Best Homemade Furniture Polish for Wood

This natural homemade furniture polish recipe is easy to make and it works great on all types of wooden furniture.

If you’re looking for the best DIY alternative to Pledge, Liquid Gold or other commercial products you can find at the grocery store, you’ve come to the right place. My recipe for natural DIY furniture polish is quick, easy and effective!

It contains only simple ingredients like olive oil, beeswax and essential oils, so there are no toxic chemicals or synthetic fragrances to worry about like with commercial furniture polishes.

Best of all, it does a great job at making the surface of the wood furniture shine even though it’s a really simple polish to make! If you enjoy making your own natural furniture polish, be sure to check out the other natural cleaner recipes at the bottom of this post!

Supplies

• ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of beeswax pastilles
• 5 drops of lemon essential oil
• 5 drops of orange essential oil

Tools

• Half pint mason jar
• Sauce pan
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Spoon

By the Numbers: How to Make the Best Furniture Polish

Follow these simple step-by-step instructions to learn how to make your own furniture polish using all natural ingredients.

Step 1: Add Oil & Beeswax to Jar

The first step is to place ½ cup of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of beeswax pellets into your half-pint mason jar. I like to mix my ingredients right in the jar I am going to store them in. It saves me a step in cleaning an extra pot. You can also use a double boiler if you prefer.

Step 2: Put Jar in Pan with Water

Set the filled mason jar in a small pan and carefully add water to the pan until jar is half submerged. Do not get any water in the jar or it’ll shorten the shelf life of your furniture polish.

Step 3: Melt Ingredients

Heat the pan over medium, stirring the oil and beeswax frequently, until the beeswax pellets are completely melted and clear, and the ingredients are well combined.

Step 4: Add Essential Oils

Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool for 5 minutes. Once it has cooled just a bit, stir in 5 drops of lemon essential oil and 5 drops of orange essential oil until everything is well combined.

Step 5: Cool and Store

Allow your homemade furniture polish to cool completely, then seal the lid and store the jar a cool, dark place.

Tips for Making and Using Homemade Furniture Polish

Answers to all of your questions about making and using the best furniture polish, including tips and substitution ideas.

How to use homemade furniture polish

Before you polish the entire piece, start with testing it in an inconspicuous area. You’ll also want to start with clean wood before you polish it up.

Scoop a small amount of polish out of the jar with a soft cloth and rub it into the wood’s surface. Buff the majority of your polish into the wood, going first in a circular motion, then going in the direction of the grain, until you get a good wood shine.

What type of wood does this work for?

You can use this natural homemade polish on about any type of finished or unfinished wood since there are no water-based ingredients in it.

• Coffee table and kitchen table
• Dining room tables and chairs
• Wood floors
• Wooden cutting boards

Can other essential oils be used?

Yes, you can change up the essential oils if you would like to create your favorite scent combination. I like citrus for wood furniture polish, but there are lots of other options too.

Read my post about my favorite essential oil brand for some great ideas!

Tip: Choose quality olive oil

I don’t recommend using a cheap olive oil in this recipe as not all olive oils are created equal. In fact, some are cut with cheap vegetable oil, but they’re not labeled. So be sure to use a good olive oil.

The best thing is that this DIY wood polish recipe only calls for ½ cup of olive oil, so you’ll be able to use the rest of the bottle to make some delicious salad dressing recipes like my tangy Tahini Salad Dressing or Italian Dressing.

Storage tips

I like to use squat mason jars for storing my homemade wood polish. Not only are they pretty, but they are the perfect choice for natural furniture polish. They have a wide mouth and shallow build that allows you to scoop out every last bit of the homemade furniture polish, so nothing goes to waste.

This natural wood polish has a very long shelf life since it contains no water-based ingredients. It’s important that you use a dry cloth, not a damp cloth, when using it so you don’t introduce water into the glass jar.

In addition, it’s important that you store your natural wood polish in an airtight container in a cool, dark place and only use a clean rag with it to keep any contaminants out.

Can this be made into a spray?

No, the ingredients in this recipe are too thick to spray, but I do have a Wood Polish Spray recipe that you should try. The ingredients are much safer than in most commercial furniture polish sprays!

Plus, you don’t get any aerosol fumes like you do with commercial sprays like Pledge. So it’s safer to let kids clean your wood furniture with it.

More DIY recipes for cleaners

If you enjoyed making this DIY furniture polish, try these homemade cleaning products:

• DIY Upholstery Cleaner
• Homemade Window Cleaner
• DIY Tub and Shower Scrub
• Homemade Floor Cleaner

More Cleaning Tips & Recipes