If you collect antique furniture you know that a well maintained antique piece can add beauty and charm to any home and decor.  They can be a part of an antique themed decoration or mixed with modern furniture for distinctive look.  But if your antiques are dirty or have stains they will take away from the look you have tried so hard to create rather than enhance it.  You may be afraid to clean your antique furniture for fear of ruining its value but you can get them looking good again and not reduce its value.

Here are 8 steps to clean antique furniture:

1. Keep a supply of soft dry cloths to clean your antiques with.  Old cotton T-shirts are perfect for this.  It may take several to clean and polish your piece. If the piece is not terribly dirty but dull from light soil and oils from your skin, liberal amounts of New Life Wood Moisturizer will bring back the natural beauty.  To really get the grime from a treasure in the rough use what the dealers use, which is New Life Furniture Masque.
2. To clean and dust crevices and ornate carvings you will need a soft bristle brush to get in those tight places.
3. To get the odor out of  dresser drawers or amoires put trays or boxes of baking soda inside.  It will absorb many of the odors!  Another good odor eater is your favorite kitty litter.
4. New Life Wood Moisturizer will remove the gummy residue from tape or chewing gum.  The orange oil in it will break those residues down without damaging the finish.
5. If the furniture has brass ornamentation or handles the New Life Brass and Copper Cleaner & Polish is a great solution or you can try a homemade paste from flour, salt and vinegar to try and clean them.  In either case, use a soft cloth to clean and another to shine.
6. To polish the wood and protect it from future damage use New Life Moisturizer with its specially formulated beeswax and orange oil.  The oil will penetrate the natural patina of the wood to bring back its natural beauty and the beeswax will protect it from the elements.  If you want an even higher gloss shine use New Life Cream Polish as the final step.
7. If your piece has leather you can clean it like described here.  If you have saddle soap you can also clean leather with it and water then be sure to dry with a soft cloth.
8. You can vacuum dust from antique furniture just be sure to not scratch it.  Do this if there is a heavy coat of dust on it rather than rubbing it off to prevent scratching the finish.

Follow these steps and you will have clean antique furniture that will give you years of enjoyment and beauty in your home or office.