So there it is, the new office chair. It was designed by an Italian designer, which you can tell at first glance. Its dark brown leather upholstery looks even more impressive against the white desk than in your wildest dreams; its base made of polished stainless steel completes the elegant impression. Whether for the home office, the office or a study: Anyone who invests in office furniture from the professional or luxury segment not only values comfort, but also a good visual impression. Accordingly, high-quality office equipment also needs to be well maintained. A few tips for proper care – the first of two posts will be about the “hard” components of office furniture.
It is usually only a matter of time before the aforementioned chrome base of the executive chair becomes dull or blind due to shoe heels, minor collisions with the filing cabinet or daily use of the vacuum cleaner. The plastic of the seat shell can lose its color or become brittle due to exposure to sunlight or long use. And contrary to popular belief, stainless steel chair legs can also rust. Anyone who knows a little can use simple measures to prevent office furniture from aging too quickly. Because with the right care, they will retain their new shine for years.
- Plastic
- Chrome
- Stainless steel
- Solid wood
- Laminate
- Coated chipboard, veneer and MDF
- Glass and plexiglass
A little hardware material science
Desk chairs consist largely of polymer-based plastics. Polypropylene (PP) is often used due to its hard, strong and mechanically resilient properties. Metals such as chrome or stainless steel are primarily used in places where particular stability is required, such as bases, table or chair legs. Various hardwoods such as beech, oak or maple are being used more and more often, although this market naturally serves a niche and is often supplied by traditional manufacturers. However, since design classics such as the American “Jasper” chair or its revenants are again very popular, especially among fans of a well-kept vintage look in the home office, and the inherited walnut dining table is given a new life as a desk, it is also worth taking a look at the principles of wood care.
Desk or cupboard surfaces can also generally be made of solid wood; However, current system furniture usually uses laminated or coated chipboard or MDF (medium-density fibreboard). For the sake of the modern and airy look, glass surfaces are also popular and are usually made of safety glass or Plexiglas, which in some cases is colored or ground. Roll containers, desk legs or shelves can also be made of aluminum, steel or chrome.
The right care for every material
What is a blessing for one material is a sure way for another to turn it into a recycling center as quickly as possible. That's why it's always advisable to first take a look at the manufacturer's information on proper product care. Caution is advised, especially with coated or painted surfaces: cleaning agents that are too strong can make the material unsightly or, in the worst case, even damage it. The basic rule is: always try gentle cleaning first, for example with warm water and a soft cloth. Only if repeated use doesn't help, use mild detergent and only in an emergency use coarser chemicals.
Apart from special cleaners that are available in pretty much every hardware store or often even in drugstores, there are a few good home remedies to restore a dull shine. The choice of agent depends heavily on the material, so here is a closer look at most of the common materials that can appear in an office.
Plastic
Plastic, especially polypropylene, is inherently quite tough. If it is not subjected to brute force, it hardly breaks and holds its shape for half an eternity. The only thing that can change under certain circumstances is the appearance: exposure to sunlight or the use of harsh cleaning agents can make it pale or dull. For example, if the seat shell of a desk chair has visible signs of wear and tear from everyday use, we recommend a home remedy that is also often used to improve the appearance of car cockpits: spray oil. Clean the part in question well beforehand. Wet cloths, which can also be used in the household, or simply a piece of kitchen roll and some window cleaner are ideal for this. Then let it dry well, take a soft cloth, spray some oil on it and rub the plastic parts carefully.
Chrome
It doesn't always have to be chrome cleaner to make tarnished parts sparkle again. Of course, you can also tackle desk legs, office chair bases or cupboard fittings with a lint-free cloth and appropriate spray from the hardware store. However, the following home remedies are much more environmentally friendly and just as effective: petroleum jelly, lemons or ash. What initially sounds strange is actually a common tool in the automotive industry - where chrome is mainly found.
If you want to prevent chrome parts from rusting in the first place, you can rub a little petroleum jelly into the elegantly shiny areas of your office furniture. This thin protective layer ensures that the chrome cannot oxidize in the first place. Once it gets to that point, a slice of lemon can work wonders: simply rub the affected areas with it, rinse with plenty of clean water and rub dry with a soft cloth.
If you have a wood stove at home, you can also take a handful of cold ash in a rinsed yogurt cup with you to the office. Pour a sip of water on top and dip it in with a cloth. Rub the affected areas and rinse and rub dry again.
