When my oldest child was about six months old I suddenly became much more interested in finding a natural and homemade floor cleaner recipe because I had a pint-size inspector who would eat/lick anything I missed!
At the time we had several different types of floors in our tiny one-bedroom apartment, so I had to find something multi-purpose and easy to make with ingredients I had on hand: white vinegar, washing soda, and dishwashing liquid.
The great news is I discovered natural cleaners are incredibly easy to make and save a lot of money too!
Why Try and Make Natural Floor Cleaner?
So with all a mom already has to juggle, why not just use conventional store-bought cleaners?
Ever read the ingredients in regular floor cleaners, Swiffer mops, and other store-bought floor cleaning products? Here’s a sampling, all of which have a D-F rating from the Environmental Working Group (EWG).
- Dipropylene glycol
- Methylisothiazolinone
- Dialkyl dimethyl
- Ammonium chlorides
- Didecyldimethylammonium chloride
- Preservatives
- Artificial fragrances
Most of these substances are a) not natural in any sense and b) known to have health and environmental concerns. Not what I want my little one crawling around in!
Don’t Have Time to Make Your Own? That’s OK!
Of course life has changed a bit since I first experimented with homemade natural cleaner recipes years ago. I’ve had a few more kids (just a few!). Schooling and working from home makes for crazy hours sometimes. In fact, I often get the question, how do you do it all?!
The answer is … I don’t! Life goes through certain phases and I certainly didn’t tackle living a healthier life all at once. I’ve learned, experimented, and grown bit by bit. And since vinegar stinks and Borax is controversial, once I found store-bought brands I liked, I’ll be honest … my homemade cleaners appear less and less on the scene.
The good news is there are a lot of health-conscious companies and brands out there now, thanks to consumers who ask for these products and support them with their dollars. I’ll be sure to list my favorites at the end of the post.
But first, on to the recipes that started it all: my easy, sustainable, DIY natural floor cleaner recipes!
Natural DIY Floor Cleaner Recipes
Here are my favorite homemade floor cleaner recipes from over the years. With a little practice, they are so easy to make it becomes almost automatic.
Natural Wood Floor Cleaner
Combine 1/2 cup white vinegar and 1 teaspoon vegetable oil (finally a good use for it!). Add 1 cup of water. Mix well and rub lightly into floors to bring back shine and clean spots. Add a few drops of essential oil of choice for nice scent. (Make sure to wipe off completely to avoid slippery floors!)
Natural All-Purpose Floor Cleaner
Mix equal parts of white vinegar and water and dampen mop. For really tough stains, pre-treat with 2 tablespoons of washing soda dissolved in 16 ounces of water. Mop well. Damp mop with pure water to rinse.
Natural Carpet Stain Removal
Mix equal parts of white vinegar and water. Spray on stains, let sit for 5 minutes, and scrub with soft brush. Add 1-2 drops of dishwashing liquid for tough stains.
For tough grease stains, pour cornstarch liberally on the stain and let sit until dry. Vacuum up and then use method above.
For heavy-duty stains that won’t come out, mix 1/4 cup each of salt, borax, and vinegar. Rub into the stain. Let sit until dry and vacuum up. Use methods above if any part of the stain remains.
My Favorite Store-bought Floor Cleaner (+ Other Good Options!)
Vinegar and water make for a pretty easy recipe, but when a ready substitute is needed, try these brands which are rated by the EWG Consumer Guide.
- Sal-Suds (A rating, and the one I use the most personally as it works for everything from floors to laundry)
- Babyganics Floor Cleaner, Fragrance Free (A rating)
- BioKleen Bac-Out Floor Cleaner (B rating)
How do you clean your home naturally? Any floor questions I forgot to cover here? Share below!
References:
- Environmental Working Group’s Consumer Guides, Guide to Healthy Cleaning.
Are Milk and Dairy Healthy?
I’ve been doing a lot of reading (and learning) about going all natural, have been doing it since the new year. I’ve read a bunch of people talking about that Sal Suds and have also noticed that EWG gave it a really good rating. What I don’t understand is WHY? It has SLS in it and I thought that was a bad ingredient? I’m confused.
What about polishing wood furniture? Can you use vegetable oil? Other food oils? Does it need to be cut with anything? Help!
I have my main house tile and bed rooms real hardwood floor. I had bought a bona spray mop and it works great but I want to use my own spray for it. I’ve noticed the recipe for hardwood floor appears to be something you put on a rag and rub the floor?? Maybe I’m wrong but I assume this because only vinegar and oil. No water?? I want to add a spray to my bona mop. Any suggestions for hardwood floor diy cleaner that can use with spray mop? Thanks!
Looks like somehow part of that paragraph was deleted somehow. Fixed it now… you would add water 🙂
Thanks for reply. Do you think this would work fine in a spray mop?
On my old hardwood floor, which the finish is almost completely worn off, I used about 2 cups of vinegar, a gallon of hot water, tablespoon of canola oil, and several drops each of two scented room oils – and the floor turned out really nicely. The wood has more of a richness to it than I’ve ever seen!
Would your natural all purpose floor cleaner work on a travertine tile floor? You know how there are exceptions to every rule, so I thought I’d check if there were for travertine. Also, on https://tipnut.com/marble-granite-stains/ tipnut says that .
FYI, for Susan on November 12, 2012 then an acquaintance said vinegar causes build-up on floors.
I’m new at getting into this & loving every second of putting it to work 😀 Thanks for the coming help!
I don’t have travertine so I’m not sure, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work
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