Now Home to the Superhero of Cleaners: Life O’Wood!

An old advertising brochure for Life O’Wood calls the Buffalo-born and -made product a “superior non-injurious polish” good for cleaning hardwood floors and linoleum and doors and windows and casings and moldings and woodwork and picture frames and mirrors and autos and carriages and bicycles and go-carts and...

Gasp. 

You get the idea.

Consider this more succinct description of Life O’Wood, on the black-and-turquoise label affixed to the clear, glass bottle: 

“One polish. So many ways to use it.”

Beginning to see why we at Vidler’s 5&10 are so excited to announce we now carry this iconic product? You can use the stuff to spiff up just about anything in your home except yourself.

“Proudly manufactured in Buffalo, NY, since 1914,” Life O’Wood has been made according to the same recipe for more than a century.

In 2014, Buffalo Rising described Life O’Wood as “a relatively obscure product with a big Buffalo heart.” 

In the beginning

According to the company’s website:

• In 1914, Buffalo chemist Leonard Anthony formulated Life O’Wood and established Instant Products Company, Inc.
• In the mid-1950s, Harold McDermid bought the company and, for 68 years, he and his family made Life O’Wood.
• In June 2023, LIFE-O Products, Inc. of Buffalo became the maker of Life O' Wood. 
• Today: A larger manufacturing facility and new bottling line are in the works, as are more Life O' Wood-brand products.

How proud are we at Vidler’s to have Life O’Wood on our shelves? These Amazon-verified product reviews should answer that: 

• “The five-star reviewers were right. Life O’ Wood is amazing. Don’t toss it and don’t refinish it. Use this stuff instead. Truly great.”
• “Life O’ Wood is my ‘secret weapon.’ Better than the magic eraser and it works better than any commercial or retail stainless appliance cleaner.”
• “Works not only on wood but also on enameled appliances, stainless steel, cultured marble, Formica, and more!”

Now that we’re carrying Life O’Wood, Vidler’s would like to add our own review to the list:

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This stuff is better’n all get out – and it gets out lots of stuff!

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