Make Furniture Polish Using Olive Oil
It is very easy to make your own furniture polish if you want to skip the chemicals in commercial furniture polishes. There are two ways to make olive oil polish, depending on the level of polishing that your furniture needs. This kind of polish is best used on furniture that has an oiled finish rather than a shiny varnish. It's not a one-size-fits-all solution, but an alternative that some people may find worth trying.
Contents
Steps
- Choose cheap olive oil for furniture polish. The cheapest oil, olive pomace oil, is just fine for the purposes of making furniture polish.
Deep Cleansing Furniture Oil
- Combine the olive oil and vinegar (using proportions specified below) in a glass or ceramic container.
- Apply the polish with a soft polishing cloth. Do not rub it in too hard but leave it to soak in.
- Allow to air dry.
Regular Cleaning Furniture Oil
- Combine the oil and lemon juice in a glass or ceramic container.
- Apply with a soft polishing cloth.
- Use the soft cloth to shine the furniture by rubbing briskly.
- Allow to air dry if it hasn't already through buffing.
Tips
- Do not keep these polishes - they should be made and used on the same day. Dispose of the polishes as you would dispose of olive oil.
- A better choice of oil is ordinary drugstore mineral oil (sold as a laxative) because it will never go rancid and is completely food safe.
- The first polish penetrates deeply; the second polish is more suitable for more regular cleaning and the lemon scent is delightful.
- This polish isn't guaranteed to work with every kind of furniture. For example, because the lemon juice and vinegar are water soluble, acidic solutions, they are probably more suitable for polyurethane or laminate cover furniture. If you don't want to risk staining a valuable antique piece of furniture, you may need to rely on a commercial polish after all.
Warnings
- Applying this polish on fine, antique furniture may result in an undesired haze.
- Do a test on a small section of the furniture first. If you find that the mixture leaves your furniture too oily, or you're worried about the oil getting rancid in hot weather, alter your proportions to include less oil.
- Using any other kind of vinegar may stain.
Things You'll Need
Polish #1:
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- soft polishing cloth
Polish #2:
- 1 Cup olive oil
- 1/2 Cup of fresh lemon juice
- soft polishing cloth
