When spring cleaning, people often neglect to remember that their pristine corner hutch is just sitting there, alone in the corner, collecting endless amounts of dust. Even if it is just a display for the fancy china that you never use, you should put an effort into its upkeep. They will end up looking dull and grungy otherwise and no one wants any furniture piece in their house to be "that" unappealing one. Prevent it now by taking a few minutes to give your corner hutch or sideboards a good old cleaning.
Tackle the project by taking out all of the things you have been storing in the hutch. China needs to be carefully wrapped up and placed aside. Likewise for the collectible French press and any other fragile effects. Eventually you will clean those individual pieces as well. The problem with corner hutches that are placed in areas like the kitchen and dining room is that grease, smoke and food particles are prone to circulate through the air and eventually stick to the hutch and everything out in the open shelves. Although the china may not get any of this grime, they are not resistant to the dust that gets everywhere. Simply wipe them off with a gentle cloth.
The first thing you should know before you wipe down the exterior and interior of your corner hutch is precisely what kind of material it is made out of. Most hutches are made of a variety of wood but the way they are finished differs. Some are naturally finished while others are shellaced with a deep amber veneer. Also, cerain makes of wood are softer and more fragile than others. Regardless of the strength of any kind of wood, it's wise to use a soft cloth and not any abrasive scrubs that will scratch the surface. Start by diluting one part soap in two parts warm water and clean the whole outside of the corner hutch. When cleaning the buffet cabinets, pay special attention to the area around the knobs and drawer pulls. These areas tend to get the stickiest and especially with ornately decorated corner hutches, there are numerous grooves that are hard to reach. If they are too detailed, simply get a Q-tip dipped in the solution and clean them. Finally, after you are done cleaning the corner hutch, carefully put your newly china china and collectibles back on the shelves. It'll be like a brand new corner hutch!
