Natural Dusting Spray for Wood

Not only do most commercial dusting sprays come in aerosol cans, they also include strange substances.  When you spray onto your furniture, those substances are aerosolized into the air and you breathe it in.

This spray is simple, uses materials you probably have on hand, and you control the scent!

Add the following ingredients into a glass spray bottle:

• 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil (no need to use EVO)
• 30 drops of essential oils as desired such as lemon, cedarwood, clove, etc

Shake vigorously to mix the vinegar and oils. Spray directly onto wood furniture – be careful of overspray since the oils might stain fabric – and buff with a clean, dry, soft cloth.  You can also spray onto the cloth and then apply to the wood. A little goes a long way.

A note about olive oil: all oil will shine and protect wooden furniture. Olive oil has been used for hundreds of years for this purpose, among others. Some people might argue that the olive oil may go rancid in the bottle and you should use mineral oil instead. Since olive oil can be processed by hand, or at least naturally, and mineral oil requires industrial cleaners to extract and clean it from the crude oil it stems from, the more natural and sustainable solution is to use olive oil. There may be other oils you have on hand and they might work fine. Experiment!  But only make as much as will last you for a couple of weeks to avoid possible rancidity.

Why this doesn’t contain alcohol: many recipes for dusting spray includes alcohol either as isopropyl or vodka.  While alcohol might cut through grime and dirt, it can also dissolve the finish on some wooden furniture.