Make Your Own Petroleum-Free Furniture Polish
By Chris Baskind in The Daily Footstep
Here’s a centuries-old furniture polish recipe that will help you reduce the amount of chemicals and petroleum products floating around your home. Combine a cup of olive oil and a half cup of lemon juice. The cheapest food-grade olive oil will do. Apply to wood with a cloth, then wipe-off the excess. Before getting after your grandmother’s antique empire table, test the polish on an inconspicuous section to see if you like the result. This polish is perishable, so only make what you need. Just reduce the ingredients while sticking to the same ratio. Want a recipe with better shelf life? Try this elegant beeswax and carnauba formula at Care2.
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We've had some discussion on Twitter about this formula. Just to reiterate: You should wipe off all the excess. Apart from the acidic content of the lemon juice, this polish has no preservatives and will go rancid if you leave a thick coating on the wood. The polish won't keep, so just make as much as you need using that 2:1 ratio. If you don't want to make polish every time you clean, consider the stabilized formula from Care2.
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Does it work well on non-wood furniture too, like formica?
I haven't tried it for that. My guess is it would be a mess.