Apparently using polish is now considered old fashioned.

I use a wax polish or spray on my wooden furniture around once a month. I have mostly mid century furniture, but it is very good quality and made of solid wood. The rest of the time I use Mr. Sheen or similar - usually once a week. I do have allergies, bad try not to get them close to the spray. I’m obviously old fashioned. I can’t agree with the comment about a house also needing to smell of dog and coconut! I have a small dog and try to make sure that my house does not carry his particular aroma, and even the smell of coconut is enough to make me nauseous.

I was delighted when the DD and SIL bought themselves a Georgian chest of drawers from Facebook marketplace (£50 what a bargain!) andI took over myWoodsilk and buffed it up for them. It’s beautiful - and another lovely piece rescued from the junkheap. All this ‘brown furniture’ will be back in fashion one day.

I do use wipes or multi surface cleaner on some surfaces but NEVER wood as I think it tends to dry it out and a residue is left over time. A dust or clean with a soapy woodwash in warm water, dry thoroughly and then a spray beeswax polish. Brings out the grain of the wood, gives it a lovely shine and a heavenly scent! My father, though would be horrified if he was still with us. He used to make his own polish with linseed oil, beeswax etc. He was a carpenter and loved wood!

Greyduster

I use beeswax spray on my oak and pine furniture and a damp microfibre cloth on everything else.

Me too!

Personally, I can't use pledge etc due to allergies but will make an exception for TV screens etc occasionally if someone else does it for me. I only use traditional waxes like beeswax as I've got a lot of antiques. One table was ruined by someone spraying pledge on to of the french polish, still trying to get the surface looking ok 20 years later. However, personally, I agree with OP, only use the products you like, avoid stuff you don't like. Who cares what your house smells like apart from you and your dog x

I use Mr Sheen, Fabreeze, Zoflora but I can't abide most chemicals in most products.

A good home should smell of Lemon Pledge, Gravy and dog!
I do sometimes use a wonderful coconut smell polish, and my home is very modern, but I still polish wooden surfaces.

If you use water based things the wood tends to get bleached and dry out. Can’t beat a good wax polish, it protects your wooden furniture and makes it look lovely. Beeswax is good.

We’re all different aren’t we, the scent of anything lavender makes me heave, ditto vanilla or roses, artificial scents are often sickening.

Can’t remember when I last used polish, just a damp microfibre cloth does it for me. I use a lemon floor cleaner and unscented window cleaner. I can’t abide any kind of smelly to make the house ‘fresh’ just open windows and doors and let fresh air in.

I do love lavender wax polish though, it lingers for ages, and I think there’s something quite evocative and lovely about the smell- quite different to artificial scents.

I always go for unscented products if I possibly can.

Witzend

Talking of artificial scents (stinks!) is anyone else bemused by all the current TV ads for ‘FRESH!!!’ scent boosters to add to your laundry?
Since when did ‘fresh’ = added artificial pong?

I mentioned this on another thread a while back. Couldn’t understand why every other advert was for things to make our clothes or house smell of something. I tend to use a miniscule amount of washing up liquid to clean the bath and vinegar for lots of other things . I no longer use fabric conditioner; can’t believe I used it for so many years. I don’t wear perfume any more because it gives me a headache.

I had to let my beloved piano go because it was too big to fit in this flat. I always used lavendar polish on both the piano and some precious pieces of furniture . It is a very Zen moment, and all of the effort, putting the polish on and then later rubbing i down. coming into the house after doing the piano, everywhere smelt beautiful and reminded me of my mother granny and grandad. Everything would gleam and smell beautifully so made my efforts seem very worthwhile.

Talking of artificial scents (stinks!) is anyone else bemused by all the current TV ads for ‘FRESH!!!’ scent boosters to add to your laundry?
Since when did ‘fresh’ = added artificial pong?

Doodledog

That should be Mrs Hinch, not hunch

This made me laugh out loud (bit rich coming from me, Queen of the typos) I imagined a hunched up old woman polishing to save her life!

Tuaim - If it is a wooden cabinet (not painted) you could use a kernal of a walnut or a brazil nut. It worked for me when I got rid of a water stain on a teak coffee table.

Sorry me again! Does anyone know a type of polish that gets rid of water stains which I have on a bed side cabinet? I've tried mayonnaise. OK for a short while but not a long term fix. Thanks.

I use as few cleaning products as possible. Apart from woodsilk on wood furniture once a year, all I ever do is dust with a feather duster, and wipe marks off with a wet cloth. Cream loo cleaner and lime descaler - we have very hard water and that is it.

I cannot see the point of all these multiple cleaning products and even less need for all the chemical scents they add to them.

Aaaargh! 😂

Ouch!
My friend had a cleaner who polished the bath with Mr Sheen!

I wish I’d ditched the polish before last weekend. We’ve a big Laura Ashley coffee table, one of those with all the little drawers and storage for all DH’s LPs that he never uses but refuses to get rid of under our front room windowsill, and I’ve a habit of hopping onto it to open the window. I did that last Tuesday at speed, forgetting that I’d given it a rare going over with the Mr Sheen on Sunday. My front leg slid forward, my left leg cracked into the table top and I still have the lumps, bumps and bruises a week later. I wouldn’t care, I grew up with that cautionary public information film where grandma polished the floor and put down a rug as the happy young couple arrived at the door with the new baby……it used to give me nightmares!

I still use spray polish wipe it in with one cloth and give it a good rub with my micro fibre mitt. Love having shiny wood and mirrors . But never use polish on my TV . Just a wipe over with a clean micro fibre mitt. Use white vinegar on windows and floor cleaner on my kitchen and shower room floors. Antibac wipes in my shower room and kitchen. And bleach in my loo.

Once a month Dettol washing machine cleaner , Sainsbury's dishwasher cleaner , and drain unblocker down my kitchen plugs holes , shower room basin and shower base.

I’ve never really understood the need for strongly scented cleaning products. Surely if your home is clean, it won’t smell and all scented products will do is mask ‘nasty niffs’.

I particularly dislike fruit-scented cleansers - why would you want your lavatory to smell of strawberries?? Dh bought some kitchen cleaner that smelled of apricots and it was just awful. I got so I felt sick whenever he used it and made him throw out the rest of the bottle.

I use a damp cloth for most things although I’ll check out Woodsilk, thanks to the recommendation here. In the kitchen I use mainly unscented products for cleaning. For windows I’ve discovered a source of old-fashioned pink Windowlene and that’s better than anything else plus I do like the smell of that!

Unfortunately Zoflora don't do polish. They do all the disinfectant and bathroom cleaning products and things like toilet rim blocks. I like the Zoflora disinfectant as you can dilute it in water so have it as strong or weak as you want,x