How to Make Natural Beeswax Furniture Polish
How to make simple and natural beeswax furniture polish using just two ingredients. It’s easy to make and is a great addition to your natural home.
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I’m on a mission to find more natural replacements for conventional household cleaners and a furniture polish would come in handy. The problem with many polishes is that they’re often loaded with unnecessary chemicals. Ingredients that might cause immediate reactions or possibly long-term health issues. On the National Library of Medicine’s website, furniture polish poisoning varies from dizziness and vomiting to skin burning and irritation. No thanks.
One ingredient that I have on hand and know is pure and natural is beeswax. I have two colonies of honeybees and every year during the honey harvest I get a beeswax harvest too. I use it in making handmade beauty recipes but it’s perfect for wood furniture polish too. Beeswax protects and seals wooden surfaces and smells gorgeous too.
Beeswax & Olive Oil
In this recipe, I use just two main ingredients, beeswax, and olive oil, and make it in less than thirty minutes. It takes a couple of hours to cool but can be used immediately after. When combined, these simple oils form a semi-hard wax that you can massage into almost any wood to restore a beautiful sheen.
Olive oil on its own can polish wood well on its own, but it has a tendency to erode. Beeswax is much more durable and can give your furniture a long-lasting brilliant sheen and texture after regular application. Another ingredient that I encourage you to use is a clear Grapefruit seed extract (such as Citricidal) or Vitamin E oil though from a functional perspective it’s completely optional. Though beeswax lasts years without going rancid, olive oil can eventually go rancid. An anti-oxidant will help stop that from happening and ensure that your polish continues to smell like rich honey-scented beeswax.
More Natural Ideas
Natural Beeswax Furniture Polish Recipe
A beautifully scented and natural beeswax furniture polish suitable for most wood types. Makes about 3-2/3 cups
- 150g (2/3 cup) Beeswax
- 600g (3 cups) Olive oil*
- 30 drops grapefruit seed extract (optional)
- 10 drops essential oil (optional)
* Use up to 900g to make a creamier polish
How to Make Natural Beeswax Furniture Polish
- Place both the beeswax and the olive oil into a double boiler such as demonstrated in the image below. You can make a double boiler by floating a saucepan inside another pan filled with hot water. You want your oils heated indirectly and evenly in this way because it’s safer for you and helps maintain the integrity of the ingredients.
- Heat the double boiler/pans on medium heat until the beeswax is melted. Stirring it will help speed things up but don’t be tempted to turn your heat up too high. There’s a chance that boiling water will splash into your oils.
- Add the optional grapefruit seed extract and essential oil and stir well. Pour the hot mixture into clean and dry wide-mouth containers. Allow to cool for at least two hours into a semi-hard balm consistency.
- You can use the polish immediately and no doubt you’ll do what I did…run around the house looking for wooden objects to beautify! To use the polish, just scoop some of it out with your fingers or with a rag and work the polish into any and all wooden surfaces. You can wipe excess polish off immediately or leave it on for a couple of hours. That gives more time for the oils to permeate the wood. Buff it to a sheen afterward and you’ll be delighted with how gorgeous the wood looks.
Can I put 30 drops of Vitamin E oil instead of 30 drops of grapeseed oil?9
You can, but vitamin e isn’t as strong an antioxidant as grapefruit seed extract (not the same as grapeseed oil). There’s no point in putting vitamin e in this reicipe.
I just wanted to let you know that I entered this polish in our local honey show. As soon as we came back in after judging, the show judge came over to me and asked what I’d put in it as he’d not recognised the smell. He said that he’d not been sure whether it would work or not, so they’d tried it and some of the other entries on the base of one of the trophies to see which came up best. Suffice it to say that the olive oil polish won first prize! So thank you for that :)
Amazing! The funny thing about this recipe is that I created it in response to the polish recipe at my own local honey show. I didn’t want to use the turpentine or mineral oil it contained and so worked this simple recipe out. It’s similar to the skin salve recipes I share. What’s good for the skin can sometimes be good for nourishing wood :)
Replacing the olive oil with grapeseed oil works perfectly and avoids the rancidity problem. The aroma of the grapeseed oil is also less intrusive than the olive oil.
Maks an excellent lip balm as well as a wood and leather polish.
I’m going to follow this recipe. Thank you for taking the time to advise.
Thank you for this tip !
