Posted by Brittany Thomas | Mar 13, 2013
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This natural wood cleaner and restorer does what I thought only some sort of chemical cleaner or finish could do! It works so well!
I never really had to deal wood real wood furniture, floors, or window sills until a few years ago.
It was then that I realized just what damage water, sun, and time can do to wood!
One of the houses that I lived in was about a hundred years old and thus it had some rather old wood.
It had old wood floors that I’m pretty sure have seen 90 years of wear.
I also had a hand-me-down dining table that has seen its years, and I even had door posts that had its finish stripped from water damage or something like that.
I always thought I would need to resort to some sort of chemical cleaner or finish to restore my wood.
I probably don’t need to tell you that I had no desire to use chemicals in my home.
Thankfully, I was wrong and I realized that there are natural ways to restore your wood!
You can clean and restore your wood floors, tables, door posts, cabinets, what-have-you naturally!
I tried this natural wood restorer on my water stripped window sills and door posts.
I was blown away by the results! Just check out this picture!
Once I had my wood restored to good condition, I just continued to use the natural wood cleaner for an easy maintenance cleaner.
I also use it when I want my floors and furniture sparkly clean!
One of the greatest things about this DIY natural wood restorer and cleaner is that you probably already have all the ingredients that are needed to make it in your home right now!
I don’t know about you but not having to run to the store or order ingredients is a huge perk with it comes to DIY’s for me!
Natural Wood Cleaner and Restorer
Items Needed:
Spray bottle or jar
Water
White Vinegar
Olive Oil
For everyday use:
Mix 1 cup water and 1 cup vinegar in spray bottle/jar and add in 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Mix well. Spray directly on surface or rag and rub clean.
Make sure to occasionally shake your solution because as we all know: oil and water/vinegar separate!
For restoring wood or the occasional heavy duty polishing:
Mix 1 tablespoon vinegar with 3 tablespoons olive oil in a jar. Mix well.
Dip a rag into the solution and then polish and restore your wood.
This makes a very small patch so multiply it as needed.
I have found that I usually do not need very much of this recipe when I’m restoring my wood which is why I made the recipe such a small batch.
Need more green cleaning recipes?
Homemade Soft Scrub
Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner
Hardwood Cleaner
How to Naturally Clean Stove Vent Filters
Natural Sink Cleaner
How to Naturally Clean your Dishwasher
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About The Author
Brittany Thomas
A mother to five kids, Brittany began her journey of living naturally because she wanted the best for her kids. She blogs at The Pistachio Project in order to share what she learns with others. When she is not blogging, you can find Brittany making elderberry syrup, whipping up yet another batch of sunbutter, or drinking her fourth cup of tea.
71 Comments
Lee Ann on August 2, 2016 at 4:11 pm
This worked amazing on my old wooden floors. Thank you!!
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Brittany Thomas on August 3, 2016 at 6:34 pm
Wonderful to hear!
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Diane on October 19, 2016 at 4:38 pm
agree! Very pleased!
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Anonymous on March 13, 2019 at 7:10 pm
If you don’t have olive oil or regular vegetable oil work?
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Brittany Thomas on March 14, 2019 at 2:02 pm
Yes, you can use a different liquid oil if you don’t have olive oil.
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Anonymous on November 19, 2022 at 11:17 am
Avocado oil on ???
Brittany Thomas on November 20, 2022 at 6:44 pm
Yes, you could sub avocado oil (pricier though)
allison on January 8, 2017 at 9:29 am
What kind of vinegar do you recommend?
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Brittany Thomas on January 10, 2017 at 10:23 am
Just cheap old white distilled vinegar works great.
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betty lea on January 22, 2017 at 1:20 pm
will this help with a water stain?
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Brittany Thomas on January 22, 2017 at 6:18 pm
It helped with the water stain on my window sills (that is what is shown in the picture) but I haven’t tried it on water stains left by beverages.
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Shannon on February 13, 2017 at 12:35 pm
How would you recommend using vinegar and olive oil to clean large areas of hardwood flooring? My floors definitely qualify for the “heavy duty polishing” category, but the small batch polishing instructions you give seem like they’d be very tedious for restoring hardwood floors throughout my entire apartment. Thanks!
