Name: Homemade Natural Floor Cleaner
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: N/A
Ingredients: 1/2 cup vinegar; 20 drops of lemon essential oil; 5 drops tea tree essential oil; 6 quarts hot water; 1 tbsp castille soap

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This homemade natural floor cleaner is my go to mopping solution I make up right on the spot with each mopping job I do in our home. It is safe, effective and leaves my floors looking great.

How To Video

The majority of our home has the original 1951 wood floors that the house was built with. I have placed a tile in just the kitchen and bathrooms. So except for the add-on that is my office, being the only space with carpet. Our home needs to be entirely mopped on cleaning day.

Which to be quite honest makes me tired just thinking about it. It is A LOT of mopping. I am sure you can imagine the amount of mopping solution that is necessary for this each week. However, keeping a few key ingredients on hand allows me to have as much as I need when I need it.

With having so much wood flooring in our house of course, one of the biggest questions I get is how I clean them, naturally. The thing is, its nothing special. The following recipe is what I use for all of my floor cleaning. I simply throw some natural cleaners into a bucket and mop. Once you get the hang of mixing up this simple solution, you will find it takes no time at all.

But the bigger question is, does it actually work? Believe me, I know how frustrating it is to want to use natural products and homemade cleaners but find the surface is not as clean as when using a store-bought cleaner. But this isn’t always the case. Every so often you stumble across killer cleaner recipes and it becomes a game changer. Let this be one for you.

This homemade cleaner does an exceptional job. I would suggest for good reason, that anytime you use a new cleaner on any surface, to first do a spot test to ensure that it does not stain. This is especially so when using on natural wood floors or other materials that can absorb the solution.

I believe in the use of natural products and their capacity to enhance our lives. Whether through cleaning, eating, or healing, there is something remarkable about products that have stood the test of time.

Homemade Floor Cleaner Is…

Versatile and great for hardwood floors, laminate floors and any tile floors you have in your home.
An affordable and natural way to clean floors that is free from harsh chemicals.
A simple homemade floor cleaner recipe that is great to use with a sponge mop, or a microfiber mop.
Great for high-traffic areas and safe to use multiple times per week if needed.
A great alternative to store-bought cleaners or mop pads.

Vinegar- use distilled white vinegar for this. It is pretty inexpensive and can be found in most super markets and chain stores.

Essential Oil- for this floor cleaner, we will be using a combination of tea tree oil and lemon essential oils. Both are great for cleaning surfaces and the lemon gives a nice fresh scent.

Soap- castile soap is an excellent natural soap and can be found pretty easily. I use this castile soap brand and really like it. If you cannot find castile soap you can use standard liquid dish soap as well.

Water- I like to use the hottest water setting on my faucet. Using hot water helps get the grime off the floor.

Directions

There is no secret method to this cleaning solution. You simply begin filling up your mop bucket with as hot of water as you can stand. Pour in your vinegar, drops of essential oils and let it all mesh together as the bucket finishes filling. You can take the top and swoosh it around if you like to ensure it’s mixed properly. Then dip the mop, ring it out, and mop as usual then re dip as needed. For best results make a new batch of cleaning solution once the water gets dirty.

Notes

Use only pure essential oils.
You can use dish soap or castile soap for this.
Use a clean mop head and change them out regularly.
Do not overly soak your laminate, or wood flooring as this could warp them.
Hot water is best.
For best result mix new cleaning solution as needed.

Where To Use

This cleaner can be used on tile, linoleum, laminate flooring and in my case, I use this on my properly sealed wood floors. If you are using this on wood, be sure to test in an inconspicuous area before diving right in. If your wood floors aren’t properly sealed using too much water can stain or warp them. Use precaution to ensure this does not happen to your flooring.

How Often To Use

The best part about using natural cleaners is that you can use them any time you need. For high traffic areas you can clean several times a week if you wish. As we all know a floor should be cleaned regularly. In our house this is done usually once a week (or at least that is my goal). But with any cleaning routine use your discretion. Cleaning needs vary for each home.

How To Store

You won’t be able to mix this solution and reuse it for later since you need hot water for the actual mopping. However, be sure to store your ingredients in a cool dry place especially the essential oil to ensure it is kept fresh. The solution takes seconds to mix up so having a little caddy with your ingredients handy is a good way to simplify cleaning day.

Using Essential Oils To Clean

I wasn’t always a fan of essential oils, especially when I didn’t have a decent resource to get them at an affordable price. The best way to purchase them is by buying a large vial. This way you get more for your money. This is where I get mine here. I love the quality and affordability of this brand. Using essential oils in your home is one of the best ways to utilize natural cleaners. Not only can they provide cleaning power but also a nice clean scent.

The combination of tea tree oil and lemon essential oil is a powerful blend for cleaning. Tea tree is an antifungal and antibacterial oil that is safe and powerful to use for household cleaners. Pure lemon essential oil acts as a natural disinfectant for surfaces while also eliminating mold. When used on glass, windows or shiny surfaces in a diy cleaner, you will find it achieves a streak-free shine. The scent of lemon essential oil also eliminates toxins in the air and can provide a calming effect through it’s scent.

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My Favorite Lemon Essential Oil

My Favorite Tea Tree Essential Oil

Mop Set

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