Around the House Cleaners Series: DIY Non-Toxic Wood Cleaner

Hopefully, if you've been reading this blog, you won't be surprised by the "junk" in your cleaners, including your wood cleaner and polisher. And, you should also know by now that you'll save yourself a bunch of money by putting a few inexpensive ingredients in a bottle yourself. But, just in case you're new here, you should know that Pledge (link to EWG database for brand) or other popular brands, aren't your friends.

The Environmental Working Group, which is the leading company in testing the ingredients in products of all kinds, rates cleaning products based on how likely they'll cause problems in the following categories:

• Asthma/respiratory
• Skin irritation/allergies
• Developmental and reproductive toxicity
• Cancer
• Environment

Since we're looking at wood cleaner today, I pulled up the well-known Pledge brand, and all their products rate C-F, with a majority in the D range. Yikes!! Orange Glo Wood Polisher, which seems to have become more popular over the years, is rated F!!  However, this is a much better option for you and your family that requires just a few ingredients you probably already have. Also, wood, to me, seems like a more "sensitive" surface, so you'll probably also do your wood furniture a favor by sparing it from chemical cleaners and polishers. This is just my own hunch, however, but I think it makes sense!

DIY Non-Toxic Wood Cleaner and Polisher
Each week I try to clean and polish my table and kitchen cabinets because they get quite grimy with the constant use and abuse. To clean them, in a 32-ounce bottle, I combined:

• 2 cups of distilled white vinegar (get 2 gallons at Costco for $3.50!!)
• One fresh-squeezed lemon (you really don't have to use a whole lemon, if you have half leftover from something else, just use that)
• 1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil (helps it shine)
• Fill the rest with water

Before each squirt, you'll need to shake this up to mix the oil in as it separates quickly! I love using this wood cleaner because it truly takes off the grime easily and shines my wood. Also, this mixture will cost you less than a dollar and you know that other stuff you're buying is at least three dollars!! Usually, they also come in smaller bottles, so basically the math is savings!!

A Note about Wood Types
The above cleaner is best for hard-surface sealed finishes which is most common on store-bought wood furniture. You'll need to clean your wood differently if it has a different type of finish. In DIY Non-Toxic Cleaning Recipes by Heather Dessinger, she explains how to figure out what finish you have on your wood and what to clean it with. In her book, she also has recommendations for cleaning hardwood floors, which I have no experience with, but she does, so check it out!!

Are you ready to make your own wood cleaner?! What other "around the house" cleaners would you like featured here? Share with us in the comments below and we'll reply!