How to Care for Mango Wood Furniture

Mango wood is becoming more popular (and for good reason!) Take a look below to learn how you can lower your carbon footprint, save money, and own furniture that lasts generations!

What is Mango Wood?

We all know and love mango trees for their delicious fruit – but that’s not all they have to offer! Mango wood is a great sustainable option for any wooden furniture. 

Mango trees can grow up to 100 ft in about 15 years – at which point then stop producing mangos. Their fast growth makes them the perfect candidate for creating sustainable wooden furniture. 

Where Does Mango Wood Come From?

Mango trees are native to East Asia, though they’re also grown in Kenya and China. 

Mango farmers in these areas will grow a tree for roughly 10-15 years until it stops producing fruit. Once this happens, they harvest the tree, sell the wood, and plant a new one in its place. 

Why Choose Mango Wood for Furniture?

Because of its fast growth cycle, Mango wood offers a much more sustainable option than using Oak, which takes around 75 years to grow large enough to harvest for furniture. Mango wood can help relieve deforestation and save endangered tree species. 

Mango wood’s natural colour is another selling factor. It has a diverse mix of browns, golds, and yellows with occasional black or pink streaks. These changing colours are a result of “spalting”, changes in colour due to growth of fungus. 

Mango wood is not only sustainable and beautiful, but it is also extremely easy to carve and bend due to its soft nature – making it perfect for furniture. 

All of these factors lead to the main reason many of us choose mango wood – it’s affordable! The fast growth and minimal processing keeps the cost of production low enough that retailers can sell them at a lower-than-normal price. The minimal processing also means that there is less carbon emitted during production – lowering your carbon footprint in the long run!

How to Care For Mango Wood Furniture:

• Cleaning your mango wood:

When cleaning, try to avoid damp cloths and liquid – which can cause discolouration. The best option for cleaning is to wipe with a clean dry cloth, and then wipe again with a cloth coated in beeswax or varnish. Over time, as it soaks into the wood, you won’t need to use as much wax or varnish. 

• Coat your furniture: 

Because it’s a tropical plant, it’s used to humid environments and so can dry out and crack if not coated often. Use edible oils such as olive or coconut oil for items like cutting boards, kitchen counters, or anything else that may have food touching it. 

Mineral oils are a great way to coat furniture legs, table tops, and other pieces of furniture that won’t immediately be touching food. 

Once you’ve finished coating your mango wood in oils, use a beeswax finish to seal in the oils and give the mango wood a natural looking sheen that brings out all of its dynamic colours. 

Keep your furniture coated with a protectant like beeswax or furniture polish to avoid the possibility of any water stains or scratches. You can also use mineral and edible oils to coat your mango wood. 

• Use place mats and coasters for hot drinks and dishes:

Hot drinks and dishes can cause condensation when placed on a table. This condensation can warp your mango wood over time. To avoid this issue, make sure you use coasters and place mats when placing any hot dishes on your tables. 

• Avoid exposure to liquids:

Just as any condensation can warp your mango wood, any liquid spills can have the same, or worse effects. Clean up any spill immediately with a towel and avoid any alcohol, deodorants or perfumes. 

• Keep out of direct sunlight:

Sunlight has the possibility of fading your mango wood furniture. It’s best to keep it in a fully shaded area. Although this can sometimes be impossible, and so if you must place your mango wood in direct sunlight, try to rotate it often so that it gets an equal amount of light on each side. 

• Don’t place it next to fireplaces or radiators:

Back to the “tropical plant” subject. Radiators and fireplaces will dry out your mango wood, causing cracks and warps over time. Keep your mango wood away from areas of the house that get too warm.

• Seal scratches and stains with wax or varnish:

As soon as you notice scratches or stains on your mango wood, seal them up with a varnish so that it doesn’t dry out in that area!