Have you been thinking about touching up the house a bit?  Wooden furniture is one of the best ways to do so.  Every room in a home can usually benefit from some kind of natural wood.

What color wooden furniture you choose is going to depend on a few other factors.  For one, what furnishings are built into the room which may happen to be made of wood?  Examples include trim along the floors and ceiling, trim around the windows, any built in countertops or desks, and so on.  

Make sure to select wooden furniture that is compatible with the rest of the room’s built-in features.  Unless you want to do an entire room makeover, this is the way to go.  When you shop, you may take with you a picture (either a printout or one on a digital camera or camera phone) of the room where the furniture might go.

The other factor that you should consider when it comes to wooden furniture color selection is what mood you want to present.  Certain shades of wood grain create a different atmosphere than others.  

For instance, cherry wood tends to feel classy.  It also is a dark color, though, and can be a very relaxing and quiet mood enhancer.  This works great in a den, front room, foyer, and certain kitchens.

If you are going for bright and cheery then cherry wooden furniture finishes are not going to be ideal.  You’ll want a medium or light (preferably lighter colored) wood finish.  Oak is medium in color and can work with an otherwise bright room.  However, if the walls or flooring are also neutral in the room, perhaps going with more of a blonde type wood grain would give the room that extra feeling of happy and awake it might need.

Certain rooms need to have an uplifting mood.  For you, that is going to depend on where you go for that feeling.  For example, kitchens are an excellent choice for lighter colors especially if you spend a lot of time in there.

Just remember that choosing your wooden furniture that it can really change the look of a room and can add the tone or mood that you’re looking for!

Furniture cleaning can be frustrating at times, especially when it seems like nothing works. In the midst of the aggravation, a person may ask themselves, “How can I…?” “What will work?” and “Where do I look?” All of these questions have simple answers and some of the answers have rather surprising solutions. Some of the solutions are already sitting in the kitchens of households all over the world and others are as simple as a trip to the supermarket.

Common Questions Asked and Answered

Q. How often should furniture be cleaned?

A. Furniture should be cleaned every year, but no later than a year and a half should exist between cleanings. However, each home is lived in differently, which can be a better indicator as to how often furniture should be cleaned. If the furniture begins to look dull, then that is a good sign that it is time for a cleaning. Waiting too long between cleanings can actually cause damage to the material.

Q. How can water rings be removed from wood furniture?

A. An oil-based furniture polish is a great way to remove set-in water rings from wood furniture. Even mayonnaise may do the job if left overnight then wiped off with a soft cloth the next day.

Q. What steps need to be taken before cleaning?

A. Remove any breakables that may be sitting near the furniture that is to be cleaned. Also, if there is anything sitting on top of the furniture, it needs to be removed to ensure proper cleaning. In the case of sofas and chairs, remove any pillows and also remove the cushions. However, don’t remove coverings from cushions. Vacuum them, beat them, do whatever needs to be done, but don’t remove the covers. Even though they have zippers, that doesn’t mean they are meant to be removed. The final task when cleaning sofas and chairs is to vacuum them out to get rid of any loose dirt and particles.

Q. How can a smoke smell be removed from wood dresser drawers?

A. First, rub the entire wood surface with denatured alcohol. If that doesn’t work, apply a coat of shellac to the interior of all of the woodwork as well as the inside and outside of the drawers other than the face. What the shellac does is seal in the odor so that it will not emit from the dresser at all.

Tips That can Make Furniture Cleaning Easier

• Rubbing vinegar on the surface prior to polishing will make wood furniture shine.

• When removing water stains from leather upholstery. Wet the entire area with a sponge and room temperature water to a seam in the furniture. Wet it less and less while working away from the stain. After wetting, treat with a conditioner.

• When removing sweat stains from upholstery, using a clean white cloth and white vinegar to work from the outside of the stain to the inside, followed by using the suds of a quart of warm water with ½ teaspoon of dishwashing liquid should do the job.

There are many different and very easy methods that can be used to eliminate stains in furniture and make it look nice again. Of course there are the shampoos that can be purchased at the supermarket, but something as simple as room temperature water and ½ teaspoon of dishwashing liquid can do so much for big jobs.

Have you ever wondered why your children are so helpful to you in the kitchen? Why they are observing at how you complete your masterpieces in your culinary arts? Why they volunteer to chop the onion for you, or peel the potatoes, or simply stir the pot of soup? They are trying to be you, becoming your copycat. They are your biggest culinary fans. Having known that, would you then trust them with knives and real fire in your kitchen? You don’t even need to answer that last question. What you need is a KidKraft Kitchen. It is the best next gift that you could give your kids.

First, KidKraft Kitchens are made safe. They are made of wood. Not of some dangerous synthetic plastic material that may cause harm to your children when ingested. It is sturdy and strong and they won’t break easily. There are no real sharp knives that would hurt them. Their cooking plays are safe because they don’t use real fire. That will surely give you peace of mind.

Second, KidKraft Kitchens are educational. Their role playing cooking games will be fun and exciting for them as they let their culinary imaginations run wild but without the risk of messing up your real kitchen. They can invite their friends and show off their new kitchen toy and they would play all day long and have good clean fun. You can play along with them and teach them the right way to set up a table, the right way to handle a knife, the right way to prepare and serve food. And when you see that they can already handle themselves well, then you can actually ask them to participate in your actual kitchen activities. It will be their learning experience from play kitchen to real kitchen.

Third, KidKraft Kitchens look great. You may wonder why I mentioned that looking great is a benefit. Kids do not play forever. At days that your children have things to do other than play their kitchen set, this will stay beautiful as an ornament in the corner of your playroom or living room. It will not look like some simple scattered toy on the floor but a good display toy. In fact, your visiting friends will surely notice it when they see it in the room. It will remind them of their childhood days playing kitchen games as well. Remember, your kids grow so fast, faster than you expected them to be. They will outgrow this toy but with the durability of it and its great looks, they will not mind passing it down to their next generation. Its sentimental value will grow and it will turn out to be a family heirloom. Wouldn’t you be proud to be the one who got this for the family?

So the next time the occasion arises that you need to get the next toy set for your kids, remember to choose KidKraft Kitchen. It is safe for them, it will teach them and it will last their generation, and the next one and then the next. Who knows?

Have you ever wondered why your children are so helpful to you in the kitchen? Why they are observing at how you complete your masterpieces in your culinary arts? Why they volunteer to chop the onion for you, or peel the potatoes, or simply stir the pot of soup?