Freshly polished wood furniture really makes a home sparkle, but many commercial polishes are full of artificial fragrances, residues, chemicals, and propellants that aren’t great to have floating around in the air or building up on surfaces.
The good news is you really don’t need much to clean and polish your wood furniture—less is more. In this article, we’ll take you through a few DIY recipes and tips to get you started.
Cleaning Furniture With a Built-Up Surface Finish
Use these techniques to maintain furniture with a hard, clear finish, such as lacquer or varnish:
- Light dusting: For routine cleaning, a barely damp microfiber cloth can do the trick. Moisten it with plain old water and wring it out as much as you can. A dry cloth can help to remove dust quickly in between deeper cleanings.
- Handling tough spots and stains: Add a few squirts of biodegradable castile soap to a spray bottle of water. Spray the stubborn spots and gently rub the surface clean with a rag or cleaning cloth. Don’t soak the furniture, and don’t use so much soap that it creates suds and has to be rinsed.
- Removing water rings: Forgot to use a coaster? No problem. Slather a spoonful of full-fat mayonnaise on the stain, let it sit overnight, and rub it away with a clean cloth in the morning.
DIY Nontoxic Natural Dusting Spray
A simple homemade dusting spray can help you mimic the effectiveness of a store-bought solution without the harsh chemicals.
Pour these ingredients into a clean spray bottle:
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons olive oil or jojoba oil
- 15 drops essential oil, such as lemon, orange, or lavender, for fragrance
Give the bottle a good shake, spritz it on your wood furniture’s surfaces, and wipe them clean with a microfiber cloth. Shake the bottle before each use since the oil will separate.
Cleaning Painted Furniture
Painted furniture requires a different approach than wood with a clear finish:
- Regular dusting: Use only a slightly damp cloth for dusting since excess moisture can damage the paint over time.
- Dealing with stubborn stains: For tougher stains, use a diluted biodegradable soap solution on a soft cloth to avoid damaging the paint. Scrub gently and dry the surface when you’re done.
- No wax required: Waxing isn’t necessary for painted surfaces, but you can still apply a thin layer of wax for added protection and sheen. This may come in handy if a piece is prone to minor scuffs.
Applying Wax to Furniture
Wax finishes were once common, and they’re making a comeback with modern chalk-painted furniture and upcycled antiques.
To test and see if your furniture is waxed, very gently scrape with your fingernail in an inconspicuous spot. If it leaves a mark, then try to buff out the scratch with a clean, dry cloth. If the mark buffs out, that’s a sign of wax.
Wax finishes are a one-way street—once something is waxed, you need to keep waxing it. Avoid furniture polishes and soaps, as they can dull and even dissolve the finish. Instead, gently wipe the piece clean with a damp microfiber cloth and buff it with a soft, dry cloth.
When the shine dulls, you may need to reapply a coat of wax using this simple beeswax polish.
DIY Beeswax Furniture Polish
When waxed wood furniture starts to dull, you may need to reapply a coating. This simple polish provides an all-natural shine.
You’ll need these ingredients:
- 1 part beeswax (approximately 1/4 to 1/2 cup after melting)
- 3 parts olive or jojoba oil
- Essential oils for fragrance (optional)
Melt the beeswax gently in a double boiler, being careful not to overheat and burn it. Remove the melted wax from the heat, add the oil, and stir well. If the mixture starts to solidify before blending, return it to the stove briefly just to melt everything together.
Pour the mixture into a clean glass jar and let it cool completely. It will keep in a cool, dark place for at least one year.
To apply the wax, dip a clean cloth into the wax and add a very thin coat to the furniture surface. Don’t overdo it—the furniture will only accept a thin layer.
Apply the wax with the grain, going over the area several times to even out the layer and catch missed spots. Continue to rub until you see the wax start to dry and haze over. Once that happens, switch to a clean cloth and buff with the grain until all excess wax is gone.
Cleaning and Renewing an Oil Finish on Furniture
To test for an oil finish, rub a small amount of oil into the surface. If the wood absorbs the oil, you have an oil finish. If it beads up, you probably have a standard built-up finish.
You’ll need to be very gentle working with oil finishes. Dust and wipe oil-finished furniture clean with a slightly damp cloth, and remove stains with a diluted castile soap solution.
When the furniture’s finish starts to dull, reapply a light coat of the oil originally used. If you don’t know what oil was used, choose a penetrating finish like tung oil.
