Your urn is made of hardwood, and finished with shellac and/or water-based polyurethane. To clean, wipe with a damp cloth. Do not use cleaning solutions. Keep the urn out of direct sunlight to protect the finish.

The bottom of the urn opens, not the top. The bottom is held in with two screws; you will need a Phillips head screwdriver. Be sure to line up the dark line on the box with the dark line on the bottom. Do not over tighten the screws; they just need to be gently snugged. 

I recommend keeping the ashes in a plastic bag in the urn. The urn also has a rubber gasket inside the bottom to help seal it. 

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about your urn.