Use Howard Lemon Oil to polish all wood surfaces including kitchen cabinets, tables, chairs, desks, paneling, antiques, and more. Lemon Oil will help keep your wood from drying out while restoring its depth of grain and natural beauty.
Another fun fact about the Lemon Oil is its many uses; removes soap scum and water spots from wall tile, shower doors, and stainless steel! You can use it on many wood surfaces from your furniture to your kitchen cabinets.
While lemons are a natural cleaning agent and help restore wood's shine and oils, they are also abrasive and may remove particular finishes on wooden surfaces. Also, if you're using a lemon and water mixture on your floors, it may actually dry them out over time.
Homemade Cabinet Polish
Add a 1/4 teaspoon of pure lemon oil, and top it off with the white vinegar. The vinegar represents the cleaning agent; the lemon oil gives it a pleasant fragrance, and the olive oil makes your cabinets shine. Polish with a clean rag, working in circular motions.
Wax your cabinets: About twice a year, put wood furniture wax on your cabinets for a protective barrier that keeps debris, oil and grime from sticking to the wood and discoloring it. Spray the wax onto a rag and wipe it over the entire surface of your kitchen or bathroom cabinets so that the finish comes out smooth.
Use Howard Orange Oil and/or Lemon Oil to dust and condition all wood surfaces including kitchen cabinets, tables, chairs, desks, paneling, and antiques. Orange Oil and Lemon Oil will help keep your wood from drying out while restoring depth of grain and natural beauty to the wood.
How long does it take for lemon oil to dry? somewhere between 4-8 minutes (keep an eye on it) until a substantial amount has sunk in. Use the fact that the wood is no longer shiny in light to judge this. There are a lot of lemon oils sold for cleaning that primarily contain petroleum products.
Orange Oil is by far the most popular. It can be used on any finish and does a superb job of removing everyday dirt and dust. It is often compared to lemon oil - however the big difference is that lemon oil contains mineral spirits.
Lemon oil, just like any other oil finish, protects the wooden surface from moisture and helps wood avoid drying out and cracking. It does so by replenishing the oils in the wood which are present when it is newly cut. It can also be used as a cleaner, to clean off stains on old pieces.
You can even store them in the refrigerator, which is specifically recommended for citrus oils because they are more susceptible to oxidation; typical shelf life for citrus oils is nine months to one year.
John Kiryanoff, director of finishing for Baker Furnishings, says lemon oil doesn't hurt the furniture and is easier to apply than paste wax. But there are a few reasons why you might consider switching from oil to paste wax. "Lemon oil attracts dust," Kiryanoff says.
DO tackle tough spots with baking soda.
If stains, dried grunge, or grease remain on your cabinets even after you've finished cleaning kitchen cabinets, you'll need to add an extra step. In a small bowl, mix one part baking soda with two parts water. Use a clean, dry cloth to dab the paste onto the dirty spots.
Mix equal parts of white vinegar and hot water in a 5-gallon plastic bucket. Add a few drops of olive oil to the mixture. The vinegar and hot water help to disinfect your cabinets, while removing grease and grime. The olive oil provides a subtle shine.
It's intense stuff. Despite being an oil, pure lemon oil can cause drying of your fretboard and, with excessive or long-term use, can break down any adhesives that might be holding your frets or fretboard binding (if yours has it).
We would recommend applying it at least every 6-12 months or more frequently as needed.
Hold container upright and spray directly onto surface. Using a clean, soft, dry cloth, rub along grain of wood. Use more as needed for cleaning and stain removal. Wait 30 seconds, then wipe off excess thoroughly and polish to create a deep, clean, rich luster with another cloth.
Lemon essential oil is an amazingly powerful cleansing agent. It purifies both the air and surfaces and also works as a natural deodorizer, without the artificial fragrances used in some cleaning products.
For stained wood, apply a wood polish free of wax and silicone to a cloth and wipe to enhance your cabinet with a shine. For a natural product, mix 1/4-cup vinegar plus a few drops of olive oil and apply it with a flannel cloth. Buff the surface with a second clean cloth.
Once you've got the tops of your cabinets clean, there's a cheap kitchen staple you can use to keep them that way: wax paper! “Wax paper is a fantastic solution because it collects the grease, allowing you to simply remove the paper, throw it away, and replace,” says Napelbaum.
Mix a 50/50 solution of vinegar and warm water and put into a spray bottle. Mist on cabinets, let sit for a minute or two and then wipe clean with a soft cloth. This step is optional. Add a few drops of liquid dishwashing detergent to the vinegar and water solution to clean extremely grimy cabinets.