Hi Tanya
This is marvellous, been looking for a truly natural beeswax for ages! One question, do you leave the beeswax to set with the lids open, or do you close/seal them? Sorry if it’s a stupid question but this is my first time making polish!
Hi Patricia and you leave the lids open. If you close them, condensation will form inside the lids and moisture might get into your beeswax furniture polish. Cool until hardened and at room temperature, then seal the pots with a lid :)
Hi Tanya,
I have organic beeswax candles. Can I use them for the wax in making the furniture polish?
Hi Laura, and if the candles are 100% beeswax with no added ingredients, then yes you can :)
Hi Tanya,
The beeswax candles worked perfectly! And I accidentally (forgot to label and had it in the bathroom cupboard ?) used it on my arms which were very dry and itchy from a summer of camping without sunblock. My bad- won’t make that mistake again! Worked very well. Lol.
Do you mean the massage oil candles? :)
Hi Tanya, I’m wondering which would work better – grapefruit seed oil or vitamin E oil as a preservative?
Hi Helen, neither are preservatives but both are antioxidants. They help keep other oils from going rancid and are optional in this recipe. GSE is better in my opinion than vitamin e because it’s more consistent in strength. Vitamin e comes diluted in other oils and you should only use one that has 30,000 IU or greater if using it as an antioxidant.
can you use mineral oil with bees wax
I don’t use mineral oil on wood so am unsure. This is a natural furniture polish recipe though, and mineral oil is not natural — it’s a petroleum product.
Hi Tanya, I think I’ve seen the same kind of wood polish done with beeswax and linseed oil instead of olive oil? Is there a particular reason for using olive oil, especially as you say it can go rancid after a while?
Linseed is fabulous oil for wood though so feel free to use it instead of olive oil. It works a little differently in protecting wood in that it soaks in more — it also leaves a shiny rather than glossy finish.
Nice. Mind you, I used only 100g of beeswax (£3.50) and two cups – a little under half a litre – of olive oil (£2) and it still produced about 500g of wax at a total cost of £5.50. For reference, 370g of Briwax costs £12.99, so proportionally that would be a street value (now I feel like a coke dealer…) of around £17.50 – so about one third of the price. I picked a lovely rich golden wax to work with and I think the results are more than comparable with the popular brand, plus since I know the source of both wax and olive oil, I can legitimately call it GM-free and organic. Would recommend to other woodworkers.
Hi,
I wonder if this wax can be used on leather of my salon. Please advice.
I use it on the leather seats of my dining room chairs. It needs to be massaged in, left to set for a few hours, and the excess fully removed. No one wants an oily seat!
Could this be used on toddler toys? I made a stocking toy for my grandson, and want to finish it with something like this. Also, Maybe a natural wood teether?
If you make it with just the beeswax and olive oil then I think it would be fine.
My daughter plays hockey and her hands get reallly dry. We love to use this recipe for dry skin. It works wonderful! Also, during commercial fishing it helps to keep the hands healthy.
Hi Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe. We have kept bees for a couple of years now in the mountains of Serbia and are fortunate enough to be able to produce virgin honey (no chemicals within 12m radius) and first made some foot cream trying to help my eczema problem. U actually used fresh lard for this rather than olive oil because a neighbour gave me her recipe! Now I have made this wonderful polish and am thrilled with the results¬ Thanks again much appreciated from the foothills of the Valjevo Mountains in Serbia! By way my maiden name is Walton, from England !
Hi there, thanks for sharing this!
Just one question – would PUre Grapefruit Oil work, rather than Grapefruit Seed Extract Oil?
Thanks!
Jon
Grapefruit oil is a scented essential oil and different from GSE. You can just leave the GSE out though if you don’t have it on hand.
An obligation of appreciation is all together to share such an unprecedented information……..
Keep updating your article like that, I am eagerly waiting for something like that more.Your article helps me a lot in making homemade furniture polish.Thanks a lot.
Hi,
How long will it last in a jar and where is the ideal place to keep it? Thank you in advance.
It will keep until the closest best by date of the ingredients you use — probably the best by date of the olive oil. Look on the back of your own individual product. As for storing, keep it in the same cupboard as your other cleaning products.
Can this be used over chalk paint?
It’s probably best used on natural wood finishes — I’m unsure on how it would do over paint.
Do you think it would work if I melted the beeswax in a slow cooker then added the olive oil & turned it off, instead of using the double boiler method?
