Today I have decided to share my thoughts on wood care. I have many favorite wood pieces throughout my home that I hold dear. One is a beautiful bench made for me by my Uncle,(purchased by my Mom)and various gorgeous wooden boxes and a beautiful pegged wall coat hanger. Others are sentimental pieces made by my husbands father of teak large shipping crates that machinery was shipped in. Pieces that he made into a large coffee table, a dining room sideboard and also a dining room table, and numerous shelves throughout my home.
Taking care of wooden furniture in many ways is becoming a lost art as people choose laminated pieces and cheaply-made furniture that barely lasts a few years. Congratulations if you’re taking the time to make your wood furniture last longer by polishing it on a regular basis! But if you’ve been using regular furniture polishes made with chemicals like petroleum distillates, benzene, amyl acetate, and cresol, you may be adding pollutants to your home that are shortening your life.
Transform your furniture care habits by choosing natural furniture polish options made from ingredients you can find in your own kitchen! Here are a few effective and fun homemade furniture polish recipes you can tinker with until you find the perfect solution for that antique table:
- Unfinished wood polish: After dusting the furniture, start with a damp cloth and a few drops of vegetable-based soap to clean and condition the wood and then apply some vegetable oil to make it shine, a combination that can be used on a regular basis. For deeper preservation of the wood, apply butcher’s wax in a thin layer once or twice a year.
- Light finished wood polish: Combine about 2 cups of oil (vegetable or olive) with the juice from one lemon and rub into furniture. Linseed oil (choose the kind from the health food store and not the hardware store to avoid petroleum distillates) also works really well in the formulation. This polish cannot be stored so make only as much as you need.
- Deep finished wood polish: Mix a polish of 3 parts olive oil and 1 part vinegar and apply to finished wood furniture for a nice deep clean and conditioning treatment. This solution cannot be kept for the long term and should be all used up or thrown away.
Thats all for now!
As Always
Keep It Clean
Au Naturelle
JoAnn
Just stopping by to say hello from the blogging buddies team on etsy :-) Your blog is lovely!
ReplyDelete