Homemade Furniture Polish Recipe | How to Make DIY Wood Polish at Home

Learn how to make homemade furniture polish with this easy, 3 ingredient recipe that restores wood furniture in seconds.

 

I have tried quite a few DIY cleaning recipes over the past decade. While most turn out well, only a handful rise to the description of “jaw-dropper”, and this homemade furniture polish is one of them. You can whip up a batch is less than a minute and the results are stunning; as you will see below.

What You Need to Make Homemade Furniture Polish

 

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Ingredients Needed to Make DIY Wood Polish

• Olive Oil or Jojoba Oil– Oil moisturizes dry wood, which keeps it from cracking. While I have used olive oil when making this wood polish in the past, I recently learned that jojoba oil has a much longer shelf-life, so we’re going with that for this post
• Vinegar– Vinegar will actually help clean the wood as you polish it
• Lemon Essential Oil-There’s a reason lemon oil is often added to furniture polish; not only does it smell good, it also helps clean and shine dull surfaces.

Supplies Needed for Homemade Furniture Polish

• Cleaning Cloth– Flour Sack Cloths also work really well. That’s what I used.

How to Make Your Own DIY Wood Polish

The following recipe makes 1 cup of furniture polish, using a ratio of 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. Feel free to adjust the amount for your specific needs, making sure to keep the 3:1 ratio of oil to vinegar.

Start by mixing together 3/4 cup of olive oil or jojoba oil with 15 drops lemon essential oil.

 

Once combined, stir in 1/4 cup vinegar.

 

How to Use DIY Furniture Polish

Prior to using any cleaning product, whether homemade or store-bought, test a small amount in an inconspicuous area to make sure there are no unwanted changes. Please see our disclaimer for more information.

To use homemade wood polish, simply dip a cleaning cloth into the mixture and apply it to your wood furniture. If you notice the surface is a bit oily, take a clean, dry towel and wipe off any excess polish.

 

Results of Using Homemade Wood Polish: Before & After

To be honest, I don’t have a ton of wood furniture in my house, however, I have an old hutch out in our garage that’s awaiting a makeover. It was the perfect piece to try out this homemade furniture polish recipe.

Here is what the hutch looked like after I cleaned off the dust, but before using the polish.

 

And here’s a picture in the middle of the process. It shows how dry the wood was prior to applying the DIY wood polish.

 

Here’s the side by side of the before and after.

 

Years ago, I took some pictures of an old table I had inherited from my grandfather. I tried this furniture polish recipe back then (using olive oil) and I couldn’t believe the difference!

 

Vinegar is one of my favorite cleaning products! Find more ways to clean with vinegar here.

Common Questions About Homemade Furniture Polish

Does Homemade Wood Polish Expire?

Homemade furniture polish will go bad over time if it contains olive oil, which is perishable. The shelf-life of olive oil (once opened) is about 6 months. I would strongly suggest using up any wood polish you have made within that timeframe (even less if you are using an already-opened bottle of olive oil). I have found the best thing to do is make the amount of DIY Furniture Polish you intend to use to avoid leftovers. As mentioned above, you can substitute the olive oil with jojoba oil as it has a much longer shelf life, ranging from 2-5 years.

Can I Use This Wood Polish Recipe on Cutting Boards?

Whether using jojoba oil or olive oil in your furniture polish recipe, it is not recommended for use on cutting boards. Jojoba oil is typically not a food-grade oil and olive oil can go rancid over time, affecting the flavor of your food. According to Better Homes & Gardens, it is best to apply a mineral oil designed specifically for use on cutting boards.

 

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