3 Ingredients Are All You Need To Make Reusable Dusting Wipes

Dusting can feel like an impossible task. Feather dusters seem to just move dust around, and furniture sprays leave a layer of sticky film that can make furniture look dull. Instead, make your own homemade furniture wipes to clean and maintain beloved furniture without damaging it.

Three simple ingredients are all you need to keep your wood looking beautiful: water, olive oil, and vinegar. Add some essential oils and you can easily dust and polish furniture with homemade wipes that smell as nice as lemon-y Pledge.

Ana-Maria Stanciu

In a small bowl, combine the olive oil and essential oils. If you don't want to use citrus oils, try another oil with antibacterial properties, like lavender, peppermint, or tea tree.

Then, using a funnel if you have one, add the water, olive oil, and white vinegar to an 8-ounce spray bottle. Shake to distribute the ingredients. Since the oil won't stay combined (you know, that oil and water don't mix lesson) you'll have to re-shake frequently.

Keep this solution on hand to make "new" wipes after you use and clean the batch you're making now. The liquid solution should last three to six months if you use distilled water.

Gather old wash cloths or cut flour sack towels into quarters. You can also cut up old T-shirts and turn them into reusuable wipes.

Spritz each cloth wipe with the liquid solution until it's wet but not soaked. You want the wipes slightly damp so that dust particles stick to the surface of the wet cloth instead of dispersing. Too wet though and you'll leave water behind that can leave water marks.

Keep re-shaking the water mixture as you go so that each wipe gets the oil as well. A little oil goes a long way to condition without leaving a greasy film.

Roll or fold the cloth wipes and store them in a large jar with a lid. Pack in as many wipes as you want!

Glass jars work best. Avoid using a metal lid because the vinegar can make it rust.

Store in a cool, dry spot with the lid on tightly so the wipes don't dry out. Use within three months.

To use, open the jar, grab a wipe, and wipe down wood surfaces or furniture. The olive oil conditions the wood while the vinegar cleans up stains, fights bacteria, and helps prevent oily buildup.

As soon as a wipe looks dirty enough to get dust and dirt back onto the surfaces you just cleaned, get a new one. When you're done cleaning, toss the dirty dusting cloths into the laundry and wash in hot water. After drying, spritz the cloth again with the liquid solution and add it back to the jar to use again.

Ana-Maria Stanciu

These simple homemade furniture wipes will bring out the natural beauty of your woodwork. If you don't have time to pre-make the wipes then just keep the dusting liquid solution on hand and spritz on the wipes right before you use them.