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Brittany Thomas on February 14, 2017 at 12:50 pm
If you need to do your entire flooring then I actually recommend making the hardwood cleaner and then adding some oil to that mixture. Start with just 1-3 tbs oil added to the cup of water and cup of vinegar. Then mop it in.
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Dorothy on April 13, 2017 at 9:38 am
I used the wood cleaner on my old wood varnished floors, and it worked greatl They look and feel very clean now. Thanks!
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Samantha on May 8, 2017 at 1:39 pm
Hi- Weird question…can you substitute with apple cider vinegar?
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Brittany Thomas on May 9, 2017 at 11:45 am
You can definitely substitute apple cider vinegar.
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nina on May 21, 2017 at 7:09 am
Thanks for the post, I just used evoo and no vinegar or water. Obviously very oily. Adding vinegar makes total sense to clean the residue 🙂
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marc winn on July 3, 2017 at 7:51 am
This is great. I’ve had a few clients ask about totally natural, DIY floor cleaner. And while I recommend the stuff I use on my floors, there’s definitely people who want to do it themselves. So I’ll give them this recipe next time. Thanks for making and trying this out.
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Theresa on July 28, 2017 at 7:51 am
Can you add a couple drops of scented oil!
?Reply
Brittany Thomas on July 28, 2017 at 10:19 am
You definitely could.
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EtHane on July 29, 2017 at 10:42 am
Thanks for sharing. It’s useful for my old wooden table. I’ll try on others wooden furniture.
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Val on April 4, 2020 at 8:28 am
After cleaning can one then apply an oil based medium such as…?? .. as it is outdoor furniture that will be subject to sun and rain.
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Brittany Thomas on April 5, 2020 at 2:41 pm
You could definitely apply an oil based medium for outdoor furniture. I couldn’t tell you what or what brand though as I’ve not tried it.
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Ever on August 25, 2017 at 11:06 pm
I used your heavy duty solutuion with a little bit of water and it got all the gunk off my work’s wooden railing. The railing really shines now.
For those of you wondering there are 16 tablespoons in a cup. I used 3/4 cup oil and 3 tablespoons of vinagar and small amout of water to thin it out.Reply
Leola on October 14, 2017 at 7:59 pm
Brittany, your recipe for heavy duty wood restoring/polishing is really great! My neighbors across the street had single beds (beautiful wood with spindles on the head and footboards) which had been in their attic probably 70 years. They were pretty dusty and dirty! I dusted and went over the wood with a damp rag. When dry, I applied your olive oil and vinegar combo with a rag. My neighbor and I are amazed at the difference!
I was thrilled to find your natural recipe — I try to avoid chemical cleaning products. The natural don’t always work though. In this case, your solution was great!
I can’t wait to use the tips from you and others for my 90 year old wood floors. Thank you everyone!Reply
Brittany Thomas on October 19, 2017 at 8:43 am
That is so great to hear! I love hearing how this diy is doing wonders for people’s wood.
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JEN on April 16, 2018 at 12:23 pm
will the residue of the substance last or will it dry out and not feel wet?
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Brittany Thomas on April 16, 2018 at 3:46 pm
It should dry off after awhile. Dry time will probably depend on how much finish your wood already has. For my example pics in the post, the dry time was quick because the water had worn off all the finish.
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rAY on April 22, 2018 at 11:42 am
Does this work on Hardwood floors? or laminate?
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Brittany Thomas on April 22, 2018 at 2:48 pm
It’s definitely for hardwood floors! Laminate…. might get slippery with the oil.
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Dianna Pape on June 6, 2018 at 8:44 am
Hi Brittany,
Thank you for this post. We are renting a house and the dining room table is old,,,,I want to start using natural cleaners and no harsh chemicals. We need to start treating this planet with respect. Do you have a suggestion for the shower?????
God bless you,
DiannaReply
Brittany Thomas on June 6, 2018 at 10:13 am
Ah the shower…. my least favorite thing to clean! I generally use baking soda to scrub stuff. If you have grout then I use an old toothbrush and scrub with castile soap or baking soda. My all purpose cleaner works for shower doors.
