How to Make Simple Furniture Polish
How to Make Simple Furniture Polish
How to Make Simple Furniture Polish (2 ways)
This recipe for how to make simple furniture polish will be part of a series of making all of your own cleaning products (coming soon!). The beginning of this was the homemade laundry detergent that you can find here. Eventually, LifeintheGreen.House will offer a sheet that will include all of them. Stay tuned for that!
The idea of how to make furniture polish came about when trying to figure out how to clean some old woodwork. Often woodwork will dry out. Especially in an old house such as mine. Of course, finding a polish to make was a necessity. The plan was to make a polish that is healthy for my home and didn’t contain toxic ingredients. In addition, I wanted to be able to use this product to moisturize the furniture I was dusting, yet still not have to worry about having my dog putting her chin on the wooden window ledge to look out!
1. First Way to Make Simple Furniture Polish
This works great on woodwork and also on painted surfaces. Always do a test first in case it over-moisturizes an area that you do not want to look darker. Over moisturizing could do that.
1/2 cup of vinegar
5 tablespoons of olive oil (does not need to be first cold press)
1/2 cup of water that has been boiled and cooled. (Alternatively, you can buy distilled).
Because distilled water is pure, it doesn’t leave residue the way tap water (with extra minerals) can.
30-40 drops of lemon essential oil (or the essential oil of your choice) or fresh squeezed lemon juice
Glass or Metal bottle to keep the mixture fresh and lasts a long time.
I am using a glass sprayer because I like the sprayer and you can see the mixture
(even an old thermos works well; you’d just have to dip the rag instead of spraying the mixture)
2. Second Way to Make Simple Furniture Polish
My second option, to make simple furniture polish, is to use coconut oil. That’s it! I love the smell, but also the moisturizing is great. Either raw or refined coconut oil works well. By simply rubbing it into the woodwork with a dry rag or paper towel, you’ll see the result right away. I’ll warn you though…my dog really likes coconut oil so that could be a risk in your family…a risk in that any furry child or human child may want to lick on it before it gets a chance to dry!
Recently, I cleaned up an old dresser. The plan was just to dust, but after working in the coconut oil on the dresser, it looked so nice. So, I kept going! It worked almost like a protectant until we were are able to refinish it.
There you have it!
My two favorite ways to clean woodwork.
Shopping List:
Metal Bottle ideal for cleaning supplies
Other related shopping items
20 Mule Team Borax, Natural Laundry Booster
Dr. Bronner’s Castile Magic Soap, finely shredded (I love citrus; this is a for a variety pack)
Would love to hear what you think of these recipes!
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The plan was to make a polish that is healthy for my home and didn't contain toxic ingredients. In addition, I wanted to be able to use this product to moisturize the furniture I was dusting, yet still not have to worry about having my