Natural quick fixes for maintaining wooden furniture

It's surprisingly easy to fix or disguise minor blemishes in wooden furniture using materials you have at hand. And it costs next to nothing.

• To remove white water stains, apply a little toothpaste, fine wood ash or smooth peanut butter with a damp cloth. Rub in the direction of the grain, or try rubbing the mark with half a walnut or pecan nut. Finish with polish.
• Hide a scratch by dabbing it with iodine (for mahogany and dark wood), instant coffee dissolved in vegetable oil or a wax crayon in a similar colour to the wood.
• Saturate a dried paint spot with linseed oil until it softens, then gently lift it off with a knife blade.
• Cover a shallow dent with several layers of damp paper towel, then carefully iron the towels until dry. This causes the wood fibres to swell and fill the dent. Try this method on a wooden floor, too.

• Commercial polishes and waxes may contain ingredients such as phenol, nitrobenzene or petroleum distillates.
• These substances are highly flammable and are also harmful when inhaled or ingested or if they come in contact with the skin.
• Normally remaining in the environment for only a few days, they may persist for longer when released in larger amounts or over an extended period.
• Some polishes also contain fine abrasive materials, which can wear away a finish over time.

Ingredients

• 125 g (1/2 c) beeswax, grated
• 500 ml (2 c) raw linseed oil (for dark wood) or olive oil (for pale wood)
• 1 tsp. (5 ml) lavender or rosemary essential oil

Directions

• Melt the wax in a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.
• Carefully add the oil and stir over heat for three minutes.
• Remove from the heat and stir in essential oil.
• Transfer to a clean jar and allow to set.
• Using a soft cloth, rub sparingly into the wood, leave for 30 minutes, and then polish off.

Wax protects and nourishes unfinished or lightly finished wood as well as fills in fine scratches and gives wood a soft sheen.

• Always dust and clean before waxing, otherwise you'll seal in the dirt.
• Choose a solid wax based on beeswax (or make your own).
• Allow wax to dry before giving the surface a good buff with a soft cloth.
• Avoid cream waxes, which contain solvents that can soften and remove lower layers of wax.