There it is at last, the new office chair. It was designed by an Italian designer, which is obvious at first glance. Its dark brown leather upholstery looks even more impressive in front of the white desk than in your wildest dreams; its polished stainless steel base completes the elegant overall look. Whether for the home office, the office or a study: anyone investing in professional or luxury office furniture values not only comfort, but also a strong visual impression. High-quality office furnishings should therefore be properly maintained as well. Here are a few tips on the right care – in the first of two articles, we will focus on the “hard” components of office furniture.
It is usually only a matter of time before the chrome base of the executive chair mentioned at the beginning develops dull or cloudy spots from shoe heels, minor bumps into the filing cabinet or daily vacuuming. The plastic of the seat shell can lose its colour or become brittle due to sunlight or prolonged use. And contrary to popular belief, even stainless steel chair legs can start to rust. With a little know-how, you can prevent office furniture from ageing too quickly using simple means. With the right care, it will retain its new shine for years.
- Plastic
- Chrome
- Stainless steel
- Solid wood
- Laminate
- Coated chipboard, veneer and MDF
- Glass and plexiglass
A brief guide to hardware materials
Desk chairs are largely made from polymer-based plastics. Polypropylene (PP) is often used because of its hard, rigid and mechanically durable properties. Metals such as chrome or stainless steel are used above all in places where particular stability is required, such as the base, table legs or chair legs. Various hardwoods such as beech, oak or maple are also increasingly being used again, although this market naturally serves a niche and is often supplied by traditional manufacturers. However, as design classics such as the American “Jasper” chair or its imitators are once again highly sought-after, especially among fans of a well-kept vintage look in the home office, and an inherited walnut dining table can sometimes be given a new lease of life there as a desk, it is also worth taking a look at the basics of wood care.
Desk or cabinet surfaces can also in principle be made of solid wood; in modern modular furniture, however, laminated or coated chipboard or MDF (medium-density fibreboard) is usually used. Glass surfaces are also popular for their modern, airy look, and are usually made of safety glass or plexiglass, which in some cases is coloured or ground. Mobile pedestals, desk legs or shelving can also be made of aluminium, steel or chrome.
The right care for every material
What is a blessing for one material is a sure way to turn another into a case for the recycling centre as quickly as possible. That is why the first thing you should always do is check the manufacturer's instructions for proper product care. Caution is especially important with coated or lacquered surfaces: cleaning products that are too harsh can make the material look unsightly or, in the worst case, even damage it. As a general rule: always try gentle cleaning first, for example with warm water and a soft cloth. Only if that still does not help, even after repeated use, should you move on to a mild washing-up liquid and only in emergencies resort to stronger chemical cleaners.
Apart from specialist cleaners, which are available in almost every DIY store and often even in drugstores, there are also a few tried-and-tested home remedies for restoring dull surfaces to their former shine. The choice of remedy depends heavily on the material, so it is worth taking a closer look at the most common materials you are likely to find in an office.
Plastic
Plastic, especially polypropylene, is generally very tough. As long as it is not subjected to brute force, it hardly ever breaks and keeps its shape for what feels like forever. The only thing that may change under certain circumstances is its appearance: exposure to sunlight or the use of harsh cleaning agents can make it look faded or dull. If, for example, the shell of an office chair has visible signs of wear from everyday use, a household remedy is recommended that is also often used to improve the appearance of car dashboards: spray oil. First clean the part in question thoroughly. Damp wipes suitable for household use work well for this, or simply a piece of kitchen roll and some glass cleaner. Then leave it to dry properly, take a soft cloth, spray a little oil onto it and carefully rub down the plastic parts.
Chrome
You do not always need chrome cleaner to make tarnished parts sparkle again. Of course, you can also tackle desk legs, office chair bases or cabinet fittings with a lint-free cloth and the appropriate spray from the DIY store. However, the following home remedies are much more environmentally friendly and just as effective: petroleum jelly, lemons or ash. What may sound unusual at first are actually common aids in the automotive sector – where chrome is most at home.
If you want to prevent chrome parts from rusting in the first place, you can rub the elegantly shiny areas of your office furniture with a little petroleum jelly. This thin protective layer ensures that the chrome cannot oxidise to begin with. If rust has already appeared, a slice of lemon can work wonders: simply rub it over the affected areas, rinse with plenty of clean water and dry with a soft cloth.
