A bottle of furniture polish is essential in every cleaning cabinet. Worried about keeping and using toxic cleaners in your home? Store-bought products often contain dangerous chemicals that can be harmful to pets, children, and the environment. But these DIY furniture polish recipes are chemical free, completely natural, and quite a bit cheaper than the store brands! They’ll keep wood furniture clean, smooth, and give it that beautiful sheen.
1. DIY Olive Oil Furniture Polish
This basic DIY furniture polish recipe from Scratch Mommy is made from easy to find ingredients and comes together in a jiff. It will clean and restore the shine to wood and might even help tackle superficial water rings!
- Funnel: Use this to add ingredients without making a mess.
- Sealable spray bottle: The spray bottle is the best applicator, but it needs to completely sealed to keep the oil from going rancid.
- Microfiber cloth: This is the best kind of cloth to use that picks up on dust and helps protect the wood.
- 2 tbsp. olive oil: This gives the wood back its shine and helps protect it.
- 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar: Vinegar cuts through the grime and cleans away the dust and dirt.
- 1/4 tsp. fresh lemon juice: The lemon juice adds a fresh scent and helps with brightening up the wood.
2. DIY Beeswax Furniture Polish
People are discovering more and more uses of honey and other bee products. No longer confined to food and medicine, they can even be helpful for cleaning! This somewhat more complicated but effective DIY furniture polish recipe made from beeswax will leave all of your wood furniture looking shiny and new.
- Glass jar: This will keep the polish good for an indefinite amount of time.
- 2/3 cup beeswax: The beeswax is the secret ingredient that gives a long lasting glow and smooth texture.
- 3 cups olive oil: Olive oil also helps with the shine and helps the beeswax to spread more evenly.
- 30 drops of clear grapefruit seed extract: The antioxidant keeps the furniture polish helps keep the olive oil from going rancid and helps the polish keep that sweet honey scent.
Source: Wikimedia
3. DIY Beeswax & Coconut Oil Wood Polish
A block of beeswax can be difficult to work with since it often requires grating to use. This recipe uses beeswax pastilles instead, along with coconut oil. The easy to make two ingredient combination produces a creamy wood salve that will work to restore even the most beat up wood furniture.
- 1/2 pint wide-mouth mason jar: You can cook the polish right in this jar for easy clean up.
- 1/3 cup extra virgin coconut oil: An alternative to olive oil, the coconut oil give back the sheen and smells great too.
- 2 tbsp. beeswax pastilles: The beeswax works with the oil to restore the wood grain to it’s original glory.
4. DIY Liquid Furniture or Floor Polish
This recipe from SavvyBrown is less concentrated making it great for larger surfaces or areas that you don’t want to be quite as slippery! It will work great on furniture or on the floor!
- Glass spray bottle: Oil goes rancid less quickly in glass than in plastic.
- 1/2 cup of olive oil: As always, polishes and shines all types of wood!
- 1/2 cup of vinegar: The vinegar acts as a cleaner and disinfectant.
- 1/4 cup of water: This dilutes the solution.
- 30 drops of essential oil (of choice): Essential oil makes it smell great!
5. Easy DIY Lemon Juice Furniture Polish
Skip the vinegar. you can throw these two ingredients together super quickly for a fast and easy polish recipe. This is one won’t last long so it’s perfect to make in small batches and use up all at once.
- 1/2 cup olive oil: The oil will make everything smooth and shiny and repel future dust.
- 1/4 lemon juice: Great for wood, the lemon juice will have some disinfectant power but will really add the luster back to your piece.
Source: Wikimedia
6. DIY Furniture Cleaner and Polish
Some of the homemade polishes leave furniture more oily than you might prefer. This DIY furniture polish recipe is heavy on the vinegar which makes it a stronger cleaner. And it adds just enough oil to leave the surface shiny and smooth without the extra slick residue. Using jojoba oil instead adds extra protection because of the wax like properties.
- 1/4 cup white vinegar: For great cleaning power!
- A few drops of jojoba oil: This unique oil is extracted from the nut of an indigenous American shrub. The rich nutty smell is an extra perk.
7. DIY Linseed & Turpentine Polish / Sealant
This recipe is a little more involved with less common ingredients, but the extra time and effort will go a long way. If you have a heavy use piece, like the family dining room table, this heavy duty polish also acts as a sealant and will protect the furniture from minor wear and tear or exposure to water and sunlight.
- Small metal container: This is for safe storage.
- 1/2 cup linseed oil: The linseed oil makes an extra smooth finish.
- 1/2 cup turpentine: This provides an extra strong protective coat.
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar: The vinegar cleans and disinfects.
Source: Pixabay
Conclusion
Even really specific household cleaning products, like furniture polish, don’t have to be difficult to DIY. You can choose one of these DIY furniture polish recipes for a budget friendly alternative that will be safe for your family and better for the environment. Your wood furniture will be clean and glowing, letting the natural beauty of the wood shine through.