Stainless steel
A tried and tested home remedy for cleaning stainless steel components is baking soda. Of course, this really ancient home remedy for cleaning kitchen sinks also works in the office: put some powder on a damp sponge, rub thoroughly, let it take effect and wipe off with warm water. If necessary, repeat the application and experiment with the exposure time until the result looks as it should. In any case, rinse with warm water and finally polish until completely dry.
Common alternatives are baking soda, alcohol or vinegar; and for less deep cleaning, a thorough polish with a microfiber cloth and, if necessary, a little dishwashing liquid. With brushed stainless steel, a visually very attractive variant of steel components, it is important never to polish crosswise to the cut in order to preserve the attractive effect for as long as possible. The home remedies help excellently; In this case, however, the industry is a little bit superior. She has developed stainless steel care products that leave a protective film on the surface after cleaning, which then prevents new fingerprints or grease stains.
Solid wood
Things get a little more difficult when it comes to “solid wood”. If you have real wooden furniture in your office, you need to be well informed before waving a cleaning rag or even bringing in harsh cleaners. The basic rule is: Most furniture is sealed by the manufacturer so that water, grease or stains do not leave any traces on the valuable natural product and cannot penetrate the wood. It is necessary to stick with one type of sealing. For example, if the wood has been oiled by the manufacturer, it must be treated with the right oil at regular intervals. The durability of a polish depends heavily on the type.
If the furniture has been waxed, there is little point in using wood oil. If you are recycling a table or cupboard and are not sure which form of preservation the previous owner or manufacturer chose, you should contact a carpenter who will examine the surface with an expert eye. If in doubt, especially with expensive furniture, it makes sense to sand down the good pieces and give them a complete new treatment to keep scratches, stains and, above all, moisture away. Because one thing is certain: once wood has swelled, this process can no longer be reversed.
Whether it's an office floor, a table top or a cupboard door: solid wood needs to be nourished so that it doesn't dry out. In this context, wax is said to have better properties than oil - whereas oil provides better protection against moisture. So-called hard oil combines the strengths of both substances.
The following applies to all types of wood, whether oiled, waxed or varnished: All common signs of wear should be removed with natural soap and a soft cloth.
Laminate
Unlike wood, laminate is relatively easy to maintain. To avoid scratches from small stones or crumbs, laminate surfaces should be vacuumed often. If they are more dirty, it is worth using a damp floor wiping cloth, which is available from specialist retailers. These cloths contain oils and waxes that protect the laminate.
Coated chipboard, veneer and MDF
System furniture made of coated chipboard, wood veneer or MDF panels also prefer daily care with mild soap and water over large plastering with a lot of moisture and strong soapy water. The basic rule applies here too: dry thoroughly so that no traces are left behind.
Glass and plexiglass
As light and airy as desks with glass tabletops may seem in the office, they require a lot of maintenance. Greasy prints from fingers and palms, limescale from water glasses or simply dust and lint cover the surface, it seems, more quickly than other surfaces. Because you can see everything straight away, it seems as if glass gets dirty much more quickly than wood or MDF panels. This applies in particular to all glass surfaces in the office that are often touched - including glass doors or, of course, window panes.
When it comes to cleaning glass, there is actually only one tool that is taboo: the vacuum cleaner. The hard plastic suction attachment and the plastic bristles of the cleaning attachments can scratch glass - the same also applies to synthetic fiber cloths. Cleaning products based on alkaline solutions are unfavorable as they can damage the glass. The inclined office worker best remembers his grandmother's approach, who tackled dirty windows with soft cotton cloths, a little spirit in the cleaning water and chamois leather. This works just as well for glass tables as window cleaner or the famous half lemon. It is great to rub glass with. You let the whole thing take effect for a while and then rinse it off carefully with water. A soft cloth or newspaper is advisable for polishing.
If it does happen and scratches appear on the glass, experts recommend using toothpaste carefully. Squeeze a little of it from the tube onto the scratched area, rub it vigorously in a circular motion with a soft kitchen towel and finally wash it off with clean water. The cleaning particles in the paste, which otherwise clean your teeth, also do their job on glass surfaces and soften coarse scratches - or even grind them out completely.
Part two deals with textile materials that are used in the office.