Homemade floor cleaner was once not even something I considered even making, but once I had kids that all changed. I started wanting to clean with effective but greener options.
Leading me to wonder about making my own cleaners. Because this stay-at-home mom needs to save some money. But I also got tired of my house smelling like a pickle from just plain vinegar.
Household cleaners available these days are filled with artificial dyes, synthetic fragrances, petroleum derivatives, and other harmful ingredients. These are definitely not what you would want in your home, especially if you have babies or pets.
My answer to no pickle smell and a clean house, Essential Oils. Essential oils are natural, safe, and non-toxic and can make great household cleaners. The supporting properties of essential oils that work wonders for your skin and health also help keep your home clean.
In this post, we will share with you all you need to know about making homemade floor cleaners with essential oils. You will also learn about the various benefits of cleaning with essential oils.
*This post contains affiliate links to the essential oils and other products I talk about in the post. Purchasing from the links here on my blog is no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Why should you use homemade floor cleaners with essential oils?
When we buy commercial cleaning products, we are often uncertain about their ingredients. Commercial cleaning products are not required to list all of their ingredients. Even when the list of ingredients is mentioned, it can be quite unsettling to see so many chemicals in a row. Research now shows how cleaners can affect our health.
Homemade floor cleaners made from natural ingredients and essential oils are an excellent choice for families dealing with health issues. These cleaners get rid of dirt, grime, and bacteria while giving your home a clean and fresh scent. If you have a baby in your home or a family member dealing with allergy issues, natural floor cleaners are much better.
DIY floor cleaners are also an excellent option for people who are on a budget. They can make the cleaning process cheaper and more pleasurable.
Additionally, homemade floor cleaners are also better as they are better for the environment.
Before we tell you about our favorite natural homemade floor cleaner recipes, let us learn about the best cleaning essential oils and their benefits.
What are the best essential oils to use in DIY floor cleaner recipes?
Lemon oil
Lemon oil has a clean, citrusy scent, which makes it a favorite for cleaning. It is excellent for cutting grease and also helps to freshen up the air. It can be used to make all-purpose cleaner for the kitchen and toilets. Many DIY wood floor cleaner recipes use this oil, as it is excellent for shining wood floors.
Tea tree oil
Tea tree oil, also known as melaleuca oil, helps support a healthy home. If you have a family member with weakened immunity or other health issues, tea tree oil is the right choice for your DIY floor cleaner. It helps to clean out the musty and mildew odors in your kitchen and bathroom.
Lavender oil
Lavender oil has a pleasing scent and cleaning properties. Its calming properties make it ideal to use in your floor cleaner.
Peppermint oil
The cleaning qualities of peppermint oil make it a useful ingredient for homemade floor cleaners. It has a strong, cool, and refreshing scent, which helps to freshen the air.
Eucalyptus oil
Eucalyptus oil is known for its sharp and clean aroma. It also helps to clean out mold and mildew. Using it in your floor cleaning solution can help support you if are dealing with stale odors.
Wild orange oil
Orange oil has a pleasant and uplifting scent. It is known as a powerful grease fighter. You can use this oil as an alternative to lemon oil.
Cinnamon oil
Cinnamon oil is also a natural deodorizer. It is also warm and comforting aroma.
Thyme oil
Thyme oil has cleaning properties. It also has a calming scent.
Pine oil
Pine oil has a fresh scent that is effective and helps to purify the air and reduce unpleasant odors.
What role do other ingredients play in homemade natural floor cleaner recipes?
Water
Water helps to combine all the other ingredients and loosen the grime.
White vinegar
It helps cut grease and also provides disinfection. When diluted with water, White vinegar is safe to use on stone surfaces like marble and granite.
Rubbing alcohol (Isopropyl alcohol)
Degreases, disinfects, and speeds up evaporation.
Liquid dish soap
Liquid dish soap dissolves the bond between dirt and floor. However, you must avoid using dish soap that contains moisturizers, oxygen bleach, or antibacterial ingredients. Castille is an oil-based soap and it can leave streaks and smears. Try our Homemade liquid dish soap recipe it will work great for these floor cleaner recipes.