If you have a wood-burning stove at home, you can also bring a handful of cold ash to the office in a rinsed-out yoghurt pot. Pour in a splash of water and dip a cloth into it. Rub the affected areas and once again rinse and dry them.
Stainless steel
Baking soda is a tried-and-tested household remedy for cleaning stainless steel components. This truly old-fashioned cleaner for kitchen sinks naturally also works in the office: sprinkle a little powder onto a damp sponge, rub thoroughly, leave it to work and wipe off with warm water. If necessary, repeat the process and experiment with the contact time until the result looks exactly as it should. In any case, rinse with warm water and finally polish completely dry.
Common alternatives are baking powder, alcohol or vinegar; and for less intensive cleaning, a thorough polish with a microfibre cloth and, if needed, a little washing-up liquid. With brushed stainless steel, a visually very appealing finish for steel components, it is important never to polish across the grain in order to preserve the attractive effect for as long as possible. Household remedies do work excellently; in this case, however, the industry does have a slight edge. That is because it has developed stainless steel care products that leave a protective film on the surface after cleaning, helping to prevent new fingerprints or grease marks afterwards.
Solid wood
Things get a little more delicate when it comes to solid wood. Anyone with genuine wooden furniture in the office should first do their research before reaching for a cleaning cloth or, worse still, using harsh cleaners. As a general rule, most furniture is sealed by the manufacturer so that water, grease or stains do not leave marks on this valuable natural material or penetrate the wood. It is important to stick with one type of finish. For example, if the wood was oiled by the manufacturer, it must be retreated regularly with the correct oil. How long a polish lasts depends greatly on the type.
If the furniture has been waxed, there is little point in reaching for wood oil. Anyone recycling a table or cupboard and unsure which type of finish the previous owner or manufacturer chose should ask a joiner to inspect the surface with an expert eye. When in doubt, especially with expensive furniture, it makes sense to sand the pieces down and treat them completely anew to keep scratches, stains and, above all, moisture at bay. One thing is certain: once wood has swollen, this process cannot be reversed.
Whether it is an office floor, a tabletop or a cupboard door: solid wood needs nourishment so that it does not dry out. In this context, wax is said to have better conditioning properties than oil – whereas oil offers better protection against moisture. So-called hardwax oil combines the strengths of both substances.
The following applies to all types of wood, whether oiled, waxed or lacquered: natural soap and a soft cloth should remove all common signs of use.
Laminate
Unlike wood, laminate is relatively easy to care for. To avoid scratches caused by small stones or crumbs, laminate surfaces should be vacuumed frequently. If they are more heavily soiled, it is worth using a damp floor-cleaning cloth available from specialist retailers. These cloths contain oils and waxes that are gentle on laminate.
Coated chipboard, veneer and MDF
System furniture made from coated chipboard, wood veneer or MDF boards also benefits more from daily care with mild soap and water than from a major clean using lots of moisture and a strong soap solution. The same basic rule applies here too: dry thoroughly afterwards so that no marks are left behind.
Glass and plexiglass
As light and airy as desks with glass tops may look in the office, they are just as demanding to maintain. Greasy fingerprints and palm prints, limescale rings from water glasses, or simply dust and fluff seem to cover the surface faster than other materials. Because everything is immediately visible, glass also appears to get dirty much more quickly than wood or MDF boards. This applies in particular to all glass surfaces in the office that are touched frequently – including glass doors and, of course, window panes.
When cleaning glass, there is really only one thing that is off limits: the vacuum cleaner. The hard plastic suction attachment and the plastic bristles on cleaning nozzles can scratch glass – and the same goes for synthetic cloths, by the way. Cleaning products based on alkaline solutions are also unsuitable, as they can damage the glass. It is best to remember the method used by your grandmother, who tackled dirty windows with soft cotton cloths, a little methylated spirit in the cleaning water and a chamois leather. This works just as well for glass desks as glass cleaner or the famous half a lemon. It can be used to rub down glass perfectly. Leave it to work for a short while, then rinse it off carefully with water. For the final polish, a soft cloth or even newspaper is recommended.
If scratches do end up in the glass, experts recommend using toothpaste with care. Squeeze a little from the tube onto the scratched area, polish it in firmly with a soft kitchen cloth using circular motions, and finally wash it off with clean water. The cleaning particles in the paste that would normally clean your teeth also do their job on glass surfaces and reduce deeper scratches – or even polish them out completely.
Part two looks at textile fabrics used in the office.