Let’s face it, furniture is not today what it used to be 20 years ago. The materials that are used today are a lot less sturdy and cheaper to make. But for those few pieces of nice furniture you might have around your house, and even those mediocre pieces, you still need simple solutions to help fix those little nicks that happen from day to day wear and tear. Check out the list we have put together to help you resolve and freshen up some of those treasured pieces you might have in your home.
Scrapes in Faux Leather
Do you have a furry friend that decided to used the back of your leather chair as a scratch post? Your little friend didn’t scratch it completely to ruins, but maybe you have little small holes now in the back of your chair. Take out a magical Sharpie pen that matches the material color, and play like a little kid coloring over those small pesky holes. For the larger tears or snags there are leather repair kits available to help you to create a patch that will match perfectly.
Real Leather
Maybe you have the real deal type of leather, and your furry friend decided to take our some frustration. Get some shoe polish that matches the color of the material and fill in the holes. If you have a nasty snap, using a needle, very carefully push the snags back into place. Then apply the shoe polish over the area, and heat it with a hair dryer. You might have to repeat this procedure several times until you cannot see the snags any longer. Always be sure to test an inconspicuous area of the couch to ensure that the color shoe polish matches.
Upholstery
You have friends over and some red wine spills on the furniture, or a piece of dark chocolate, or maybe some ice cream got spilled. Perhaps, you have children and a melted crayon is now a part of the pattern. No worries.
For a melted crayon, have no fear. Get out a can of WD-40 and follow it up by a wash with dish soap to help remove the residual oils. Voila! Crayon is now removed.
For everything else that has made it’s way to your light colored furniture, use a little bit of oxygen bleach, or vinegar solution. Vinegar is a very handy liquid to keep plenty of around the house. It will remove practically anything and everything from various surfaces.
Scrapes in Wood
Do you have nice deep, dark walnut furniture? For low profile injuries to your beautiful wood, get your hands on a product called Old English Scratch Cover for Dark Woods. This is an oil base product that is soaked directly into the wood making it look beautiful. For the more worse injuries, I always rely on the dark brown Sharpie pens. You can also get special wood and floor markers specifically designed to fill in scrapes. But I find the Sharpies to be cheaper.
Kit Art
Kids love to damage our furniture don’t they? From time to time I will find lovely carvings in my wood furniture. Or crayons on the wall, along with that alphabet they so graciously decided to show you on your door done in marker. Two products you will want to get your hand are are, Minwax, and Goo Gone. Minwax is a wood toned soft wax that will blend those carvings beautifully. Polish it up with a little bit of furniture polish over it and you are set.
Goo Gone, will take off virtually anything you can think of from crayon, to stickers, to marker and even take gum out of carpet. Just apply a small amount to the area you want to treat and give it a little elbow grease and you will have your problem solved.
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By Michelle, Free Stuff Finder Contributor