We all know what a great substance vinegar is. It can be used for hundreds of different tasks around the home, as well as being a condiment and a product that has all kinds of health benefits.
You can use it to treat bites and stings, remove stains from fabrics, brighten up white linen…. Any quick search online on how to deal with a particular stain will more than likely bring up vinegar as a solution. You can even use vinegar to lift stains from a fabric sofa or other soft furnishings as it won’t bleach the fabric. It’s a far more environmentally friendly choice than using harsh chemical cleaners.
One thing that vinegar can be great for that you might not have considered is for restoring and cleaning pieces of wooden furniture. If you go down to a second hand sale you can often find cheap furniture that looks like it’s seen better days. However, take a closer look and you might discover that it’s actually solid wood underneath, maybe even oak or chestnut.
Don’t be put off by its grubby appearance as vinegar is a miracle cleaner, and used together with olive oil, can totally transform a piece of furniture.
All you need is some space to work in, and a bit of time.
Take a quarter of a cup of vinegar and mix in a spray bottle with a cup of olive oil. Apply the solution to a soft cloth and then rub it into the wood. Each time you rub the cloth along the grain you’ll lift the dirt that’s been ingrained in the wood. Change the cloth regularly so that you don’t rub the dirt back in.
As you work you’ll see the natural tones and color of the wood coming back, and the olive oil will ‘feed’ the wood so it is less dry. It may take you a few hours, but at the end of the day you’ll have a lovely piece of wooden furniture that looks rich and nourished; and only with the use of store cupboard ingredients.