Furniture do's
Here are some tips for keeping wood furniture looking good:

-- Clean and polish your furniture at least every one to two months. Darrell Stimson, known as the Wood Wizard, recommends Murphy's oil soap. "It's a vegetable oil soap that you dilute with water," he says. It's been around forever and is the best product out there."

-- Dust using the new microcrystalline cloths such as Swiffer.

-- Use furniture polish sparingly, maybe one or two times a year. Stimson's favorite product is Guardsman Cream Polish, sold mostly at hardware stores. He prefers it because it contains no silicone oils.

-- Use shoe polish, applied with a cotton swab, for small nicks.

-- Use coasters underneath beverages and planters - -don't ever let moisture sit on a surface.

-- Use trivets for hot items. "If it's too hot to drink, it's too hot to put on your furniture," Stimson says.

E-mail WoodWizard@earthlink.net
Call 925-370-1489