It depends on how hot your slow cooker gets. If it were set to low then it would probably work though. I’d put all the oils in together though rather than adding the olive oil after.
Hi Tanya, I tried this polish and it is wonderful! I am about to make my second batch. I certainly didn’t have a problem with the oil becoming rancid because over the last 3 months I have used up the whole amount I made. This time, I am going to split it with a friend who has a wonderful wood beam mantel that will look stunning after a couple of coats. I do warm it slightly before using and also to release the essntial oils a little bit faster.
I’m getting the scent of warm beeswax and essential oil just reading that — great idea Louise!
Does grapefruit essential oil have the same anti-oxidant property as grapefruit seed extract? I used grapeseed instead of olive oil on my first batch but hubby used that batch up in a week and is asking for more, and I have plenty of olive oil, just no grapefruit seed extract or Vita E. Love this recipe!
There are three different ingredients that you mention here: grapefruit essential oil, grapefruit seed extract, and grapeseed oil. All are very different! To answer your question, grapefruit E.O. doesn’t have the antioxidant properties as GFSE. It’s a fragrance rather than an antioxidant. Hope this helps.
Hi Tanya, I was wondering if you could give me some advice on the natural beeswax furniture polish. I have my own beeswax from our own hives which I’ve cleaned and filtered so it’s nice pale yellow wax now.
I have followed your instructions and recipe to the letter and I’ve even doubled the amount of essential oils but the scent will just not come out. I really can’t understand it.
Thanks
Hi Richard, the amount of essential oil is very low in this recipe so that it doesn’t overpower the scent of the beeswax. However, you could use up to a full teaspoon of e.o. if you wish!
Hi Tanya, what about Avocado Oil as an antioxidant additive
Though it may have antioxidant properties that make it as an oil last longer, it won’t have much of an effect on other oils. Best to stick with the stronger anti-oxidants.
Wood this work on raw pine wood paneling, and it would also be behind a woodstove……so would it melt?
It would be fine for that purpose Maureen and would not melt since you’d wipe any excess polish off the wood.
Hi Tanya after making my move to the country, well a tiny village (not a single store for 6km) I finally got to polishing my old old mahogany piano with ebony and ivory keys (shame..) , more than 100 yrs old and really it has seen some days. I do believe no-one has cared so much for it before me. I haven’t been as gentle since my sons were babies. Right now it’s curing, soaking up this wonderful non-toxic, all natural polish. I had the bees wax from my former supplier of honey, a pensioner beekeeper in my old town. I had the grapefruit seed extract, the olive oil and I put a couple of drops of lavender EO in it.
I wish I could post before and after shots here. Of course you were right. The house is filled with old pieces of wooden knicks and knacks and I am still polishing ! :). The next most important item is the baby’s rattle which has been passed down from older son to younger and then to grandchild, who has grown now. It is ash tree and got a proper shine and sits on a proud place on the mantle piece. Well I don’t actually have a mantle piece , just a bookcase, but it sounds better.
I am very proud of the effort I am putting into polishing the piano. It takes elbow grease ( in danish-knuckle grease !)and of course you follow the grain as much as possible. I actually feel as though I am doing it a favour and sort of healing it after all the scratches and cigarette burns and being knocked about.
I always return to your posts and recipes even after scouring the Web. They are the best and I feel quite assured to use them.
Thank you so much for all that you teach me about eco-friendly living. I am hooked.
Hi Pia! I can almost picture your piano, baby rattle, and home – what a lovely description you’ve left of you making the polish and rushing around the house shining up your wooden pieces :) So pleased to have helped with the recipe and thank you so much for the descriptive message and feedback. Have a wonderful day!
Hi Tanya, what are you using as an antioxidant? Vit C? Thanks for your blog, it is good to know that there are a growing number of us out there changing the way we interact with the earth…no chemicals down the drain!
You can use an antioxidant for this but olive oil and beeswax don’t really need them as much as other oils would. Be sure to get high quality Vitamin E if you do use it – many that are on offer are so diluted that they are not effective as an antioxidant. It’s actually better to use Grapefruit Seed Extract in my opinion.
