Floor wax

Floor wax on the display board "The recovery of the bone"

Floor wax (in Austria floor wax , in Switzerland floor wax ) is a wax that is one of the so-called "polishing waxes". It exists in liquid and solid form and gives surfaces a shiny appearance after further treatment with the floor brush . The wax is available colorless or colored with pigments . In connection with wood shavings , sweeping shavings are created , which are used to bind dust and for floor care as an aid for sweeping. Floor wax has been produced industrially and sold as a finished product since the second half of the 19th century; before that it was often produced in-house.

The floor wax is applied with a cloth and, after drying , polished with a heavy, special floor brush, also known as floor broom or "blocker". Polishing machines are used for larger areas to be processed . Originally wooden floors such as parquet or plank floors were treated with floor wax, later it was also used for floors made of linoleum or PVC . The solvents previously used in wax often had a strong and unpleasant odor that is still remembered by many elderly people today.

The terms "polishing" and correspondingly "polishing" and "polishing wax" existed in the 19th century alongside the then still more common "beans". Therefore, the etymological derivation of a fictional “Beaun wax” , which is widespread on the Internet, must be regarded as doubtful and must certainly be counted among the modern sagas ( kitchen etymology ). The word “bohnern” is derived from the Low German “bohnen”, which means something like “polish”. It has been part of the general German vocabulary since the 18th century.

Individual evidence

↑ DUDEN, Dictionary of Origin - The Etymology of the German Language . Volume 7. Mannheim 1963, p. 75.
↑ polishing. In: Jacob Grimm , Wilhelm Grimm (Hrsg.): German dictionary . tape 2 : Beer murderer – D - (II). S. Hirzel, Leipzig 1860 ( woerterbuchnetz.de ).
↑ for example: The term “floor wax” goes back to the French city of Beaune . There, oil was traditionally extracted from grape seeds, which were obtained during wine production, which, when mixed with wax, was ideal for floor care. Similar wax was produced in Germany under the name "Beauner wax". After the end of the First World War under the pressure of the Versailles Treaty, this designation was banned, the manufacturers then called their goods: "Floor wax". This or a very similar one can be found on numerous websites, but there is no evidence of this.

[1] DUDEN, Dictionary of Origin - The Etymology of the German Language . Volume 7. Mannheim 1963, p. 75.

[2] shing. In: Jacob Grimm , Wilhelm Grimm (Hrsg.): German dictionary . tape 2 : Beer murderer – D - (II). S. Hirzel, Leipzig 1860 ( woerterbuchnetz.de ).

[3] r example: The term “floor wax” goes back to the French city of Beaune . There, oil was traditionally extracted from grape seeds, which were obtained during wine production, which, when mixed with wax, was ideal for floor care. Similar wax was produced in Germany under the name "Beauner wax". After the end of the First World War under the pressure of the Versailles Treaty, this designation was banned, the manufacturers then called their goods: "Floor wax". This or a very similar one can be found on numerous websites, but there is no evidence of this.