DIY: Handcrafted Furniture Supplies

Make your own furniture-cleaning supplies.

Making your own furniture wax and polish only takes a few ingredients and a little time. Putting together a kit of everyday items to help you move heavy furniture is another furniture-supply project. There's no need to spend a lot of money on furniture care. Keep these supplies handy for conditioning your furniture and moving it exactly where you want.

Things You'll Need

• Olive oil
• Double boiler
• Beeswax
• Bowl
• Clean rags
• White distilled vinegar
• Lemon oil
• Glass jar
• Kitchen towels or cardboard

Instructions

1. Pour 1 cup olive oil into a double boiler and add 1/4 cup grated beeswax. Stir over low heat until the wax is completely melted into the oil. Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl. Stir occasionally as it cools and the mixture will come together as a thick, creamy wood wax. Use this wax to polish, clean and condition wood furniture by rubbing it in with your fingers or a rag and wiping it off with a clean rag after letting sit for 15 minutes.

2. Mix 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar, 3/4 cup olive oil and 1/4 tsp. lemon oil in a glass jar. Apply a small amount to a clean rag and rub into your wood furniture to polish and clean the surface. Allow to sit for 15 minutes and then wipe with a clean rag.

3. Keep a few old kitchen towels and rectangles of cardboard handy as a DIY furniture-moving kit. Carefully rock your piece of furniture just enough to slide the towels or cardboard under the feet. Use towels for hardwood or tile floors and cardboard on carpeting. This will allow you to slide the furniture to its new position without undue strain. The weight of the furniture will keep it from slipping off the cardboard during moving.

References

• Apartment Therapy: 5 Tricks for Moving Furniture
• Natural Home: Nourish Your Wood Furniture
• Amber Dusick: How to Make Beeswax Furniture Polish