The best natural beeswax furniture polish recipe

 

Beeswax furniture polish is a safe, natural, and such a nice creamy product. You’ll want to use it when giving a new life to your wood furniture, cutting boards, driftwood decorations, and unfinished wood.

It’s been a while I’m trying to cut back on unnatural and toxic cleaners and swap products to live a more eco-friendly green life.

I hope more and more of you will follow me or already working on swapping sprays, cleaners, plastics, paper towels to something natural and reusable.

 

Do you have an old wood table or cabinet that needs a little love? Do you want to freshen up your cutting boards?

Today I want to share an easy beeswax furniture polish recipe with you. With a few organic ingredients, you’ll be able to ditch the toxic chemicals for good.

If you have some wood surfaces that need a little love, this simple homemade furniture polish is easy to make and leaves the wood looking refreshed for a long time.

 

So let’s check out the easy recipe and the step-by-step DIY tutorial. 

Please note that this article contains affiliate links.  Please see my full disclosure and privacy policy for more info.

 

What you are gonna need to make citrus beeswax furniture polish

 

 

I decided to mix the beeswax with castor oil and olive oil for only one reason. That is what I had at home. So they are FREE!

But make sure whatever oil you have at home is suitable for your wood surfaces.

 

Here are some guidelines to choose the right wax, oil, and essential oil for your home:

 

Beeswax comes in 2 colors, white and yellow. If you search natural wood polishing, usually, the images always show you a yellow paste. So naturally, people are drawn to the yellow color. That is why I bought yellow beeswax pellets. 😉

Olive oil arranges from greenish to yellowish color, so when your furniture polish contains only olive oil, it might be more green than yellow. Other oils to consider Jojoba oil, Castor oil, Walnut oil, or Coconut oil. Make sure nobody has an allergic reaction to these oils in your family. 

Essential oils have been used for cleaning and refreshing homes. BUT not all essential oils can be used on wood surfaces. If you decide to mix essential oil into your polish, make sure what kind of oil you’ll use and that your wood can be treated with it.

 

I got the smallest beeswax (1LB) from Beesworks. I learned to buy less in a hard way. The last time I was making soy candles for Christmas, I ended up with a left-over of 3/4 of the bag! I’m gonna end up making candles to sell to get rid of the huge mountain of soy wax I still have left.

 

If you prefer to see the process on video, check it out below. If you like to read, the instructions scroll a little bit more.

I like to see a video and read instructions when I learn about a new DIY. I hope it helps you too.

Step by step beeswax furniture polish instructions

You’ll be done with this DIY project in less than 30 minutes. After that, you have to wait a few hours to allow the beeswax furniture polish to cool off completely and ready to be used on wood.

 

1. Pour the olive oil, castor oil in a heat-safe pot.

2. Melt the beeswax.

Now you got 2 options. You can use the microwave, or follow my instructions and use a double boiler on the stovetop.

I used high fire since beeswax has a melting temperature a little under 150 F. I dedicated one pot only for my wax DIY projects.

Pour water and boil it in the bigger pot. Once it’s boiling, you can place the smaller pot with the oil and wax mixture in hot water.

 

3. Stir until beeswax is fully melted

Using a wooden stick, stir the mixture until there are no solid pellets and all melted together.

It will look like boiling. It is hot! Be careful!

4. Add Citronella or Lemon Essential Oil.

Stir to combine.

5. Pour the mixture into the container

Place the container in a place where nobody will touch them. Allow it to cool for several hours.

With a small amount of citronella or lemon essential oils, this furniture polish smells fresh, clean, and spring-like. You can have the Spring cleaning fresh smell throughout your home.

 

Answering your questions. 

 

How to apply beeswax furniture polish to wood?

1.Clean the wood to make sure there is no oil residue and dust on it. If you use the polish to bring new furniture back to life, you might consider using paint thinner. Just make sure you use the thinner or any other chemicals in a good ventilated area. 

2. Let it dry completely.

3. Apply furniture polish. To use the wax on wood surfaces, apply it onto a rag (you remember we ditched paper towels… 😉 ), and apply it to the wood. Get a scoop of polish on your rag then rub it into the surface with a circular motion.

Cover the entire surface. Once the whole piece is covered, go back over the polish with long swipes along the grain of the wood.

4. Remove excess polish.

5. Allow absorbing. It will take around 15 minutes.

6. Buffing. Use a fresh rag and go over the wood. Follow the grain of the wood and remove possible excess.

How long can you store your beeswax furniture polish?

Let’s assume you chose an airtight container. If you chose olive oil, you could store it up to one year away from direct sunlight.

Jojoba oil-based polish gets a little more shelf life, up to two years.  Since I live in a tropical climate, I will store mine in the fridge. You might want to do the same.

 

Can you use beeswax on varnished wood?

 

The short answer is YES!

Beeswax or any other furniture wax can be applied over almost any other wood finish.

I used mine when we refinished an old stained wooden table.  You can apply this organic polish on varnish and paint too.

As a general caution, choose a test area first to ensure that you are happy with the result.

 

How often should you use beeswax on furniture?

 

Most of the wooden furniture looks and stays pretty and in good condition if regular treatment is given.

It’s recommended to use beeswax polish around 3-4 times per year.

 

 

Natural beeswax furniture polish

 

It is a great handmade wood polishing product. Knowing that it is a more natural way to take care of your home makes it even better.

Wood polishing sprays contain silicone. Unfortunately, it tends to dry out the wood. So switching to natural polish is a perfect choice.

I love this creamy beeswax furniture polish because it is easy to apply. It doesn’t clump like a paste type of polish.

It gave a beautiful shine to unfinished wood, like my cutting board or my driftwood lamp.

Its smell is natural and not overwhelming.

It covers minor scratches and adds a protective shine to your wooden furniture. You can even use it on wood floors if you make a bigger batch.

 

I believe that all of us can help our environment by using natural resources and reusing materials for home decor and Spring cleaning.

 

Do you need more sustainable and eco-friendly DIY ideas?

Check out my other favorite DIYs.

1. Soy wax candle DIY
2. Beeswax candle DIY
3. Beeswax food wraps
4. Soy wax food wrap
5. Citronella candle DIY

 

I hope you got inspired, and off you go to make your organic furniture polish today.

Don’t forget to PIN it so you can come back for the step by step instructions anytime.