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Apparently using polish is now considered old fashioned.

(84 Posts)
merlotgran Mon 15-Jul-24 13:31:49

A few weeks ago I posted that as I’d been unwell my DD very kindly offered to help me give my bungalow a bit of a blitz (or words to that effect)

I was grateful rather than offended because I was still feeling wiped out so asked her if she could bring some spray polish as I knew mine was about to run out.

She turned up with a wipe clean spray that you use with an e cloth and told me that nobody uses polish any more - even the spray kind.

The finish, even on wood, was fine but Oh, the awfully strong, cloying smell. I think it was Zoflora but I can’t be sure because I insisted she take it home!! She also gave me a spray to freshen up my carpets because I have a dog! 😐

That was even worse and it seemed to take days with my windows wide open for my house to smell normal again but my ‘normal’ might be because I’ve gone ‘nose blind!’ 😂

I’m sticking with good old Pledge, Mr Sheen or cheaper alternatives to give my humble abode that understated polished smell rather than something that makes my head swim.

Anyone else find the smell of some cleaning products a bit too much or is it just me?

CanadianGran Tue 23-Jul-24 18:59:17

I've always used Pledge, for dusting furniture. For my painted baseboards I use a damp cloth. I have one of those swiffer dusting wands for light fixtures and quick dusting on shelves.

babzi Tue 23-Jul-24 16:10:51

Haven't used. Chemicals for a while. Vinegar and bicarb are my go too for all things greasy.

Witzend Sun 21-Jul-24 08:50:13

Callistemon213

^I used to use spray pledge 50 years ago after I'd hidden any dirty dishes in the oven ,I sprayed the rooms with it and my late MIL always said ,someones been working hard....lol^
😁

My MIL advised me to hide dirty dishes in the oven if someone was coming.
I never thought of the Pledge idea.

We have a big, full length mirror on the wall just inside the front door. A quick spray of Mr Sheen (or Asda equivalent) is enough to give anyone arriving soon afterwards the impression that I’ve been cleaning!

poppysmum Sun 21-Jul-24 08:46:25

years ago Mum always used to use supermarket polish spray but the lady she cleaned for had proper Pledge so I thought that was posh make! Mum also had a tin with proper beeswax in for wooden items, I would have thought with all the return to natural items then I would assume beeswax would be more popular again.
I must admit I dont have much good wood furniture so tend to use wipes find with all the dust and dog hairs it stops it floating around while dusting then resettling on surfaces plus you can dispose of later

Tiley Sat 20-Jul-24 20:53:00

I have never used those spray cans but use either beeswax or proper furniture polish in a small round tin. All our furniture is real wood and in my opinion needs caring for properly.

EEJit Thu 18-Jul-24 22:43:17

Thanks Merlotgran

M0nica Thu 18-Jul-24 14:44:41

Spray woodsilk polis, no silicone, no addedd odour, just the small of wax and gone in 24 hours. Good wood furniture should only be polished once a year.

mae13 Thu 18-Jul-24 09:36:34

No, it's not you. Spray polish, lavender wax polish in a tin are all seemingly a super-strong pong! And the spray polishes are dreadfully synthetic - the smell seems to cling to the wallpaper for ages!

Crazymum Thu 18-Jul-24 08:58:28

You are not alone, I use wax polish too. I love the smell and the finish it gives to furniture.( maybe we went into the ark two by two ?)smile

Livingthedream Thu 18-Jul-24 08:19:24

I've also moved to purdy and figg, it cleanser everything, well, and smells lovely

GrannyGravy13 Thu 18-Jul-24 08:02:30

madeleine45 I also have a heightened sense of smell.

After going out for dinner I have to shower, wash my hair and all clothes go in laundry basket, I cannot abide waking up to smelling like an Indian, Chinese, Italian or any restaurant.

Other than baking (which I love the smell of) when cooking I have the extractor on, kitchen door and windows open in all weathers much to DH’s amazement (even after 40+ years 🤣)

Added to which being asthmatic and a migraine sufferer certain smells really floor me.

