Tips for maintaining your home items

　　Paint stains. If paint drips onto furniture and is still wet, it can be wiped off with a cloth dampened with wax, or gently rubbed with steel wool dipped in wax. If the paint has dried, linseed oil can be dripped onto the paint to alter its appearance, then wiped off with a cloth, and finally polished with limestone and wax.

　　Paint peeling. For small patches of paint peeling off the surface of varnished furniture, you can use the same color poster paint to touch up the area, and then apply varnish to the surface to restore it to its original condition.

　　Fire damage. First, remove the scorched wood with a blade, then clean it with steel wool. Next, fill the hole with furniture repair phenolic resin, smooth it with oil, and then polish it with furniture wax.

　　Drawer wear. If the drawer slides are heavily worn, pull the drawer out and turn it inside out. Use a soldering iron to apply a layer of candle wax to the drawer slides, allowing the wax to penetrate the wood. Repeat this process on the corresponding slides of tableware or cabinets to reduce drawer wear.

　　Rust removal from metal furniture: Use gauze dipped in a little sewing machine oil to wipe away the rust spots, exposing the rusted area. Then use No. 1 fine wet sandpaper to remove the rust. Wipe away the rust and oil with gauze. Then mix paint and turpentine in a 2:3 ratio and apply evenly to the rusted area.

　　Rust removal from electroplated furniture: Small items can be soaked in a basin of machine oil to remove rust; for larger items, apply machine oil to the rusted areas with a brush or cotton yarn, wait a moment, and then wipe back and forth to remove the rust.

　　The lacquer is dull. There are two ways to restore the shine to the lacquer on wooden furniture. One is to mix half a cup of water with 1/4 cup of vinegar, and wipe the surface with a soft cloth. The other is to lightly wipe the surface once or twice with a soft cloth dampened with alcohol, cologne, or tea, and then apply a coat of floor wax.

　　Cracks and holes. There are two methods to repair cracks and holes in tables, chairs, and cabinets: One is to cut old newspapers into small pieces, add an appropriate amount of alum and water, boil into a paste, and embed it into the crack. It will be very strong after drying. The second is to mix sawdust with 1:1 white glue, embed it into the crack, and sand it smooth after 24 hours. This method is simple and economical.

　　The hinge is loose. Take a piece of wood as thin as a chopstick, sharpen it, apply white glue, insert it into the wood screw hole, and hammer it in. After hammering it in, break off the piece of wood, then screw the wood screw back in to tighten it.