The scent of lemon Pledge is probably locked in the olfactory memories of many of us. But where did the idea of using lemon to clean and protect our furniture come from? Our grandmothers and their grandmothers, no doubt. So let's get back to basics and make our own green furniture polish. Instructions after the jump.
What You Need
Ingredients
1 lemon
Olive oil
Water
Equipment
Small container with air-tight lid
Strainer
Microfiber cloth
Instructions
1. Cut lemon in half and squeeze juice into container. I recommend straining the pulp and seeds.
2. Add tablespoon of olive oil.
3. Add tablespoon of water.
4. Tighten lid and shake until emulsified.
5. Pour small amount of polish onto cloth and begin wiping-down your furniture.
Additional Notes:
Since this is a natural and perishable recipe, you will have to make it fresh each time. When finished polishing, discard any remaining liquid you have left.
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(Images: Michelle Chin)
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this is great! I find that Pledge has destroyed some of the finishes on my furniture in the past so I'm hesitant to use anything stronger than what I find in my pantry. This is a great solution as I have everything in your recipe on hand at all times.
A simple way to fix scratches is by breaking a walnut in half (the fruit, not the shell) and gently rub the inner part of the nut against the scratch. Works on all colours wood (not sure about painted wood, but varnished is fine), though it's always smart to test it before using.
You could probably use the remaining polish in a food recipe.
It's better to use mineral oil for this as the olive oil can sour on your wood over time. Same for oiling wood countertops. But other than that, it's roughly the same recipe my family has used for 60 years and I can say it's awesome!
@Runemistress: Indeed I *should* have used it for some salad dressing :)
@LovieDovie: I saw recipes using mineral oil, but I figured I'd get skewered for using a petro-based oil.
I also want to try the recipe with almond or walnut oil (or beeswax for the non-vegans out there).
@medusa12120 First, it's a polish not a cleaner. Second, oil and water will mix for a period of time if they are blended well enough (emulsified). Mayonnaise is essentially an oil and water emulsified
I do this with my walnut bedroom furniture. It works really well. We call it "furniture dressing" in my household, although I use white vinegar instead of the lemon sometimes.
@medusa12120 in my somewhat blurry photo #6 above, you can see it's mixed together/emulsified. Stayed that way long enough for me to get the hutch polished :)
Also works with balsamic salad dressing!
@mchin: Probably. But I had to say it. I think for cutting boards and the like mineral oil is a poor choice, but it's good for other wood surfaces.
@LovieDovie: I thought olive oil went rancid over time and therefore would not be a good choice cutting boards and butcher blocks where food is prepared. (I usually use beeswax)
We use flax oil, since it doesn´t go sour easily, and it has no smell.
Grapeseed oil is, IIRC, the edible/non-petro oil most resistant to going rancid.
Thanks for this recipe!
Could you use almond oil?