Homemade Furniture Polish

¶ For cleaning and polishing old wood trim, furniture and cabinets the following formulas will be found useful:

¶ Formula 1: 1 pint vinegar, 1 pint denatured alcohol; 1 pint paraffine oil.

¶ Rub on, let dry half an hour or so and rub off any excess.

¶ Formula 2: Mix equal parts of sweet oil and denatured alcohol.

¶ Shake well and apply with a wad of cotton. Rub with a circular motion until the polish begins to set.

¶ Formula 3: 1 pint raw linseed oil; 2 ounces spirits of camphor; 4 ounces vinegar; 1 ounce butter of antimony; ½ ounce ammonia, household.

¶ Keep in a bottle corked tightly. Shake before using. Apply with a soft cloth and rub to a polish with a soft flannel or silk.

¶ One of the very best polishes for furniture and all wood trim is:

¶ Formula 4: 1 ounce paraffine oil; ½ ounce butter of antimony: 1 ounce denatured alcohol; 3 ounces water.

¶ Shake this mixture well and then add carbonate of magnesia until the mixture stops bubbling, indicating that it has been completely neutralized. Then add to each pint of this above mixture two tablespoonfuls more of the carbonate of magnesia.

¶ A good cleaner and polish for furniture and wood trim:

¶ Formula 5: ½ pint butter of antimony; 1 quart cider vinegar; 6 pints turpentine; 1 quart denatured alcohol; 3 quarts raw linseed oil.

¶ Mix well and store in a glass or earthen jug. It will eat through metal containers. Shake well before using. Apply with a soft cotton cloth and rub briskly.

Next Page: Varnish Problems & Defects in Varnishing.