Natural floor cleaner recipes
The best floor cleaner recipes are the ones that don’t need a lot of ingredients. Most of the ingredients in our natural cleaner recipes are available at home. The floor cleaner DIY recipes we share with you here won’t cost you a fortune and are easy to make and use.
1. Vinegar floor cleaner
Homemade Vinegar Floor Cleaner
Natural Floor Cleaner using Vinegar, Rubbing alcohol, Distilled Water, Dish soap, and essential oils
Materials
- Distilled Water- 1 cup
- White Vinegar - 1/2 Cup
- Rubbing Alcohol - 1/2 cup
- Dish soap - 3 drops
- Lemon Essential Oil - 7 drops
- Tea Tree Oil - 10 drops
- Peppermint Oil- 5 drops
Tools
- Spray Bottle
Instructions
- Mix all these ingredients and pour them into a 16 oz or larger spray bottle. (if using a 16oz spray bottle add water last as the bottle will not hold all the liquid. Make sure that you save room in the bottle for the spray tube.)
- Spray this solution on the floor after you have it swept or vacuumed. Wipe with a microfiber mop.
Notes
You can use this homemade floor cleaner on laminate, tile, linoleum, and hardwood floors. Avoid using this vinegar cleaning solution for floors on natural stone surfaces, as the vinegar in this cleaner may be too acidic for marble or granite.
Recommended Products
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2. Homemade laminate floor cleaner
Commercial laminate floor cleaners leave behind a sticky residue, which can attract dirt and dust. You can use this easy recipe instead. It is a super fast and easy Laminate floor cleaner recipe.
Homemade Laminate Floor Cleaner
Great for Laminate flooring. Commercial laminate floor cleaners leave behind a sticky residue, which can attract dirt and dust. You can use this easy recipe instead –
Materials
- Warm Water- 2 cups
- White Vinegar- 2 cups
- Lemon essential oil - 10 drops
Tools
- Large 32 oz Plastic Spray bottle
- measuring cups
Instructions
1. Add white vinegar to spray bottle
2. Add 10 drops of lemon essential oil
3. Fill spray bottle with warm water.
Notes
After sweeping or vacuuming the floor to get loose dirt off the floor, spray Laminate floor surfaces with Homemade Laminate Floor Cleaner. Then use a soft cleaning cloth to mop the floor surface. Allow the floor to air dry. Avoid using abrasive material that can scratch the surface.
Recommended Products
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3. Homemade wood floor cleaner
Wood floors can make your home look beautiful, but they are also a pain to maintain. You don't need to spend tons of money on commercial wood cleaners; you can easily make them at home.
Homemade wood floor cleaner
This is a great recipe for cleaning your hardwood floors. I like making this mopping solution in a mop bucket.
Materials
- Water- 1 gallon
- White vinegar- 1/2 cups
- Orange or Lemon Essential oil- 5 to 7 drops
Tools
- mop
- bucket
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients in a small bucket.
- Dip a sponge mop in this solution and squeeze it dry.
- Wipe the floors with the mop while rinsing the mop frequently.
- Wipe and dry any damp areas left on the floor with a dry cloth.
Notes
If the floor has a hazy look after mopping and letting it dry, you may need to do a plain water rinse to remove any vinegar.
Recommended Products
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4. Homemade tile floor cleaner
This DIY tile floor cleaner works so good. This recipe shows you another recipe for how to make mop water using essential oils. This DIY mop solution is best used for one session of mopping and is not to be reused. Mix a second batch if the current mop bucket solution gets dirty and you still need more cleaner solution to finish mopping your floors.
Homemade Tile Cleaner
Easy to make 5 ingredients homemade tile floor cleaner. Must be made in a mop bucket due to the volume of water needed.
Materials
- White Vinegar - 1/4 cup
- Liquid dish soap - 1 Tablespoon
- Warm water- 2 gallons
- Lavender essential oil - 5 drops
Tools
- mop bucket
- mop
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients in a small bucket.
