Natural Cleaning Challenge - Week 2 - Furniture Polish #NatClean2012

It's week 2 of our Natural Cleaning Challenge - have you taken the Challenge?

Last week we talked about a natural oven cleaner - how did you get on?

This week we're looking at a natural furniture polish.

I don't know about you but I really dislike the synthetic smell of most furniture polish - OK it may contain some funky chemical that 'attracts dust' and it make make my furniture look nice and shiny, but does it really have to smell like that?

And sometimes I wonder how people managed to keep their furniture dust and streak free before these polishes were invented!

So, let's create a lovely smelling natural furniture polish that you'll be proud to use, won't make your kids sneeze and doesn't cost the Earth!

Natural Green Furniture Polish

You will need:

• 2 cups of oil
• 1 cup of white vinegar

Now, this is where it gets interesting - you can choose pretty much any type of oil for this natural furniture polish recipe, depending on the smell you like. Coconut oil, jojoba oil, good old olive oil, linseed oil - take your pick (we wouldn't recommend chilli infused oil though!).

Mix the oil and the vinegar together and polish your furniture using a soft natural cloth. Simply wipe on, then wipe off for a long lasting sheen and a lovely smell.

You could use lemon juice in place of the vinegar, but please do be sure to test an area of your furniture first, as it may have a slight bleaching effect on some wood.

The great thing about this recipe is you can ring the changes every week with a different type of oil!

Fancy an even better smell? Add a few drops of your favourite essential oil to the mix (again test this first just in case).

We'd love to hear your variations on this recipe, so go ahead and give it a go, then let us know in the comments below how you got on!