my care2
make a difference

healthy & green living

more than 4,000 ways to enhance your life

customize your free newsletter

Customize your Healthy & Green Living newsletter now


Gaiam_pilates_160x133
hagl_da

Alternative Furniture Polish

posted by Annie B. Bond Jul 27, 1999 1:08 pm
Alternative Furniture Polish
9 comments

By Annie B. Bond, Care2 Green Living Executive Producer

We all know the smell—lemon with a touch of engine oil—that we identify as furniture polish. What we may not identify with the smell is the irritability, depression, and other bad moods that can be the response to its use.

How many people polish their furniture before a dinner party, only to wonder why they are so cranky before the guests arrive? Even worse, the smell of furniture polish can linger on furniture for weeks and months after use, causing a low level of air pollution that puts a strain on the central nervous systems of everyone living there. The petroleum distillates and solvents in commercial furniture polish are highly neurotoxic.

Replacing commercial furniture polish with a homemade formula is at the top of the list of priorities for establishing a healthier home, along with oven cleaner and pesticides.

Homemade Furniture Polish
Most of the old folk formulas for furniture polish ask for 1/4 cup of oil or so, plus a few drops of vinegar. I feel those folk formulas leave the furniture too oily, and in hot weather there is a risk of the oil going rancid.

Instead, I’ve found that reversing those ratios —using 1/4 cup vinegar plus a few drops of oil—makes for a much better wood cleaner and polish. The vinegar pulls the dirt out of the wood, and the few drops of oil lubricates the wood so that it doesn’t dry out.

The best oils to use are those that have the longest shelf life. Olive oil works well. The best choice of all is the liquid wax jojoba, because it never goes rancid. It is found in most health food stores. Boiled linseed oils found in hardware stores have synthetic drying chemicals in them and shouldn’t be used. I do love the smell of linseed oil in a furniture polish—it is rich and nutty—but I only use that which is food grade.

You can substitute lemon juice for the vinegar. Organic apple cider vinegar is the best choice of vinegar, although I don’t usually recommend this for general cleaning because of the possibility of staining. If you are cleaning something that could possibly stain, use white distilled vinegar.

Homemade Furniture Polish Cloth
Dip a soft recycled cloth, such as one of flannel, in the vinegar and oil mixture, and wipe furniture.

Lemon Oil Duster
Most commercial lemon oil is not all natural, but may contain petroleum distillates. Contact herbalists for pure sources of lemon oil. Traditionally, lemon oil has been used for furniture because it is so lubricating and antiseptic.

10 drops lemon oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
A few drops olive oil or jojoba

Dip a soft recycled cloth, such as one of flannel, in the lemon oil mixture, and wipe furniture.

More on Non-Toxic Cleaning (122 articles available)
More from Annie B. Bond (3251 articles available)

9 comments

Go to the Source

Better Basics for the Home

Simple solutions -- almost 1,000 formulas -- for less toxic living, by Annie Berthold-Bond, Care2.com's green living channels editor.buy now

9 comments

add your comment »
9 Comments       add a comment »
Lia De Ruiter

@Natalia Grana:
I recently discovered a tip for irritations of the eye-lids: pick some ground-ivy, chew on it, and apply the pulp to your eye. Leave it on for a while (don't really know how long), and then gently wash it off with clean water.

Good luck!

Rachel H.

While linseed oil, vinegar etc. are good for you they are not good for your furniture. They leave a layer that is very difficult to remove without damaging the wood.
http://www.alsnetbiz.com/homeimprovement/info5.html

Teri Denly

could use essential oils e.g.lavender added to cleaner mix to previde a pleasant aroma as well!

Teri Denly

could you use a few drops of essential oils e.g. lavender to get the nice aroma in the house

Diane B.

Linseed oil, also known as flax seed oil, is a yellowish drying oil derived from the dried ripe seeds of the flax plant. Flaxseed oil is edible and safe food wood.

Natalia Grana

In my current job within the care/support sector, we have to clean every day with these awful polishes, wipes and sprays. I have an itchy eye with dry skin round it- and just thought that maybe its due to overuse of these and praps some of it coming into contact with my eye. Do you also have any tips on healing skin that has been irritated by toxic furniture polish? Will definitely start using these at home but can't see my work adopting them as there is so much red tape for everything...

Jenny P.

There is a furniture cleaner/polish on the market under the brand name "Method". It's claim is that it is non-toxic. They use almond oil etc. I think I'll check out the rest of the ingredients to verify just how "non-toxic" it is. If you just want a cleaner, "Murphy's Oil Soap" I believe is still a good choice. Warning however, it does strip off the wax. Still, it does a great job for very dirty surfaces. Still, I like the home-made idea and will try out the vinegar and oil method. Thanks for the information. I'm always hunting for better, non-toxic ways of cleaning up.

Beverley Roberts

I have been using Lindseed Oil for years is this also harmful?

Ann Simpson

THANKS FOR THE TIP I HAD NO IDEA THAT CLEANING WAS SO HARMFUL I WILL USE THIS

Please enter your comment.
1500 characters remaining

who's talking about this story?

Disclaimer: Care2.com does not warrant and shall have no liability for information provided in this newsletter or on Care2.com. Each individual person, fabric, or material may react differently to a particular suggested use. It is recommended that before you begin to use any formula, you read the directions carefully and test it first. Should you have any health care-related questions or concerns, please call or see your physician or other health care provider.

265

Gaiam_pilates_300x250
Get a Care2 Tee
Copyright © 2008 Care2.com, inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved