At some point, you’ve probably heard a weather forecaster talk about “Relative Humidity” (RH). If not, relative humidity is the amount of moisture in the air compared to what the air can "hold" at that temperature. In low temperatures, air requires less water vapor to have a high RH than warm or hot air, which requires much more water vapor for a high RH level.
Now it might be obvious that winter air holds less moisture, but how big is the difference? Say we take 20° winter air with 80% RH, bring it inside, and warm it up to 70°. The RH plummets down to ~15% – almost as dry as Death Valley during the summer months (10%)!
Dry air can be dangerous for your home because it sucks the moisture out of everything, especially your body and your furniture. So if even humid winter air that sneaks into your home is bone-dry when it warms up, what’re you to do?
Buy a Humidifier
A humidifier will add that must-needed moisture to your home. Besides helping your furniture, a humidifier can be beneficial for your health, home comfort, and even controlling static electricity. Just be sure to clean it regularly and follow usage directions!
Picking a humidifier is different for every person - there is no one-size-fits-all. Your specific needs and budget are important in making a choice. The Sweethome, Consumer Reports, and Pick My Humidifier all to have buying guides and recommendations for you to pick the right one.
Though buying and using a humidifier is most important, we advise taking additional steps to protect your furniture pieces.
Wood Furniture
Wood-based furniture, especially antiques, hold a lot of moisture in them. In addition to a humidifier, use a wood oil that cleans and moisturizes the wood (we use Old English). We’ve linked 2 articles that go more in-depth and provide step-by-step instructions (https://goo.gl/0ddm2b & https://goo.gl/h1eGAi).
Leather Furniture & Decor
For leather products like couches, we’ll occasionally use a leather conditioner that cleans and moisturizes the leather. We’d recommend saving any treatment beyond that for professionals. These 2 articles provide great information on proper leather care (https://goo.gl/Fu9195 & https://goo.gl/DByjsi).
If the information in the articles doesn’t satisfy you, we strongly recommend buying The Furniture Bible book!
*Note: Beware of internet DIY home-formulas. The furniture care products you’ll use are cheap for what they provide, and a crushed vitamin and olive oil paste will ruin your furniture finish and material. Skimping on a few dollars now will end up costing you a LOT down the road.
As the importance of exercise or breakfast, the information here is basic but often overlooked. Caring for your furniture takes little time or effort, it’s more about remembering to do it. At Brown & Beam, we’re passionate about quality furniture and the care that they require. Stop in to talk with us more about furniture care and check out all of our home furnishing products.