- Mop the floor with this DIY tile floor cleaner.
- Allow to air dry
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
5. Homemade vinyl floor cleaner
Vinyl floors are easy to care for and maintain. However, if you have neglected your vinyl floors, you may need this heavy-duty cleaner to clean your vinyl floors.
Homemade vinyl floor cleaner
Great for use on vinyl floors. Remember to spot test in a hidden area of your floor to ensure the product is safe for your floors.
Materials
- Warm distilled water- 2 cups
- White vinegar - 1/2 cups
- Rubbing Alcohol - 1/4 cup
- Liquid Dish Soap - 3 drops
- Lemon or Orange essential oil - 10
Tools
- spray bottle
- mop
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients and pour them into a spray bottle.
- Spray this solution on the floor and mop it up.
Notes
It would be best if you didn't replace liquid dish soap with castile soap as it may leave smears and streaks. Young Living has a great liquid dish soap I like to use.
You can also try using Pine essential oil for this recipe for that Pine scent we all associate with clean.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
-
O-Cedar ProMist MAX Microfiber Spray Mop -
O-Cedar EasyWring Microfiber Spin Mop & Bucket Floor Cleaning System + 2 Extra Refills, Red/Gray -
Sally's Organics Empty Amber Glass Spray Bottle - Large 16 oz Refillable Container for Essential Oils, Cleaning Products, or Aromatherapy - Black Trigger Sprayer w/Mist and Stream Settings - 6 Pack
How to mop the right way
Now that you have learned how to make different homemade floor cleaners for mopping, it is time to move on to the next step – learning the proper technique of mopping with essential oils. You may have the best DIY mop solution with you, but your floors will not sparkle unless your mop correctly.
1. Vacuum or sweep first and then mop your floor. Mopping a floor that is covered with dust will just spread the dirt around. I just purchased this amazing cordless vacuum. I hand it to my kids so they vacuum ahead of me as I mop. Makes the chore so much faster. I also love this all-in-one sprayer mop for spot cleaning and my girls fight overusing it.
2. Use the right cleaner on different floors. You have already read how to make mop water for stone, wood, vinyl, tile, and laminate floors.
3. More cleaning solution does not lead to cleaner floors. Using too much floor cleaner for mopping can lead to sticky floors. Use the cleaner sparingly.
4. After you dip your mop in the cleaning solution, you must wring it properly. You want the mop to be damp, not wet. For hardwood, laminate, and linoleum floors, the mop needs to be almost dry. This is my go-to mop bucket and mop.
5. Use two buckets instead of one. Use one for rinsing and the other for the cleaner.
6. Don’t dump the dirty water down the kitchen sink when you are done. Mop water contains dirt and germs. Dispose of the dirty water down the toilet.
7. Begin mopping from one corner of the room and work your way to the exit of the room. Avoid stepping on the area you have just cleaned.
8. For wood floors, you must wipe in the direction of the wood grain. If you are cleaning a textured surface, wipe in small figure of eights.
9. After you have mopped the floors, soak your mop head in a mixture of bleach and water for 10 minutes to disinfect it. Squeeze it out and let it dry.
Final thoughts
Regular cleaning of floors is essential for keeping your home looking clean and fresh. These simple homemade floor cleaning recipes will keep your floors looking sparkling clean without breaking the bank. These cleaners do not have any harsh chemicals, so they are safe to use even if your baby spends a lot of time on the floor.
Looking to buy the best essential oils so you can enjoy creating your own homemade floor cleaner? I'd love to help get you started!
When you sign up with me as your enroller you get amazing support and education for not only the lavender, tea tree and orange oils you need for a clean floor, but all the wonderful essential oils and non-toxic products Young Living has to offer.
As a bonus, I have a FREE Essential oils reference app for you just for enrolling with me! I want you to love your oils and getting the most out of them you can.
Ready to get started? Click on the below image and let's get the young living starter kit in your hands.
Written by Manveen Grewal , Edited by Ruth Rackley