Do you know your furniture has a special day every week? No, I’m not talking crazy things here.
Every week, you clean your furniture with a special polish. It makes everything sparkle and smells really nice.
Cruelty-Free Furniture Polish Products
What you may not know about your furniture polish is that it may contain dangerous chemicals. They are the ones responsible for the cleaning, but they can also cause health problems.
What’s more, some products are even tested on animals to see what effects they have.
There are certain products, though, which offer great results and do not harm animals. A cruelty-free furniture polish fits perfectly in this category.
These products are not tested on animals and are less likely to contain toxins. I will discuss this a little bit later.
Let’s see now why furniture polish products may be dangerous for your health.
What chemicals are used in furniture polish products?
Furniture polish products come in different shapes: sprays, creams, lotions, pastes.
If we were to look at the first products, they were creams made of natural waxes (beeswax). They were hard to apply and would leave spots on the furniture.
Although waxes still remain an essential ingredient in furniture polish products, they have been accompanied by other elements. Let’s take a look at them.
Petroleum
Petroleum and petroleum-based ingredients are some of the modern ingredients used in the nowadays’ products.
They are used to enhance shine and give your furniture that beautiful sparkle.
What you may not have thought of is that petroleum is a dangerous ingredient for your health and the environment.
This is an extremely flammable chemical. Petroleum distillates have been linked to lung and skin cancer.
Petroleum is also a non-renewable natural resource. Its extraction requires time and energy-consuming processes.
Working with this chemical can lead to toxic fumes being eliminated in the environment (e.g. through the manufacturing process).
Nitrobenzene
Nitrobenzene is another ingredient found in furniture polish. A small exposure to this chemical can cause respiratory, skin and eye irritations.
Nitrobenzene is an ingredient which can be easily absorbed by our body and it can affect our nervous system.
Phenol
Phenol is also used in furniture products. It has been linked to skin irritations and considered a carcinogen.
Fragrances
Fragrances are the ingredients which give the products that nice smell (of honey, lemon, lavender, etc).
You may find them listed as fragrances, perfumes, or phthalates.
They are synthetic fragrances and are also endocrine disruptors. They mimic human hormones and give our bodies mixed or even the wrong signals.
Cruelty-free furniture polish benefits
Do not harm animals
You’ve seen the effects of some of the chemicals. Now imagine they are all tested on animals.
The polish is poured on their fur, eyes, ears or wherever they consider necessary.
Some animals survive, but they lose their sight, hearing or develop different diseases. Some die or are put down due to great negative effects of the products.
A cruelty-free furniture polish does not go through all of these awful actions. Such products do not go close to animals and are not created to harm them.
In order to make sure you are buying an authentic product, look for cruelty-free logos or labels that prove the products are what they claim to be.
Do a great job in furniture polishing
A cruelty-free furniture polish is as good as any other product. It cleans your furniture and makes it shine.
What you may want to keep an eye open for are their ingredients. Some products are cruelty-free, but that does not mean they are chemical-free.
Check their ingredient list to be 100% sure and if you recognize a chemical, move on to another product.
How to make your own furniture polish
Furniture polish is a cleaning product which you can easily make in your home.
All you need is:
- 1/4 cup of white vinegar
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- a few drops of essential oil (lemongrass, lavender or what else you prefer)
Mix the ingredients in a small container and give it a good shake.
Using a clean cloth, dip it (or pour carefully) into the mix and start cleaning your furniture.
This is a homemade version for a cruelty-free furniture polish.