See AlsoOne-Step Stain & FinishReply
Lori on July 6, 2018 at 1:52 pm
Hello
Can lemon or lime juice used instead of vinegar? I would like it citrus scented.Reply
Brittany Thomas on July 6, 2018 at 4:09 pm
Yes those should work just fine.
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Deseri on July 11, 2018 at 2:46 am
Hello, will the vinegar and olive oil solution work on unfinished wood, for instance a plain wooden outdoor deck?
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Brittany Thomas on July 11, 2018 at 11:00 am
It will. Keep in mind if the wood is outdoors then the results aren’t likely to last very long.
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Maria on September 1, 2019 at 10:16 pm
Hi there I have the same question, what would you recommend using on outdoor furniture?
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Brittany Thomas on September 8, 2019 at 8:40 am
You could use it for outdoor furniture but I don’t think it will be long lasting as it’s just oil and vinegar.
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Oli canfield on July 22, 2021 at 1:54 pm
Once it is cleaned brush over boiled linseed, works on my everyday outdoor wooden tooling handles, let it soak in and dry. I have some very old (from my great grandad) tooling still – linseed like the old cricket bats, this is old school tech.
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Boyd on August 2, 2018 at 9:35 am
Looks nice! A bet it smells great too 😀
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Amy on August 24, 2018 at 11:38 am
I used the heavy duty polish recipe using liquid coconut oil (was out of olive oil) to restore a guitar, and it looks AMAZING! Cleaned the fret board and whole wooden body, and it even worked on the metal parts with a q-tip. The guitar had been abandoned (original owner passed away and his mother kept it for sentimental reasons without doing any maintenance on it). Now it looks like it is brand new!! So thank you!
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Anonymous on July 11, 2019 at 6:58 am
Does this work for painted white furniture too?
I was just curious, about vinegar affecting the white paint.
What is the best natural painted white wood cleaner?Reply
Brittany Thomas on July 11, 2019 at 10:42 am
As long as there is a decent seal/glaze on top of the paint, this should be fine.
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Jon on February 3, 2020 at 7:31 am
Hey, I love how simple this solution is. It’s so smart. Can I substitute witch hazel for vinegar?
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Brittany Thomas on February 3, 2020 at 12:11 pm
I’m not sure that witch hazel would make a good substitute. I’m pretty sure their ph levels are different… not to mention witch hazel is more costly than vinegar.
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SUSAN on November 20, 2018 at 12:08 pm
Hi Brittany,
I have made a solution using lemon juice instead of vinegar. Do you know how long it lasts and does it need to be refrigerated. Thank you.
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Brittany Thomas on November 20, 2018 at 1:21 pm
Since it has lemon juice I imagine you will need to refrigerate and I’m not sure how long it would last in that case. When made with vinegar, it doesn’t have to be refrigerated and can last for months.
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Anonymous on November 30, 2018 at 2:08 am
And in that case, I will definitely be using vinegar next time! Thank you for your help Brittany.
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Lauren on January 6, 2019 at 8:11 am
OMG ! I have been trying to restore my Great-grandmother’s 1920’s sideboard and nothing has worked. I tried this and it worked so well. I can’t believe it’s the same piece. It looks gorgeous. I can’t thank you enough for sharing this.
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Brittany Thomas on January 6, 2019 at 6:39 pm
That’s wonderful!!! I’m so happy to hear this!
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airbnb clean on February 7, 2019 at 10:26 pm
Thanks for sharing a better way to clean woods and leave them shining.
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Connie S on February 13, 2019 at 8:34 pm
Would this work on stained kitchen cabinets that need restaining? i want to clean them first and also want the stain to take.
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Brittany Thomas on February 20, 2019 at 6:31 am
It should but if you are looking to clean just do you can restain, you may want to go with a more soap based cleaner.
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Gina on February 25, 2019 at 12:00 pm
My son is posted up in the artic for 3 years with the military. A friend gave us a wooden dining table for him, so he wouldn’t need to buy one. It was in need of a solid good cleaning and TLC to boot. You oil and vinager worked like a charm! Thank you, saved a lot of money on a new table, that wouldn’t have even been real wood just some crapy press-wood.
