Learn how to make natural wood cleaner and polish that works great on wooden furniture and wooden floors with the recipe and step-by-step instructions below.
I always wanted to make DIY cleaning products like this natural wood cleaner and polish, but I’ll be honest. I’m not fond of cleaning, and the mere thought of taking time out of my day to make natural cleaning products made this busy mom feel overwhelmed, exhausted, and lazy. And I’m sure I’m not alone.
Just the thought of making homemade cleaning products, such as this DIY wood floor cleaner, prompted a million and one excuses to come flying out of my mouth before I even started. But you know what, the health of my family, and our planet, is more than worth it. Don’t you think?
The Problem with Most Natural Wood Floor Cleaners
The harmful chemicals in many store-bought cleaners can be toxic. Even natural cleaning products seem pretty nasty when you read the ingredients list. And even worse, did you know that the term “natural” legally means nothing? Because the FDA, USDA, and EU don’t set regulations or standards for the term, harmful chemical additives are often included in so-called “natural” products.
When I researched the matter further, I found several popular natural cleaning products on supermarket shelves that were primarily made of unnatural ingredients, including a few harmful chemicals and toxins. And as I continued to pay attention to the ingredients list over the next several years, I constantly found things like sulfates and parabens in natural cleaning products, including wood polishes and cleaners, that are not natural or friendly to the environment at all.
Essential Oils to the Rescue
When I found essential oils, I found natural additives that help–and suddenly, my sense of inertia disappeared. Not only did I forget my excuses. I no longer felt overwhelmed or confused by it all. Instead, I raced into my kitchen to pull out all the supplies I already had. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy–literally.
That was when it hit me. I’m not lazy. I just need essential oils at the ready in my home–and now I do. Today, I love making DIY natural cleaning products. And I always have everything I need at my disposal with my essential oils and handy dandy list of natural cleaning ingredients.
Furniture and Wood Floor Cleaner Recipe
Use the natural ingredients below to make DIY wood polish and cleaner great for wooden floors and furniture:
- 1 1/2 – 3/4 c distilled water
- 1/8 -1/4 c white vinegar
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- 20 drops of lemon essential oil (natural cleaner & stain remover)
How to Make Natural Wood Cleaner with Essential Oils
This all-natural wood cleaning recipe is terrific for wood furniture and wooden floors. Use the simple step-by-step instructions below to make this easy DIY wood cleaner and polish.
- Gather the wood cleaner ingredients listed in the wood cleaning recipe above.
- Pour all DIY wood cleaner ingredients into a 16-ounce spray bottle with measurements. (Glass is best for storing essential oils, and spray bottles can be protected with a silicone sleeve.)
- Give the bottle a gentle shake and a swirl.
- Grab a wood polish rag (or a microfiber mob with a telescoping handle and washable cotton terry cloth refills), and you will be ready for some serious wood cleaning and polishing!
- Spray directly onto wood floors and wooden furniture to clean and polish in one easy go!
How These Wood Floor Cleaner Ingredients Work
Olive oil is included in this recipe to naturally help hydrate and polish wood floors without leaving behind a filmy surface that will only attract more grime as other wood cleaning products can. And it can also help mitigate any drying or damaging effects that the white vinegar may have as it works to clean and disinfect your hardwood floors and natural wood furniture over time.
Although white vinegar is an excellent cleaner and disinfectant for almost anything, it can harm wooden floors and antique wooden furniture when used as an undiluted cleaning agent. Especially over time. Use our natural wood floor cleaner recipe to protect, clean, disinfect, and polish your wood floors and furniture to a subtle clean shine that will impress even your mother-in-law.
Sometimes Dry Dusting is Enough
Please use any wood cleaner or polish with vinegar or real lemon squeezed into it sparingly on antiques, and other delicate wood surfaces, if at all. When in doubt, test your homemade DIY wood cleaner on a small section of your floor or furniture before using it.
As I like to say to my daughter, “Sometimes a simple dust cloth will do every other week or two.” In other words, dry dust most of the time, and get out the wood cleaner and polish every so often. Or when you really want the wood in your house to sparkle and shine.
Using and Storing Natural Cleaners
Our family likes to use a clear spray bottle for our glass cleaner, a blue spray bottle for our all-purpose cleaning solution, and a brown bottle for the wood floor cleaner and furniture polish included here.
Why? Because essential oils, and other natural cleaning agents, store much better in glass bottles and containers. And color coding our homemade natural cleaning products helps everyone in the house know at first glance which to grab. Which is actually quite liberating.
Another nice bonus of using glass bottles is that we don’t mind them sitting around the house ready to use. They look lovely displayed on countertops and shelves instead of plastic bottles with big ugly logos and disclaimers.
But best of all, beautiful bottles of natural cleaning products, such as this DIY wood floor cleaner, strategically placed around the house make my husband and children more likely to use them. And you can’t get any better than that–trust me!
Essential oils have also been one of the many tickets to my homemade DIY cleaner success. Use them as potent cleaning agents that make everything smell wonderful–Naturally. But unlike some natural cleaning products I know, I actually mean it. Visit “How to Make Natural Cleaning Products to learn more.
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Megan says
This is great. I wish I could find those glass bottles in Canada.
Irene says
This recipe is wonderful!!! It cleaned and left my rustic furniture so beautiful!!!
Thank you
Nell Regan M.A. says
Hi Megan! I’m so glad that you liked this natural wood polish recipe, and that it left your rustic furniture looking gorgeous. Well done!
Jennifer says
This is such a great discovery! Thanks so much for making approachable cleaners like this one and the all purpose cleanser – I’ve made the switch away from commercial products as a result and my house smells amazing!
Nell Regan M.A. says
Thanks for the vote of approval, Jennifer, it makes it all worth the while. I’m so glad that you have made the switch and are happy with the results–what a fantastic achievement!
Enjoy your clean home,
Nell
Alyssa @ Arts and Crackers says
Awesome! I am allergic to so many cleaners so I’ll have to try this.
nell says
It really is nice for those with sensitivities. Let me know how you like it.
Lindsay says
Can this be used for wood floors?
Nell Regan M.A. says
Great question, Lindsay. Yes, this homemade DIY wood cleaner recipe can be used to clean wooden floors.