Time have been really tight for me the past two years, while this is not a good thing, it really goes a long way towards making you think differently that just running to the store and picking up a can of furniture polish as well as many other things you use in daily life.
While I consider myself fortunate in many ways to have grown up at the time I did from the 1960 on, those were the years that you did not go out and buy everything packaged and ready to go, and I might add by todays standards and pay a lot for it. You made things at home or made do without.
I consider myself fortunate also in the fact that all of my years from childhood on, I listened to what my grandparents, great grandmother and everyone older than myself had to say, how they lived before the turn of the century 1800’s to 1900’s I don’t think to many children learn early enough to “LISTEN” to old adults to learn the ways that they learned to do them. While as time goes on there are improvements in the thing we do and how we do them, it is still important to LISTEN and learn. One day you may be faced with times not so easy for yourself and you will appreciated drawing on things from the past, and using them today.
I cannot say that I learned this from the past, actually I did not have money to go out and get a can of Pledge. I will admit that I searched on Google for Homemade Furniture Polish hoping to be able to use thing I had here in the house to make my polish.
Here is what I learned. For the most part all the recipes were about the same varying amounts of the oil to lemon ratios, some recipes used only oil, lemon juice, while others were just the opposite, that it was oil and vinegar. I liked this one because it had all three, figuring that the cleaning power of both lemon and vinegar would be better in their own individual ways! I was right I am happy with my results
HOMEMADE FURNITURE CLEANER & POLISH
1 cup Vegetable Oil or Olive Oil (I used Olive Oil)
1/2 cup Lemon Juice (I used RealLemon)
1/2 cup Vinegar (I used Cider Vinegar)
Place all in a spray bottle and shake well (Salad Dressing for your furniture)
Spray on your wood furniture, wipe with a clean soft cotton cloth, then buff with another clean soft cotton cloth.
Sounds like it will take time, nope, no longer than using Pledge, however unlike Pledge this cleans and shines, my white cloth was brown when I got done, the other white cloth really was not dirty but the desk just shines, is not oily or greasy like you might think.
I don’t need to buy anything except the ingredients to make and keep this on hand, and at a fraction of the cost of commercial polishes.
When you think about it, the oils nourish the wood, while the lemon juice and vinegar, both being acid is what dissolves the dirt and allows the oils to penetrate the wood.
The wood is left with a hard clean shine that looks like it will last.
NOTE: You can add essential oil if you like for fragrance, however personally I think it may be masked between the lemon juice and cider vinegar .
Sunny said:
Thanks for posting this. Worked great! I was about to throw away a used dresser and chest of drawers because of the cigarette smell and film. (I didn’t inspect it closely enough when I bought it…shame on me!) Not only did it clean the wood beautifully, it deodorized too. Yay! Love the fact that it is all natural.
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hbs1991 said:
I am so glad that it worked for you Sunny!
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scallum123 said:
Thank for Heritage Basket Studio & Chair Caning to share informative and productive information .
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Ginny said:
I like how this recipe uses products I always have on hand. I’ll be trying this on my greasy wooden kitchen cabinets. Can I make a batch of this to have on hand and it not go rancid? Thanx for your response.
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hbs1991 said:
Hi Ginny,
Thank you for taking the time to respond to the post.
I will tell you, I have made it up and used it, with all the lemon juice and vinegar it seems to keep a long time.
I tend to make a new batch every so often. Just because I like to have fresh on hand.
The last time I moved, I sprayed down the cabinets with what we call Mennonite Cleaner, it cuts through everything. say you have a quart spray bottle 32 oz. you would use 1/3 bottle 11 oz Ammonia, 1/3 Rubbing Alcohol 11 oz, and fill the remainder with water. This is great for cleaning stoves, range hoods, sinks etc. Then I went over it with the furniture cleaner and polish.
When I moved into this apartment last November, I don’t think the people before me ever cleaned the kitchen cabinets, and the Mennonite Cleaner cut through all the grease down to the wood (it took several applications and lots of old rags, but it did get down to the original finish.
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