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Peggy on March 17, 2019 at 5:07 am
Just bought an 40-50 year old maple hutch. Finish is intact. Just need to clean and not strip. Is this recipe suitable?
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Brittany Thomas on March 19, 2019 at 10:06 am
It should be great. I’ve gotten a lot of comments from people using this cleaner/restorer on older wood furniture with great success.
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Sam Kresslein on March 28, 2019 at 10:40 pm
I plan on using your recipe for reviving 100 year old doors and trim in my house.I have several questions: Can you use grapeseed oil? What kind of vinegar (it looked like white) ? Can you use this on wood that has been stained?
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Brittany Thomas on March 29, 2019 at 12:56 pm
Pretty much any liquid oil should work. I used white distilled vinegar. You can used it on wood that’s been stained but obviously if the staining is still good then the oil will just stay on the surface. Where staining has worn off, it will be more affective. (unless you mean stained like a juice stain… in which case this will not remove stains)
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Tasha on April 17, 2019 at 2:33 am
This absolutely works! I damaged my wood vanity a bit and polishing it with this mix made it look so much better! Life saver!
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Maritza Read on May 8, 2019 at 2:58 pm
I just did this on my dining table & chairs that looked so dull! Thanks so much! I love being able to use a natural cleaner not only because it’s stuff i easily had on hand but also because I have a 2 year old and I really would prefer not use to harsh chemicals! 🙂
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rebeca on November 10, 2019 at 6:01 am
how do I get mildew stains out of dinning room table I had it stored in my basem*nt for 7 yrs.I wiped off the mildew dust and then polished it with lemon oil. Still there was no difference now I just used your finger and water and olive oil solution. Waiting for it to dry now.
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Brittany Thomas on November 11, 2019 at 10:33 am
I’m not familiar with how to remove mildew stains from wood.I’m sorry.
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Gabriella on July 31, 2019 at 1:09 pm
The dresser and highboy I have are about 70 years old. They’re hard-rock maple with a veneer that has become spotty over the decades from drops of perfume or water. When I’ve used commercial polish, it looks nice at first, but dries splotchy and the spots are still there — it’s the top of each piece that’s problematic. Will this deep-clean the finish so the shine is consistent? Also, can I make a batch ahead of time without the oil going rancid?
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Brittany Thomas on July 31, 2019 at 4:07 pm
I’ve never experienced splotchy issues with this cleaner/restorer. You can make it a bit ahead of time but I don’t think I’d let it sit for months.
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M Rice on November 15, 2019 at 10:33 am
I tried this on an old window sill that is 22 years old, well-used, as it is by the backdoor. The solution did absolutely nothing. I then went to the hardwood floor in the part of the house that was a living room and now an open office where the front door opens. The floor is worn and faded, stains from a carpet above at one time. The solution worked very well and very happy with it. I do not think that it will work on some furniture that I have that I can’t get old drink splatters down the front OR the faded headboard. We will see.
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KArin on January 9, 2020 at 5:54 am
What about my kitchen cabinets? The ones by the stove are a bit more greasy than the other but all need cleaning.
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Brittany Thomas on January 9, 2020 at 1:21 pm
This may work with greasy cabinets but I couldn’t guarantee anything as so much depends on type of grease, how thick, etc… but it definitely won’t hurt to try it.
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Lani on May 7, 2020 at 10:59 am
Very disappointed as I wasted my olive oil. After about 30 minutes I checked and the table top took like it had prior to applying the oil/vinegar solution. ☹️
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Trevion Johnson on May 29, 2020 at 7:02 am
Don’t veggie/food oils go rancid and smell after a while? The smell of stale oil is rather unpleasant and when I bought a natural wood cutting board they said not to use veggie oils for this reason….?
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Brittany Thomas on May 31, 2020 at 2:48 pm
I think since you aren’t letting this sit really on the wood, it doesn’t cause issues. (a cutting board is mainly a concern because food gets set on the cutting board and may pick up the rancid oil)
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USVintage Wood on May 16, 2024 at 7:18 am
Thank you for sharing your experience. Wood lasts as long as we know how to handle it properly.
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