Furniture refinishing complete and their piece delivered, I turn to leave the customer’s home. “Before you go, I have a question” the customer asks. I turn around, knowing the question before they ask it. “What’s the best furniture polish?”

You might be thinking, Dude, if this is such a common question, why don’t you just tell people the furniture polish before they ask you?

Sometimes I do. Often, I forget because I’ve usually just wrapped up a thirty minute conversation about the customer’s dog, cat, child, or favorite sports team, and I’m likely ready for lunch. Thus, when I do forget, this how-to-guide can help answer the most-asked question about safety and furniture polishes.

(Spoiler: If you’re a “cut to the chase” kind of person, here’s a link to the furniture polish I use on everything. It’s amazing.)

Products to Never Use on Your Furniture Under Any Circumstance

I won’t name names here, but if it’s in an aerosol can and rhymes with “Cold Smenglish”, don’t put it on your furniture. Here’s why: it might have silicone in it.

Why is silicone such a bad thing? You might ask. It’s ubiquitous!

Well, silicone is about as good for furniture as using the word “ubiquitous” is for making friends. Silicone, once applied to the finish of your furniture, is almost impossible to remove. If your furniture is scratched in the future and needs refinished, the silicone will cause a “fish eye” effect. No matter how hard you try to rid the surface of silicone, the fish eye comes back, kind of like The Stanky Leg on my wife and I’s shared Spotify account.

Do yourself a favor. Never use (or listen to) in the first place.

Products to Use with Caution

Oil and wax are excellent polishes IF utilized on the right finish. As a general rule, if the furniture was previously finished with lacquer or polyurethane, avoid using wax or oil as a polish. Why? Because the wax and oil will simply sit, cool as a cucumber, on top of the finish until its rubbed (or sanded) off, all the while serving as a dust magnet.

Wax and oil are great IF allowed to soak into the wood. Example: a piece of raw wood or a piece of furniture previously finished with oil or wax. Go light though. Wax and oil build up fast. It’s easier to put on than to remove.

Curious if your piece is suitable for wax or oil? Apply a little of either to a discrete area of the furniture and leave it for an hour. If an hour later, it looks like it did when you left it, that’s a finish of polyurethane or lacquer, and will be more suited to the polish below.

Polish to Use on Any Furniture and Never Lose Sleep

It must be said: if you’re losing sleep after polishing your furniture, might I recommend a therapist or a call to your neighborhood furniture refinisher.

Or, rest assured with Oz Polish.

Oz Polish is made by the folks over at Mohawk Finishing Products, a furniture-specific company. It’s safe to use on any finish—polyurethane, lacquer, oil, wax, etc. Will it build up if overused? Absolutely, just like any other polish. I use it once every six months on the furniture in my house. And, every time I get asked, “How should I take care of my piece?” Oz Polish is my answer. It won’t damage your finish either. No silicone. Highly recommended.

Enough with the words. Show us an example.

Fine. Here’s proof of the power of a good polish.

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Looking for more product recommendations? I’ve listed our entire workshop of tools and supplies HERE.

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Disclaimer: Not all of these products are affiliate products, but some are attached with a link. If you purchase the product after clicking the link, I receive a small commission in return.