You see, my name is Kati Kiefer, not Martha Stewart.

I do not have a cleaning crew nor a maid.

And we all have that one room that always gets neglected. Whether it be the spare bedroom or that fancy living room you never use. For me, it’s my bedroom.

Yes, I sleep in it, but that’s all. Ever since James went back to work last summer he has been working the 3rd shift. So when I’m working, he’s sleeping. And when he’s working, I’m sleeping.

In other words, we are awake and asleep at completely different times.

And that my friends, has led to neglect. The very horrible neglect of taking care of the wood furniture in my bedroom. My mother is probably cringing at my confession. Sorry, mom!

But it’s true. And since I’ve been on a mission to make cheaper household cleaning products, finding an inexpensive DIY wood furniture cleaner that actually works, was high on my list.

But it’s a $3 a bottle. While that may not seem high to some, if I am going to make something, it has to be significantly cheaper for it to be worth my time! Am I right?!

And as I mentioned before, this wood furniture cleaner polish has to work just as well.

Oh, and the homemade wood cleaner and polish needs to be super simple to make. I don’t like complicated processes. And for my wood furniture cleaner, I need to be able to make it fast so I can get my cleaning done and over with.

While we may not like the chore of cleaning our furniture, it sure does feel great when you see your wood all shiny after you’ve used this wood furniture cleaner!

So let’s get busy to make you some of this wood furniture cleaner and then get our cleaning done for less! Yay!

Ingredients & Supplies:

• 1 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar (or regular white vinegar)
• 1 Cup Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Glycerin  (easily found in the health & beauty section at your local grocery store)
• 1 Tablespoon Liquid Castile Soap
• 30 Drops Lemon or Orange Essential Oils (I use the Young Living brand because of their purity promise)

While you can use regular white vinegar for this wood furniture cleaner polish recipe, I used the Apple Cider Vinegar because it is darker and great for dark woods.

If you are not a fan of the vinegar scent, you can always add more oils so the scent is to your liking. Don’t worry, the scent of the vinegar dissipates after you have used the DIY wood furniture cleaner!

Note: That citrus essential oils can eat through plastic so it is better not to use a plastic spray bottle for this wood furniture cleaner. You should not use a metal sprayer bottle either because oils can pit the metal. But since I didn’t have another one to use, I had to use a plastic bottle. (I’ll change it out with the next batch I make.)

It is better to use a glass spray bottle. You can purchase a large glass sprayer bottle like this one.

Or, you can use this nifty trick I found. If you use apple cider vinegar often, you may have an empty bottle in your recycling bin. The sprayer off an old glass cleaner bottle works great on this vinegar bottle! Just clean the bottle and remove the label. Yay for a cheap glass sprayer bottle!

(Please Note: The picture above was taken an hour after I cleaned it. The picture below is what I started with. So, yeah…it works really well!)

Directions:

In a spray bottle, add the vinegar, olive oil, glycerin, liquid castile soap, and essentials oils.

Add the spray nozzle and shake the DIY wood furniture cleaner mixture to combine.

It the surface is really dingy, you can spray the homemade wood cleaner and polish onto the surface and then wipe off.

(Yeah, this is where the no judging part comes in! Can I just say it’s been a little crazy over here!)

Total Cost

• 1 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar (does not have to be organic) = 27¢ (The Walmart Great Value brand non-organic apple cider vinegar is way cheaper and is perfect for this recipe.)
  {Or add 17¢ to your total instead If you used white vinegar.}
• 1 Cup Olive Oil = FREE (If you already have it on hand, OR add $1.82 to your total)
• 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Glycerin = 33¢
• 1 Tablespoon Liquid Castile Soap (Learn how to make Castile soap yourself for pennies) = 1¢
• 30 Drops Lemon or Orange Essential Oils (I use the Young Living brand because of their purity promise)

Total Cost = 61¢ for 17 oz of wood furniture cleaner with the apple cider vinegar
Or, 51¢ for 17 oz of wood furniture cleaner with the white vinegar

Note: This does not cover the cost of the spray bottle or the essential oils used in your homemade wood cleaner and polish.

(The left side was not cleaned in the picture above, the right side was. Yay for this cheap wood furniture cleaner!)

So as the pictures prove, this DIY wood furniture cleaner works great!

For just 61¢, I can make enough wood furniture cleaner polish for all my wood and it’s so cheap to make at home.

And it’s super fast to make. I love the mix and go recipes! They are my favorite!

YOUR TURN: What other essential oils would you add to your wood furniture cleaner? Let me know in the comments below!

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