Useful Tips to Protect Your Wooden Furniture from Fungus During Monsoons

Wondering how to remove fungus from your wood furniture and keep it protected? If you don’t maintain the finish of your wooden furniture, it is bound to wear off with time.

Dirt, grime, and mould may accumulate and become tough to clean over the years. It would break your heart to see any of your treasured wooden pieces get destroyed like that, wouldn’t it?

The question is how to protect wood furniture from moisture and ensure it keeps looking like new? Should you clean with soap, dust it, or apply wax? Here are all the tips you should keep in mind to make it look new again.

Tired of Fungus on Your Wood Furniture? Here Are Some Cleaning Tips

• Dust ornate carvings and hard-to-reach corners using woollen dusters.
• Dust your wooden furniture every few days using a damp microfiber cloth or a soft cloth like an old T-shirt. Then, remove excess moisture with a dry towel. Otherwise, dust and dirt will accumulate forming a thin layer that is tough to clean off. You could use a feather duster and lint-free cloths to clean wooden furniture.
• Avoid using any all-purpose cleaning spray that you normally use on your kitchen counter. Also, avoid pouring water to clean the surface of the wood.
• To treat a greasy spot, dip a lint-free cloth in soapy water and dislodge the dirt. Then clean it off with a damp cloth, wiping it dry soon after.

Tips for Wood Cleaning and Polishing

• Manufacturers apply a layer of varnish, shellac or polyurethane during the making of the piece of furniture. Wax offers a long-lasting protective cover that lasts longer than polishes and sprays.
• You will find two types of wax – liquid wax and paste wax. Always remember to apply only a thin layer of wax each time, layering on with another thin layer. Wood polishes and furniture oils coat the wooden pieces with a protective layer of silicone oil.

Vacuum Cleaning to Remove Mould

Confused about how to get rid of white mold on wood? Start by vacuum cleaning the piece of wooden furniture using a soft brush attachment.

Wipe down with a cloth dipped in soapy water. Rinse and clean with a dry cloth. After this, apply a layer of wax to protect the surface.

Getting Rid of Bad Odour from Wooden Furniture

• Keep a foul-smelling wooden piece in the sun, but away from direct sunlight.
• Smear talcum powder or baking soda to absorb odours.
• Another option is to keep it smelling fresh is by placing a tray of charcoal in one of the drawers.

Wood Furniture Maintenance: Repairing Scratches 

• To repair surface-level scratches on wood, use a felt-tip touch-up pen or apply paste wax.
• Use a filler or a wax stick to fill deeper scratches. Pick a coloured wax stick and apply thin layers over one another trying to match the colour of your piece.

Caring for Antique Wood Furniture: Getting Rid of Pesticides 

• Naphthalene balls or mothballs help drive away fiber-loving moths and pests. However, mothballs leave behind a strong chemical smell. How do you get rid of that? Air out the furniture to let the fumes dissipate. Use a hair dryer on the furniture daily until the smell disappears. Be careful not to overheat the wood.
• Smearing baking soda or placing a tray of charcoal, will also help in removing the strong smell.

Use a Humidifier to Prevent the Wood from Drying Out

• Low humidity conditions can impede wooden furniture care by drying out your furniture. A humidifier is a great option to extend the life and ensure proper maintenance and care of your wooden furniture. It will increase the relative humidity levels in the air, minimizing any shrinkage cracks that develop in the wood.
• Ideally, keep the temperature and humidity at consistent levels all year round, and keep your furniture away from heat sources.

Avoid Placing Furniture Outside in Monsoons

• Wood rots if it remains wet all the time. Exercise the appropriate wood patio furniture care or you’ll soon see mould spores all over unless it is a fine-grained, dense wood like mahogany, oak, teak, or walnut.

Your treasured wood furniture collection deserves to be protected from all these external factors. Contact HomeLane to help you design your interiors using high-quality plywood furniture.

FAQs

1. How Do You Care For Wooden Furniture in the Monsoon?

Here are some wooden furniture cleaning and care tips for the monsoon season:

Keep the furniture away from the doors, windows and walls to prevent it from getting drenched in water. Apply oil for wooden garden furniture as well as the joints of doors and drawers to ensure that they are maintained and function smoothly.

2. What Causes Fungus on Wood?

Wood is affected by fungus when the moisture content of wood increases by 20% to 30% paired with an average temperature of between 40 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. There are many wood fungus treatment options to minimise furniture maintainence issues.

3. How Do You Kill Mold and Fungus on Wood?

The best way to kill mold and fungus on wood furniture is using distilled white vinegar. Pour water and vinegar into a bottle and spray the affected area. Then, wipe the surface with a damp cloth after an hour.

4. How Do You Protect Wood Furniture from Moisture?

Use naphthalene or camphor balls to prevent the growth of fungus on wooden doors, tables, etc., as these are perfect for absorbing moisture. They will also prevent pests like termites from damaging your furniture.

5. How To Treat Wood For Outdoor Use?

Confused about wooden furniture care? The best ways to treat wood for outdoor use are either using an oil finish, varnish or a wood sealer. What type of treatment to use fully depends on the project and the type of wood that is supposed to be treated.