Carter's - Furniture Since 1951

Product Care

Keeping Your Furniture Beautiful

Quality wood furniture is a significant investment you expect to last for generations. To maintain its beauty and help it last, wood furniture needs the appropriate care.

Furniture products are finished with two to three coats of lacquer for extra depth and long-lasting durability. The sheen, or gloss, of the finish ranges from high to low, depending on the piece or collection. The finish protects the wood and adds to its beauty. No finish is totally
indestructible. But with regular care, the finish will last much longer, providing years of enjoyment to you.

Furniture craftsmen have spent hundreds of hours creating this fine piece of furniture. Wood is a natural material with variations of color shade, configuration, streaks and grain structure. Just as trees in the forest are not the same, each individual piece of furnishings has characteristic markings that may differ from photo and showroom samples.

Many of today's most popular wood furniture styles offer a finish technique called "distressing"
that gives the furniture an aged appearance with wear marks and dents, simulating the look of
heirloom antiques.

To protect and care for your furniture, we recommend the following:

• Avoid placing your furniture in direct sunlight, as sunlight causes fading
• Avoid placing plastic or rubber materials on your furniture, as certain plastics contain ingredients that may discolor or damage the finish. The type of plastic materials that may cause problems include: plastic feet on computers, calculators and telephones and other products such as lamp bases, vinyl notebook binders and placemats. Always use felt pads under these articles to prevent discoloration of the finish.
• Avoid placing hot cups or dishes directly on the furniture. Use pads, cloth or felt to protect the furniture surface from plastic, rubber, hot items, bookends, flowerpots and vases.
• Always remember to lift objects rather than slide them across the finish.
• Avoid extreme changes in temperature by arranging furniture away from radiators, heat
  and air vents and air conditioning units.
• Periodically rotate accessories on furniture so they do not sit in the same spot all the time.
• Clean up spills immediately. Use a blotting rather than a wiping action. Water left over a
  long period of time will cause white spots in the finish. Alcohol, perfume, after-shave and
  medications can cause severe finish damage.
• Use a protective pad when writing with a ballpoint pen on the furniture surface.

Cleaning and polishing your furniture

We recommend dusting frequently with a clean, soft, dry and lint-free cloth. Clean the surface by
rubbing in the direction of the grain. We recommend polishing your furniture approximately
every six months with a lint-free cloth and rubbing in the polish in the direction of the grain.

There are three basic types of furniture care products: silicone cleaners, waxes and polishes.
We recommend avoiding silicone cleaners and waxes, because both can cause problems such as build-up of a grimy film. Polishes, which we recommend, contain detergents, emulsifiers and mineral oil. The detergents clean dirt from the furniture, the emulsifiers give it body to clean and last longer and the mineral oil is left behind as a barrier for dirt and moisture that could harm finishes.

Brass, Butcher Block, Cast Resin, Wrouqht Iron, Stone, Marble & Travertine

• Brass: Clean with mild soap and water; do not use brass cleaner, which will damage or remove the lacquer finish.
• Butcher Block Tops: Clean with mild soap and water. Preserve and enhance the natural wood surface with an occasional application of vegetable or mineral oil
• Cast Resin: Clean as for fine wood furniture (as described inside the pamphlet). A mild glass or household cleaner also may be used.
• Metal & Wrought Iron: Maintain with regular dusting, and wipe up spills immediately. To clean, use a clean, soft cloth for each step. Wipe first with a cloth dipped in mild soap and water solution and wrung out; wipe again with a cloth dipped in clear water and wrung out; dry thoroughly.
• Stone, Marble & Travertine: Use coasters or a table cloth to protect from spills or rings, Wipe up spills immediately; stone is porous, and liquids allowed to seep in may not be able to be removed. Clean with mild soap and water, dry thoroughly, always rubbing with the grain.