Get rid of dirt and grime easily with this homemade floor cleaner. It smells great and cleans better than the store brands. Spend less time cleaning with this easy mop solution. If you are looking for a homemade floor cleaner for mopping vinyl, laminate, or tile check this out.
Over the past 5 years, I have worked hard to find a homemade cleaning solution to replace just about all of the store-bought cleaners. I have found that making my own cleaners is cheaper and they clean better than the store-bought brands. Plus, homemade cleaners just smell better too!
Recently when I started mopping a room I was really turned off by the horrible smell of the mopping solution I had bought.
It smelled very fake and had a smell that lingered in the house all day. I decided it was time to come up with my own homemade floor cleaner.
I wanted to come up with something that cleans the floors without having to scrub, gets rid of any grease spatters on the floor, doesn't make the floor sticky, and smells natural. After some playing around I came up with a mopping solution that smells great and does a fantastic job of cleaning.
It works great on my tile and vinyl flooring. I wouldn't recommend it on hardwoods. If you want clean-looking floors without all the scrubbing, check out this powerful homemade floor cleaner.
Homemade Floor Cleaner
To get started you will need a few things. Most you probably already have at your house.
- white vinegar
- liquid dish soap (I prefer Dawn)
- water
- super washing soda
You may be new to using super washing soda around the house. It is an awesome cleaner that does fantastic on floors.
Super washing soda helps get rid of dirt and stains. Plus, it helps get rid of grease so it works great in this DIY floor cleaner to clean greasy kitchen floors.
Making a Batch Of Homemade Floor Cleaner
You will want to start with 2 gallons of hot water.
I have found that the hotter the water the easier it is to clean the floors. Especially your kitchen floors which can tend to get greasy.
Once you have added the water to the mop bucket pour in 1 tablespoon dish detergent, 2 tablespoons super washing soda, and 1/3 cup vinegar.
Make sure you are using washing soda not baking soda. I bought mine at Menards, but you can also find it on Amazon too.
If you would like you can also add a few drops of essential oils to the mix. I like to add about 10 drops of lemon essential oil to the bucket.
It gives the cleaner a light smell without being overwhelming. You could also use pine essential oil if you prefer.
The nice thing about this all-natural floor cleaner recipe is that you can customize the scent. Make your floors smell good by using a scent of essential oil that you find pleasing.
Once you get everything added to the mop bucket then use your mop to mix up the cleaning solution and start to mop.
Using The Homemade Floor Cleaner Recipe
I recommend cleaning all of your floors while the DIY floor mop solution is still really warm. Depending on how dirty your floors are you may want to vacuum first.
Work your way back and forth across the room until you have a clean floor. Once you are finished cleaning the floors you can dump the solution and wash out your bucket.
Because this homemade floor cleaner doesn't leave any residue you don't need to rinse the floor after mopping. Plus, since there are no harsh chemicals you don't need to worry about pets or kids on the floor.
It only took a few minutes to mix up a batch of this homemade floor cleaner but it worked (and smelled!) so much better than the solutions that you buy in the store.
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Ditch your fake-smelling store-bought cleaner and make the switch to this best-smelling homemade floor cleaner. You will love how natural it is!
Not recommended for hardwood. If you are cleaning hardwood floors I recommend checking out these tips on how to clean hardwood floors on Today's Creative Life.
Homemade Floor Cleaner
Equipment
- 1 Mop I love a spin mop
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon dish detergent
- 2 tablespoons super washing soda
- 2 gallons water
- 1/3 cup vinegar
Instructions
- Fill mop bucket with 2 gallons of hot water.
- Add 1 tablespoon dish detergent, 2 tablespoons super washing soda, and 1/3 cup vinegar.
- Add in essential oils if you are choosing to use.
- Once you get everything added to the mop bucket then use your mop to mix up the cleaning solution and start to mop.
Looking for some other homemade cleaners you can make? Check out my homemade granite cleaner. It does a great job of cleaning kitchen countertops.
No, this floor cleaner leaves your floor streak-free and is more natural than the store bought kind. You can easily mop with this solution and not worry about rinsing it off.
Yes, this DIY floor cleaner is safe to use on vinyl flooring, laminate flooring, and tile flooring. I don't recommend using it on hardwood floors because of the vinegar.
Yes, this all purpose floor cleaner works great in the bathrooms, kitchens, and hallways. The washing soda will help get rid of greasy floors in the kitchen and grime and dirt in any room.
Yes, you can easily make up a smaller batch and keep in a large spray bottle instead. It works great for small messes.
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Jane says
After mopping floor with solution do you need to go over floor with a wet mop and water?
Julie says
Nope, you can just let it dry.
Ray Lowe says
Be very careful using any vinegar on hardwood floors. It will eventually strip the wood. Unfortunately I found this out the hard way.
Mary Cruise says
what is super washing soda?
Julie says
Super washing soda is sodium carbonate. It is a really effective natural cleaner so it works well to clean floors. It can sometimes be hard to find in the stores but you can also buy it on Amazon. Here is a link http://amzn.to/2vVk1QX
Diane says
Hi Julie,
I had a rubber mat on the floor in my entryway, and now I noticed the vinyl flooring underneath is becoming yellowed. Do you have a good tip for removing the stain? Thanks!
Julie says
I have had that happen twice before. One time I had some luck with using a mix of baking soda and water and applying it like a paste. Make sure you don't scrub too hard and scratch the vinyl. After I removed the paste I left the rug off for about a week. It lightened it quite a bit. I think the trick is lots of natural sunlight. It worked on the vinyl flooring by my front door but not so much in my kitchen. The front door vinyl got a lot of sun, but not so much in the kitchen. I hope that helps.