How to Make a Nontoxic Homemade Wood Cleaner and Polish

Learn how to make the best nontoxic, homemade wood cleaner using ingredients straight from your pantry!

I’ve always been a sucker for vintage furniture, and with vintage furniture comes a lot of wood. In order to keep everything in peak condition, it’s critical that I keep it clean and protected. That’s why finding a nontoxic cleaner recipe was one of my top priorities. Multiple rounds of experimenting led to the discovery of one of my favorite recipes — my olive oil and orange wood cleaner. Not only are homemade cleaners incredibly cheap to make, but they are also easy to produce, reduce plastic waste, and don’t have any harmful chemicals.

As you make your own household cleaners, you may begin to notice some patterns in the ingredients you use. Especially the prevalence of baking soda and vinegar. These two are probably the most common natural ingredients, and not only can they make for great science project volcanoes, but they can also clean just about anything. For this spray recipe, I’m utilizing white vinegar because I have found that it gives me the best results.

Why should you make your own homemade wood cleaner?

As I said before, making your own household cleaner is affordable, you know exactly what’s in your cleaner, and you reduce plastic waste by not using disposable single-use bottles from the store.

Ingredients

Vinegar

Vinegar is by far one of my favorite cleaners, and for good reason. The acidity not only kills bacteria, but it also easily cuts through grease, dirt, grime, or even mineral deposits. It’s also affordable and completely pet and kid-safe (if used properly).

Citrus

Lemons and oranges add a wonderful smell to your cleaner, but they also have a sanitary function as well. Similar to vinegar, the acidity of citrus fruits has a disinfecting effect that prevents bacteria from thriving. This acidity also can help cut through grease, reduce odors, and form a protective finish on the surface. You can choose to use just lemons or oranges for this recipe if you prefer one over the other.

Olive oil

Olive oil nourishes your wood by keeping it from drying and becoming brittle. The more you use it on your wood, the more its original sheen and coloration will start to come through. It also helps form a barrier that makes it harder for dust to settle or scrapes and scratches to set. And the best part about it is that since it’s likely already a staple in your kitchen, you know that it is safe for you, your kids, and your pets.

DIY Nontoxic Wood Cleaner

Yield: 2 Spray Bottles

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Additional Time: 14 days

Total Time: 14 days 5 minutes

Make your very own wood cleaner that is free from harmful chemicals and scents and moisturizes and disinfects your wooden surfaces.

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Ingredients

• 2 Oranges (quartered)
• 2 Lemons (quartered)
• 1 cup Vinegar (or however much it takes to cover the oranges and lemons completely)
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup Distilled water
• Quart sized glass mason jar
• Spray bottle

Instructions

1. Quarter the lemons and/or oranges and put them in a glass mason jar.
2. Pour vinegar into the jar until the lemons and oranges are fully covered.
3. Put the mason jar lid on and store in a dark and cool environment for at least 2 weeks.
4. After the steeping period, strain out the liquid and discard the lemons and oranges.
5. Pour your liquid into a spray bottle until it is half full.
6. Add in the olive oil.
7. Top off the spray bottle with distilled water.
8. Shake before each use and spray on the desired surface. Buff with a soft cloth until absorbed.

Notes

Always spot-test cleaners on new surfaces. Spray a hard-to-see portion of your furniture, and let sit for a couple of minutes before wiping it off. Check for any discoloration. If discoloration appears, discontinue use on that surface.