madeleine45 Thu 18-Jul-24 06:54:50

I have very good sense of smell, and so many memories are evoked by specific smells. Lavender is my grannys underwear and jumper drawers as they always had lavender bags made from her own lavender. Baking bread is of course my mothers baking day and having cold meat and bubble and squeak for dinner as she was too busy baking to do any fancy meal, but we would have a lovely (to us ) fancy jam tart , where she would put thin pastry on pyrex plate and then twisted pastry ropes to divide up the plate and it would have strawberry jam in 2 quarters and lemon curd (both home made) on the other quarters. We enjoyed choosing whether to have all red, all yellow , or a mix of both in our slice. My husband once said it was like living with the gestapo, as he arrived home from a journey of about 50 miles and I said "Oh can I have a polo too please?" and he replied I ate the last one before I set off home. How can you tell? My son had asthma and we moved to make sure he was in fresh air and of course we never smoke and am very against it. So one day he was about 14 I said to him "It is no good coming here if you are going to mix with boys who are all smoking" He said but I didnt smoke, and I said I know that etc so unfortunately for him I could tell if he had been eating sweets or smoking or whatever. There were negative effects for me too, as having teenage lads standing nearby at school who obviously thought that if you splash on far too much horrible Brut or Lynx or something , that meant you didnt need to wash at all!! Uggh!! So every day I can enjoy the many pleasant smells and I always dry my clothes outside. Whatever so called fresheners they advertise, they wont have me a s a customer. That lovely fresh outdoor smell is the one I love.

merlotgran Wed 17-Jul-24 21:03:50

EEJit

Merlotgran

"a wipe clean spray that you use with an e cloth"

Excuse me but, what on earth is an e cloth? I know it can't be an electronic cloth.

It’s a microfibre cloth.

EEJit Wed 17-Jul-24 20:49:53

Merlotgran

"a wipe clean spray that you use with an e cloth"

Excuse me but, what on earth is an e cloth? I know it can't be an electronic cloth.

JANH Wed 17-Jul-24 18:39:18

I have used lavender wax polish for years - it brings a lovely shine to furniture and smells wonderful even with my asthma. I really suffer with any sprays which exacerbates the asthma and I am unwell for a few hours. I am also a fan of opening windows for fresh air even in the winter.

BettyBoop49 Wed 17-Jul-24 18:03:40

I have some good old lavender polish which I don’t use every week but oh, when I do rooms smell wonderful. You just don’t get that with spray polish.

MayBee70 Wed 17-Jul-24 14:17:08

Zoflora has been around for a long time which is why, I assume it was favoured by elderly people; isn’t it something that everyone’s granny had in their kitchen cupboard. I assume it has been used over the generations when there have been eg flu epidemics. I must admit that, if I’m going away for a while I will put some down the sink and in the loo. Going back to the subject of pets I did read that it’s important not to let them walk on wet floors that have been cleaned with Zoflora but it’s ok once dry. But then that also applies to most cleaning stuff, the exception probably being vinegar.

Boolya Wed 17-Jul-24 14:00:54

Can’t abide Zoflora! Love Method Wild Rhubarb floor cleaner.

Vintagegirl Wed 17-Jul-24 13:50:53

Rub half a walnut into water stain in wood.

Sweetsnbooksnradio4 Wed 17-Jul-24 13:33:13

My daughter is a Zoflora fan - must be a generational thing! I bought some in lockdown and it’s still sitting there.

pce612 Wed 17-Jul-24 13:29:10

Anything with neutradol in it makes me nauseous.

grandtanteJE65 Wed 17-Jul-24 12:58:08

I am allergic to nearly all perfumes and a good many chemicals, so I stick to my tried and trusted cleaning products that I know do not upset me.

I am quite sure that most of the younger generation never use furniture polish, as most of their furniture is from Ikea or similar stores and none of that needs to be polished.

PilgrimQuill Wed 17-Jul-24 12:33:03

I used to use spray pledge 50 years ago after I'd hidden any dirty dishes in the oven ,I sprayed the rooms with it and my late MIL always said ,someones been working hard....lol

Yes!! I wonder if we are genetically related, paddyann54 smile

knspol Wed 17-Jul-24 12:23:28

I use Woodsilk on the best, more solid pieces but don't use it on everything after finding streaks on furniture that I couldn't get rid of. Because of this it's used infrequently and sparingly. I use Pledge on everything else.
Recently had some rugs and sofa professionally cleaned and the after smell made me feel really ill, headache almost straight away, still a faint whiff of it after a week.
Dettol and CIF bathroom products are the worst for me for smell, make me wheezy, I'm sure they can't be healthy.

rocketship Wed 17-Jul-24 12:21:38

So many products being marketed these days are completely unnecessary.
They want us to buy these product so they have us thinking laundry smells even after it's washed... so add this or that.
We smell even after a good shower ....so put on this or that.
Our carpets and rooms smell... so spray on this or that.
* Most are just marketing gimmicks..... imho
I just use the old tried & true products.