All-Natural Furniture Spray

I am not a fan of dusting. Maybe it’s because I live in a dry arid desert and dust is a constant. Maybe it’s because I have to move everything off a surface before I can dust it and that means double the work. Maybe it’s because I generally distrust aerosols (like my can of Pledge) because I was told as a child that aerosols had created a big hole in the ozone and we were all gonna be incinerated by the sun. Or something like that. Anyway, I was excited when I found a recipe to make my own furniture spray with a just few cheap, non-toxic (and non-aerosol) ingredients.

I recently priced out a can of Pledge at the grocery store and it cost a whopping $5.99. What is in that can that costs so much? Not surprisingly, very little but it’s not listed on the can so I had to Google it. It contains water, mineral oil, silicone oil, and naptha (petroleum). It also contains butane, isobutane and propane that assist in propelling the liquid from the can (allegedly destroying the Ozone and terrifying millions of children who grew up in the 80’s). So basically it’s oil and water. Hah! I can copy that, no problem. I’ll just add a little white vinegar for it’s cleaning power and streak-free tendencies plus some lemon essential oil, a well-known cleaning agent for it’s disinfecting and germicidal properties. Lemon essential oil is also a great air-disinfectant which is a must during cold and flu season but only if it’s the real-deal, not the synthetic fragrance in Pledge and other store-bought cleaners.

Pour all the ingredients into the spray bottle using a funnel because no matter what you think your aim is not that good. Trust me on this one people! Screw the spray top on and your done. Oh, except you’ll want to shake it up a bit to mix it all together and then you’ll want to put a reminder on the bottle to shake before each use (see first photo).

Now that I’ve finished that little project I can dust away to my heart’s content. No worries about toxic chemicals, over-priced cleaning products or being incinerated by aerosol induced ozone damage. Okay, so I’m still not a fan of dusting but don’t worry, I just make my kids do it.

All-Natural Furniture Spray
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cups vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp. vegetable glycerin
20 drops lemon essential oil

Using a funnel, pour all ingredients into a glass spray bottle. Shake well. Spray sparingly on surfaces and wipe with a clean soft cloth.

Note: I have been using this Furniture Spray for several months and really love it. I might be imagining things but it seems like I am having to dust less often now which makes me (and my kids) very happy.

I have also tried it on my stainless steel appliances and it works great on those surfaces as well.

I did a side-by-side test the other day using my old can of Pledge and my homemade version did a better job. Plus the smell of the Pledge was heinous!! Something you spray in your home should NOT smell like it could possibly kill you! Just sayin’…