Cleaning with Coconut Oil

Coconut Oil to the Rescue!

There it was; the table of my dreams! Stuck away in the back of an antique store in Cayucos, in northern California, was a dusty old table. It was being used as a display table for old mason jars and china plates. Because I knew the table was valuable, I didn’t want to let the shop owner know how interested I was in the table which could potentially mean a hike in the price. Instead I asked if the “display” table was for sale. The owner said it wasn’t marked, but it could be for sale if I wanted it. (Oh, I wanted it!) I said I didn’t know, I was just asking and since I couldn’t see it, maybe we could remove the jars and plates so I could see it better. Once I saw the “diamond in the rough” that the table was, I said if the “display” table wasn’t too expensive maybe we’d consider buying it. The owner said, “how about $150.00?” My husband and I didn’t answer right away and started to put the jars and plates back on the table. Quickly the owner said, “how about $100.00?” We quickly agreed to $100.00.

That table still sits in our dining room. It is a Mission Style, solid oak table with two leaf inserts, and dates back to the early 1800s. I found one very similar in style to it on an antique website for over $1000.00! The other day I noticed the table was looking faded and in need of some polish. Instead of using polish, I used coconut oil.

Lightly applying the coconut oil to the wood, the wood absorbed the oil gratefully! After another light coat and then buffing, the table was returned to its glory days. It’s beautiful once again. Coconut oil came to the rescue for one of my favorite pieces of furniture. As an antique collector, I can tell you from experience, one of the best products to clean, polish and restore old wood without harming the finish is coconut oil.