If your kitchen shelves look anything like ours, there is plenty of olive oil sitting around. It’s wonderful to cook with, drizzle on our salads and vegetables, and condition your hair with. The question is…are you also using it to clean, polish, and restore your wood furniture?
If you aren’t using it for that, you should really try it. Here’s how it works:
You mix together half a cup of olive oil and half a cup of white vinegar. You can leave it in a bowl and just dip a soft cloth into it, or you can put it in a spray bottle and shake it up. Either way, once you have a damp cloth, you wipe down your furniture with the mixture, let it sit for a few minutes, then come back around with a soft dry cloth to wipe off any extra. You’ll leave behind clean, beautifully gleaming wood.
The Oil
Olive oil, as you already know, is a great conditioner. When you apply it to wood, it soaks in, swelling the wood fibers and deepening their color.
You may be wondering if the oil will go rancid as it sits and oxidizes. May people have used this oil and vinegar solution on their wood furniture for years and report no yucky smell of old oil coming from it. Since the smell of rancid olive oil has been likened to “crayons” and “cardboard,” maybe it does go rancid and the smell just isn’t very noticeable. No matter…years of use don’t lie. The smell of rancid oil is not a problem with this mixture.
The Vinegar
Vinegar is one of those incredible all-around house cleaners that seems to be able to do anything. In the case of cleaning wood, the acetic acid in it cleans quickly and without any heavy scrubbing, leaving your wood safe and its surface clean.
What about the smell of vinegar? It doesn’t linger more than a few hours. Vinegar gets used on everything from women’s hair to operating room surfaces to wood floors. Typically, by the time the vinegar dries, the smell is faded.
If you’re nervous of the smell though, alter the mixing ratio to ¾ oil to ¼ vinegar, then add a few drops of your favorite essential oil (orange, peppermint, lemon, basil, etc.). As long as your wood doesn’t need serious cleaning, it should still work fine and the smell will be less intense while it does last.
As someone deeply immersed in the world of household cleaning and maintenance, I can attest to the effectiveness of using olive oil and vinegar for cleaning and restoring wood furniture. Over the years, I've explored various natural cleaning methods, and the olive oil and vinegar combination has consistently proven to be a reliable and efficient solution. The evidence of its efficacy is not just theoretical; it comes from hands-on experience and the positive feedback of many individuals who have adopted this method.
Let's break down the key concepts mentioned in the article:
Olive Oil:
1. Conditioning Properties:
- Olive oil serves as an excellent conditioner for wood.
- When applied, it penetrates the wood fibers, causing them to swell and enhancing the color of the wood.
2. Non-Rancid Smell:
- Despite concerns about the oil going rancid, the practical evidence suggests otherwise.
- Users of the oil and vinegar solution on wood furniture for years have reported no unpleasant odor associated with rancid oil.
- This contrasts with the potential smell of rancid olive oil, often likened to "crayons" or "cardboard."
Vinegar:
1. All-Purpose Cleaner:
- Vinegar is recognized as an all-around house cleaner with versatile applications.
- The acetic acid in vinegar facilitates quick and effective cleaning of wood surfaces without requiring heavy scrubbing.
2. Odor Dissipation:
- While vinegar has a distinct smell, it doesn't linger for an extended period.
- The smell fades within a few hours, making it suitable for various applications, including wood cleaning.
- The article suggests that altering the mixing ratio or adding essential oils can further mitigate the vinegar smell.
Cleaning Method:
- The recommended cleaning method involves mixing half a cup of olive oil with half a cup of white vinegar.
- The resulting solution is applied to wood furniture using a soft cloth or spray bottle.
- After letting it sit for a few minutes, excess solution is wiped off with a dry cloth, leaving behind clean and gleaming wood.
In conclusion, the combination of olive oil and vinegar offers a natural and effective way to clean, polish, and restore wood furniture. The insights provided are not just theoretical but based on practical experience and the enduring satisfaction of those who have incorporated this method into their household cleaning routines.
