Earth-Friendly Waxes for Wood Floors

Not all of us have the resources to affect the environment in a big way. There are little things each of us can do that can make a difference, however. Many of these things can be done right in our own homes. What we wear, what we eat and how we live are all things we can control that can help the earth. One of the little things we can control is what floor wax we use.

Most people probably don't think about their floor wax but consider the following: The average off-the-shelf wax for wood floors has the potential to cause serious health problems. Asthma, cancer, and organ damage can occur in both humans and pets from too much exposure to toxic substances found in standard wood floor wax. Just keeping your house clean can be dangerous, but it doesn't have to be that way.

There are a number of earth-friendly floor waxes on the market today. Waxes like the #300 Carnauba Floor Wax from Eco-House, Inc. This wax leaves a nice, clear, protective coating on wood, stone, terra cotta and tile floors. The #300 wax is made of beeswax, carnauba wax, citrus thinner, damar varnish, linseed oil and rosemary oil. If you want and eco-friendly and efficient wax for your wood floors, this product will do the trick for about $16 for a 6 ounce container or $50 for the 32 ounce size.

Another outstanding product by Eco-House, Inc is their #315 Liquid Beeswax Wood Finish. This is a maintenance wax that's good on wood floors and furniture. It provides a breathable, static-reducing coating to wood surfaces. This product is made of beeswax, carnauba wax, citrus thinner, clay and shellac wax. A 6 ounce container runs around $13, while 32 ounces will set you back about $37.

LIVOS also makes a good, earth-friendly wood floor wax, BILO. This is another wax used to maintain already treated wood floors and furniture. It provides a soft, clear gloss finish and contains linseed oil, beeswax, carnauba wax, pine oil, alumina, rosemary oil and lead-free drying agents. A 2 liter container of BILO will cost you almost $99 but it covers more area than its competitors.

The final three floor waxes come from BioShield. Model 39 provides a great protective coating for cork, linoleum, stone and wood floors. This wax is made of Alcohol Ester, Carnauba Wax, Coconut Soap and Water. One liter costs $15 and five liters is only around $64. Their second product, Floor Milk #59 also works on the same types of floors. It only has three ingredients: Carnauba Wax, Coconut Soap and water. One liter is around $12 while 5 liters costs around $49. The final wax is Hardwax #32. This is a very fine product made from Beeswax, Carnauba Wax, Linseed Oil, Orange Peel, mineral spirits, Larch Resin, Essential Oils, and Lead-free Dryers. One of the better products available, you can purchase 2.5 liters of this wax for around $75.

If you're looking for a good eco-friendly floor wax for your wood floors, there are some ingredients that you'll want to keep an eye out for. Carnauba wax is a great, natural wax. It's very hard and will continue to harden as it ages. Beeswax is another great wax provided by nature. It will add a nice, soft glow to your projects. Linseed oil is also something to look for in a good all-natural floor wax. Waxes with these ingredients offer great protection without the dangerous and toxic side-effects that commercial waxes contain.