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?
Hi. I LOVE all your natural cleaning recipes. I have brand new hardwood floors and would really love to use a natural cleaner on them. I know you know what you’re talking about so I trust your judgment…is it really ok to use vinegar? It won’t strip them? Thanks!!
It wont strip them. If you are concerned, just add about 1/4 cup to a gallon of wash water the first time… it will still get it clean, and you’ll be able to test on your specific floors without as high of concentration.
I was excited to find your homemade wood floor cleaner and had my hubby pick up some vegetable oil for me today so I could make it. After dinner I got on my hands and knees and cleaned almost 800 sq. ft. of wood floors with the concoction. Sad to say, myself and two of my boys have fallen pretty hard tonight because the oil made them so slippery. 🙁 Plus I feel like we’re tracking oil from our feet onto the carpet. I wouldn’t use this again and it was actually pretty dangerous. I would suggest re-creating your recipe or removing it.
Did you use more than the teaspoon? I could be wrong, but I took this to be mixed and lightly sprayed on a dust mop. Maybe WM can advise as to how this is to be used.
what about vinyl flooring?
I’m not sure if you’ve ever found anything to use for your vinyl flooring or not, but I ran across something a few years ago that I use for EVERYTHING. It’s 1 (c)part distilled water, 1 (c)part rubbing alcohol, 1(c) part distilled white vinegar, a couple drops of dish soap (I use 7th gen) and about 20 drops of ess. oil of your liking. I’ve used tea tree, lavender, peppermint, and sweet orange oil. I’ve also made citrus vinegar with citrus peels and omitted the ess. oils, as the strained vinegar imparted a strong citrus scent in the solution. It works very well and doesn’t leave streaking on vinyl flooring.
WHAT ABOUT FOR LAMINATE FLOORING?
Yeah, what about laminate flooring? We just bought a house and it has,a lot of laminate floors
Can you use corn oil instead of vegetable oil for cleaning wood floors? Thanks.
Wonderful post. Natural cleaning products clean just as good as store detergents. It is better to use them, though, as they are not toxic and dangerous.
Hello. I am new to the site and have been drastically changing our families food/chemical habits. In fact I have dubbed this month “health month” so I can focus on this or else it may never happen or take too long 🙂 I have a question regarding vegetable oil. I know it is not natural so it is not good to eat. Is it ok to use it in cleaners? I am confused how the castile soap is natural when it uses unnatural vegetable oil.
If you’re going to use vegetable oils, in cleaners is definitely
preferable to internally! Depending on the type of liquid castille
soap, some are made with coconut/olive/palm, etc so they don’t even
have the vegetable oils.
Great article. I love the tips you’ve given. I use the All purpose cleaner regularly. This vinegar/water solution works magically.
I am so happy I found you!I have been wanting to start making all natural products for awhile. I have been making my own lotions and lotion/sunscreens and using virgin coconut oil since last spring. I bought the stuff to make our own soap and finally made it with my daughter yesterday. I am so excited, they look so nice. I have been using theraputic essential oils for awhile now and it was fun to try some of them out in my first 2 batches of soap. I am making a list so I can make your recipes for laundry detergent and the toothpaste! Thanks again for letting me in on your wonderful recipes!
>>Ever read the ingredients in regular floor cleaners, swiffers, etc? Not what I want my one year old crawling around in!<<
Yes and what you may not have heard about Swiffer specifically is that they had a warning a few years ago for pet owners that Swiffer causes liver toxicity and possible death in dogs and cats. I believe that they made a warning at the same time about crawling infants, but being a huge company that is out to sell, I could be wrong on that one. Still, definitely not something I want around my baby!
This has been proven to be false, but people repeat things.http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/2012/10/31/is-it-true-that-%E2%80%9Cthe-swiffer-wetjet%E2%80%9D-kills-pets/