Best Wood Furniture Polish

Introduction

Starting a cleaning company will see you doing things you might not have been doing at your house, like polishing your furniture. Polishing furniture is not something that is done except on a special occasion. Now as someone in the cleaning business, you might be wondering what product is the best to use and at the same time would not damage your customer’s property. Well, stay close to me in this article and I will try my best to break wood polishing down as much as I can.

First off what is wood polish

Wood furniture polishes are substances applied to wood to clean and shine their surface, also renewing the appearances and helping to protect the furniture itself. A big mistake that most people make is not being able to identify the difference between wood polish and wood finishes, they are not the same product and they do not perform the same functions on your furniture.

There are a bunch of factors to consider when buying a wood polish and I will be listing them below and I will try my best to explain each of them to you.

Wood finish

Above all, knowing your type of furniture or wood at home ultimately helps with the products to buy. Buying the wrong products for your furniture would not give you the required outcome and might even damage the furniture in the long run.

There are a bunch of tests to perform on furniture to assist you as to which product will suit them the best. Do not worry, they are tests you can perform at home without any help at all.

Rub on a few drops on hot linseed oil on the furniture and observe the results.If the furniture absorbs the oil upon contact, it has an oil finish. It would then be advisable to only buy products that can clean oil-based furniture.

If, however, the oil just stays on the surface upon contact, it has a hard finish. Upon contact with the furniture the oil turns into a gel-like substance, it has varnish or shellac finish. If the oil dissolves within 30 seconds, it is a lacquer finish.

Formulas

Furniture polishes come in three major formulas.

Based on your current wood finish. I will be listing them below for a better understanding.

1. Silicone polishes contain silicone and wax. As the polish, they remove dirt and provide a hard, slick firm, usually making them compatible with varnish and shellac finishes as listed above.
2. Emulsion polishes, sometimes called cream polishes, consist of water, oil, and usually cleaning agents, which allows them to lift oil-based dirt as they polish along. They are also suitable for wood with varnish and shellac finishes. Though the matte or satin sheen they produce is less easily wipeable compared to silicone and wax.
3.  Waxes, at least those made out of, carnauba or beeswax, fall into the category of wood polishes. The thin, hard layer they achieve fends off stains and abrasions and pairs well with furniture that has a lacquered finish. Since paste wax acts as a sealant itself, it’s also suitable for use on unfinished wood.

Application Methods

Based on Application Types

There are different application methods for wood polishes seeing as wood polishes also have different finishes. Under this subsection, I will be explaining and breaking down the different application types.

1. Liquid polishes usually include emulsion and oil-based products. They come in bottles or containers that let you slowly pour it on spray on a damp cloth and rub on the surface of the furniture.
2. Aerosol includes oil-based options and silicon and emulsion. They are usually available in cans, and they make up the bulk of the wood polishes on the market. The reason being that they are easy to use and do not require the use of cloth, and also do not need you to rub them in.
3. Semi-solid polishes are wax-based products usually sold in a small tub. They require the most work to apply as you’ll need to slather the product onto a cloth and then buff it extensively into the wood; creamy waxes require less buffing than paste waxes, however.

Based on Furniture Types

You might still be confused even after reading all of that, and that’s completely fine. You are probably still wondering that I still haven’t mentioned the best brands or products to use.

Before that, let me talk about the two major furniture types that you might find yourself working with in the future:

1. Everyday furniture from chairs at the dining table to coffee tables are primarily utilitarian items that get heavy wear and tear and therefore require more frequent application of furniture polish every month or so to keep clean and shining. Aim to use aerosol or liquid polishes to lift dirt from and lend a matte to high-gloss sheen to these items with less effort than waxes require.
2. Antique furniture often features ornate details best accented by oil-based polishes or wax—ideally the high-gloss sheen produced by paste wax. Since you won’t need to polish these items more than two or three times a year, the higher-effort application of these products will still be manageable. But avoid silicone polishes on these items—they easily show finger smudges.

The following are just a few of the products that have been tested and given good reviews by past users, and they are not in any particular order.

1. Pledge Multi-Surface Furniture Polish Spray
2. BEST FOR LIGHT WOODS: Old English Lemon Oil Furniture Polish
3.  Howard Products FW0016 Wood Polish & Conditioner.

Conclusion

Now, it’s not that hard to find out what product will work best for you, it mostly just depends on your needs and your pocket, the whole article is just to be safe and prevent a case of rotten wood in the house.