Made this earlier and it has brought my new table up a treat, it arrived a little dry tried various ils but nothing made it shine and water repellant, this has worked a treat used sandalwood but think next time will add a slight citrus note to lift it slightly ………….thanks for all the wonderful recipes just a quick question why does your in text suppliers links go to american sites would love to know where you buy your materials x
Hello. Thanks for this. I use a similar concoction (just beeswax and olive oil) as lipsalve! Works a treat, and no nasty chemicals. Lovely stuff!
Beeswax + Olive oil = a simple, natural, and versatile product :)
Hello, Tanya..I am defo trying this recipe it is soo easy! I had read on another blog that someone used Grapeseed oil in their natural beeswax polish, in place of olive oil..if I remember correctly I *think* she said that grapeseed oil doesn't go rancid? Would you know if this is true or not? I have precious little grapeseed extract left till I can get to market and I use it in my fruit and veg cleaner. Can't wait to give it a go!
Thank you! My floor looks much better!
Have you tried using Mafura Butter combined with Olive oil as a natural wood polish. My friend made one and gave it to me as a gift and I absolutely love it.
i like this method
Natural beeswax furniture is environmental friendly. At home, beeswax exists as a good helper for the reason; it is so versatile especially in solving household problems.
Glad to make your online acquaintance Chris :)
Tanya, some people will react to Grapeseed extract. I know some medicines should not be taken with grapefruit products- e.g warfarin for anti coagulants, and although it is not being added for oral use in this case, it can be easily absorbed through the skin when being used as a polish, so Vitamin E or alpha tocopherol, which is the active anti-oxidant, would be better so I would suggest you remove Grape seed extract from your formula to be safe.
Hi Martin, while there is a tiny chance that some people may have reactions to Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) the same would go for any of the ingredients. If a person is known to have pre-existing reactions to citrus fruits and GSE then of course Vitamin E is another option.
As for its effect in regards to certain prescription medications, I understand that this is really only the case when GSE is taken internally and in larger amounts. Hope this helps to clarify :)
What a great idea. I use beeswax and olive oil to make herbal salves, why not furniture polish!
Absolutely :)
That looks so gorgeous. It almost makes housework a pleasure. I will give this a try one of these days.
It's really very easy so definitely keep it on your rainy day list :)
Your wooden items have come up beautifully.
They look even better in person!
Beautiful results on the wood, it looks lovely.
I agree :) Shining up the furniture is like putting the icing on the cake after a bout of spring cleaning.
I have some beeswax, I must try it on the furniture. Thanks for sharing! :)
Have fun Dewberry :)
Hi Tanya, I think wood turpentine is ok, just don't use "mineral turpentine" which is a petrochemical. I used to work at a place that extracted turpentine and pine oil from waste from the paper industry. Its just a mixture of essential oils. I think the turpentine would be a good ingredient for wood polish as its a natural oil that comes from wood. I don't even know where you can buy it though! You could use lavender oil etc instead, they are surprisingly similar in chemical structure. Cheers, Liz
Warning … turpentine and it's vapor is quite flamible. It could be quite dangerous to heat this with the double broiler method on the stove top. Extremely dangerous if your stove as gas. The open flame will certainly ignite the turpentine and bees wax mixture.
Tanya – I have passed this on to a friend, who has bees.
Can I also say how much my husband is enjoying using your
sunshine soap – it is the best soap he has ever used he says.
Thanks Pat and please tell the Farmer that I'm really pleased that he's enjoying the soap :D
I have some beeswax and was wondering what to do with it so this might be an option since you gave such good instructions!
I haven't got the soap that you sent yet, maybe the government thinks it is plastic explosives or something and are running tests on it. We could become famous!
You certainly do have a bunch of beeswax Sunnybrook! So sad there aren't any bees in it though :(
You'll need to melt and clean your comb before you make this recipe though. I don't use the method I posted ages ago any longer since I found an easier way. If you'd like more info on that please let me know.
Shipping to the states takes AGES…I swear they must put all the parcels in little bottles and then fling them out into the Atlantic. It can take two to three weeks sometimes. Or the parcel could have been sniffed out due to the suspicious seeds I enclosed for strawberry popcorn ;)
The soap arrived yesterday, what a wonder scent! I am going to start the popcorn seeds when I get home, your plum tomato seeds are in the mail, let's hope they get there this spring! Thanks so much.
Great polish Tanya. Unfortunately I don't tend to have much wood so this one I won't be trying out. What about a general furniture polish…found a recipe for that yet???
General furniture polish…for laminate, plastic, textile?
Yeah..that sort of thing.