotion does the company deem acceptable? Most companies have rules for the way their logo and trademarks are represented, both online and off.

9. Accessibility. Does the company offer exclusive products? Also, take a look at the level of saturation in your particular market. A newer company that offers quality products may hold a lot of promise in your particular industry.

10. E-commerce. Does the company have an e-commerce option? Many direct sales companies are now offering replicated websites so each representative can promote an individual online presence. A few direct sales companies even have shopping carts alongside these websites so you can make sales online, too, with the product dropshipped from the HOME office.

 

 

5 Tips to Choosing a Direct Sales Business

With hundreds of direct sales companies out there, how do you choose the right one for you? Here are a few tips to make sure you choose the right one the first time:

1. Find your passion

Before you even start looking for the “big money”, you need to decide what type of products interest you. Do you want to improve your health? Like to HOME decor items? Love different types of foods? List everything that you love!

2. Find the business

Take your list you made and seek out those programs that offer these types of products. Don’t join the business yet - right now you are just making a list of all the companies. Don’t worry about two different businesses that offer the same products, just write them both down.

3. Try out the Products

I’m not saying go into debt buying from all these businesses. Try to choose from just a few that you would buy from even if you weren’t doing your research. Make sure they are products you are going to use!

4. Compare businesses

Now that you have tried out the products, check out the details of the program. Look closely at the retail prices, cost of the kid, and finally the compensation plan. Ask yourself questions such as “Could I stand behind this company?”, “Is the income possibility there” , and “Are the products what they say they are?”.

5. Ask the experts

Stop by a few message boards and groups to ask the experts what they think of the businesses you’ve narrowed in on. Ask lots of questions about how well the products sell and how good the company’s customer service is.

It may take a lot of time to do all this research, but it’s well worth it in the end. Just remember to always look at the products first and income second. Follow your instinct and you will find the perfect business for you.

 

 

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