If you have wooden furniture, you want it to look as clean and beautiful as possible. Polishing your furniture can be a great way to do that. But you may not want to use just any polish to make the furniture look good.
To polish wooden furniture naturally:
- Make a homemade polish using olive or jojoba oil, white vinegar, and lemon essential oil.
- Mix the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake well before applying the polish to the wood.
- Use a small brush to get into small corners and spaces within the wood.
If you want to clean your wooden furniture, you should consider polishing it. But before you buy the first wood polish you find, consider a more natural option. Keep reading to learn how to polish wooden furniture naturally.
Gather the Ingredients
The first step to polishing wooden furniture naturally is to gather ingredients. If you want to use a natural polish, you can make one at home. Many people have these ingredients and supplies ready to go. But if you don’t, consider these to add to your shopping list:
- 1 cup of olive oil or jojoba oil
- 1/4 cup of white vinegar
- (Optional) 3 or 4 drops of lemon essential oil
Adding lemon essential oil can give the polish a pleasant smell, but it isn’t necessary. You can just combine the white vinegar with either olive oil or jojoba oil. That way, you can make a quick and easy natural polish.
As far as other supplies, you’ll need a spray bottle that can hold enough of the ingredients, especially if you make a larger batch. You should also have a lint-free cloth and a small brush to use when polishing the wooden furniture.
Mix in a Spray Bottle
Once you gather all of your supplies, you can pour the oil and vinegar right into a spray bottle. You don’t need to add any water or other ingredients. If you want to use lemon essential oil, you can also add that now.
Then, you can replace the top so that it forms a good seal. You will need to shake the spray bottle to make sure the ingredients combine well. That way, you can use the polish effectively on your wooden furniture.
Look at the spray bottle in between shaking to see if it needs more. Once it looks good, you can stop shaking the bottle. Then, you can use it to polish your wooden furniture. And if you use the spray later, don’t be afraid to shake it after it has been in storage.
Polish Larger Areas
After you’re happy with the polish, you can use it on the larger parts of your wooden furniture. Grab a lint-free cloth, like a microfiber towel. Then, spray a bit of the polish onto the towel.
Wipe the towel against the wooden furniture, following the wood grain. That will give the wood a light polish, and it can be great if you just need to clean it up a bit.
If you want more drastic results, you can spray the polish right on the wood. Then, use the cloth to buff the wood and make it shine.
You can polish the wooden furniture as often as you like. And since it’s natural, you don’t have to worry about making the wood look dull after using too much product.
Finish Smaller Areas
If your wooden furniture has an intricate design, using a cloth may not reach every part of the wood. In that case, you can use an old toothbrush or a small paintbrush to get into those smaller corners.
Spray the polish on the brush for a lighter polish, just like polishing the wood’s flatter parts. Then, you can get enough polish for your needs.
If you prefer to get a more intense shine, you can spray the polish right on the wood. Make sure it gets in all of the crevices so that you don’t miss any spots.
Keep the Polish Safe
One of the best things about the natural polish recipe is that it can last for more than one use. But you need to make sure you store it correctly. It would help if you kept the polish in a cool, dark cupboard to keep the oil from going bad.
Replace the polish each month so that you can always have fresh polish. Make sure to shake it well before you use it. Then, the oil and vinegar can work together as they did when you first made the polish.
If you have kids or pets, keep the polish out of their reach. That way, you can keep your family from getting into the polish.
More Polishing Tips
If you’ve never polished wooden furniture before, you should consider a few tips. Then, you can make sure you get the best results from your natural wood furniture polish.
First, before you use a homemade polish, consider if your furniture has a lot of buildup. If so, you will need to remove the buildup before you use homemade polish. That way, you can get rid of the buildup, and your polish can be more effective.
Consider what types of lint-free cloths you have. Microfiber is a great option, but you may not have one available. Baby flannel wipes are another excellent tool for polishing your wooden furniture. They’re lovely and delicate for your furniture.
While you can switch out polishing clothes, you don’t have to. You can use the same cloth multiple times before washing it. But if it looks dirty, grab a different cloth and put the dirty ones in the wash.
If you don’t have an ant problem, you can swap out the white vinegar for apple cider vinegar. But white vinegar can be just as effective in removing dirt and fingerprints.
Other Ways to Use the Polish
Suppose you’re worried about wasting the polish because of replacing it monthly. In that case, you can use it for more than just wooden furniture. The polish is food-safe so that you can use it on other wooden tools in your kitchens, such as cutting boards, spoons, and other utensils.
You can also use the polish on wooden picture frames and unpainted wooden decorations. Then, you can make the rest of the room or home look nice and new.
The polish also works well on wicker baskets, and you can use it on leather. So you can also polish your leather couches or chairs. And if you don’t have a leather polish, you can use the mixture on your leather shoes or handbags.
Whether you have all of these uses or not, you can use up more of the mix. That way, you don’t have to have the solution go to waste when you make a new batch.
Why Not Use Commercial Wood Polish?
Polishing wooden furniture naturally is a better option than commercial polishes for a few reasons. For one, the commercial polish can build up over time, and it won’t integrate with the wood to trap humidity and dust. Eventually, it can make the wood look dull.
However, oil can moisturize your wood to help create a smooth barrier. Wood is just like human skin in that it needs moisture to stay healthy. By using oil in your natural polish, you can protect the wood and make it look good.
While commercial polishes may appear to make the wood shine, they just create a shiny layer. They don’t actually add moisture to the wood. So they aren’t as effective in the long term.
Final Thoughts
Polishing wooden furniture naturally can benefit the wood, and it’s easy to do. You can mix olive oil and white vinegar then spray it on a cloth or right on the furniture. Then, you can buff it out to make your wooden furniture shine.