Homemade Cleaner for Floors

Making a homemade cleaner for floors with all natural ingredients is quick and easy. It’s also more affordable than buying natural cleaning products.

There’s nothing worse than walking into the kitchen with bare feet and discovering dirty floors. Fortunately, it’s easy to turn those dirty floors into clean floors without spending a lot of time on it.

All you need are a handful of common household items to make an amazing floor cleaner. This homemade solution contains no harsh chemicals like many commercial cleaners and is simpler than natural products you can buy.

After making your own floor cleaner, it can be used on many different floor surfaces with a sponge mop or microfiber mop. I hope you enjoy this DIY floor cleaner and my other cleaning recipes for keeping all areas of your home clean.

Ingredients and Supplies

• 1 cup of warm distilled water
• ½ cup of white vinegar
• ½ cup of isopropyl alcohol
• ⅛ teaspoon of liquid dish soap
• 30 drops of your favorite essential oils
• Measuring cups and spoons
• 16 ounce spray bottle
• Funnel

By the Numbers: How to Make Homemade Floor Cleaner

Follow these simple steps to learn how to make an easy DIY floor cleaner using natural ingredients.

Step 1: Pour Ingredients Into Spray Bottle.

The first thing you need to do is add ½ cup of vinegar, ½ cup of isopropyl alcohol, ⅛ teaspoon of dish soap and 30 drops of essential oils to your spray bottle through a funnel. Shake to combine (make sure to cover the top).

Step 2: Top Off with Water.

After the alcohol and vinegar solution is well combined in the bottle, top it off with water. I like to do this step last so I don’t end up adding too much water. Place the lid on the spray bottle and shake to combine.

Step 3: Use Floor Cleaner.

Your homemade floor cleaner is now ready for use.

Tips for Making Homemade Floor Cleaner

Answers to all of your questions about making and using this simple natural floor cleaner recipe, including tips and substitution ideas.

1. How to use this spray floor cleaner?

It’s very simple to use your new homemade floor cleaner. Follow these simple instructions for best results:

1. Sweep floors, then use a dry mop if you have one to pick up any dust.
2. Spray your floors with the cleaner and allow it to sit for 1-2 minutes.
3. Use a good quality wet mop (like a microfiber mop) to clean your floors with hot water.
4. Rinse your mop head out, then go over the surface one more time with clean water.
5. Wipe floors dry with a microfiber cloth or other clean towel for extra cleaning power.

2. What types of floors does this work for?

This is an all purpose floor cleaner and can be used on most flooring types, including hardwood floors, laminate floors, ceramic tile floors and vinyl floors.

It’s such a versatile recipe that you can replace all of these floor cleaners with it:

• Wood floor cleaner
• Laminate floor cleaner
• Tile floor cleaner
• Vinyl floor cleaner

Always test new cleaning products on a small area of your floors in an inconspicuous spot before using.

Do not use on natural stone like marble and granite. The acetic acid in the vinegar can ruin the surface of natural stone.

3. Does this cleaner work with spray mops or steam mops?

Most steam mops can only use water, or it can result in damage. On the other hand, some spray mops can be loaded with cleaning solutions. So, it’s important to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for spray and steam mops.

4. Which type of isopropyl alcohol is best?

Isopropyl alcohol is also commonly called rubbing alcohol. You can just use the basic 70% solution that you can get at your local grocery store. However, if you have 91% or 99% pure rubbing alcohol, you can also use that. The higher the percentage, the stronger the cleaner.

5. Essential oil combination ideas?

I like using essential oils in my cleaning products for a couple of reasons. First, some essential oils have properties that can help clean your home.

Second, essential oils smell amazing. They help mask the smell of vinegar and rubbing alcohol, both of which can be pretty overpowering if you’re not used to them.

Here are some of my favorite essential oil combinations for homemade cleaning products:

• Rosemary and lemon essential oil
• Tea tree and citrus oils
• Thyme and rosemary essential oil
• Tea tree and peppermint oil
• Clary sage and lavender essential oil

If you need to stock up on essential oils to make more homemade cleaning products this year, my favorite brand is Rocky Mountain Oils. They actually have a Cleaning Kit set of 3 essential oils that are blended to be used for cleaning products.

6. Substitute for dish soap?

You can use any liquid soap for dishes in this recipe. If you’d rather try something else, I find that Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds is the best option… although it’s not quite as effective at cleaning when added to vinegar.

On the other hand, I do not recommend you use castile soap in its place. Castile soap should never be mixed with white vinegar or any other acidic ingredient such as lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. It just doesn’t mix well or clean well, according to Lisa Bronner.

7. How to make enough to fill a mop bucket?

If you have a larger area of floors to clean, you may want to make a larger batch of mopping solution rather than using a spray bottle.

If you want to make a 1 gallon container, use this quantity of ingredients:

• 8 cups of warm water
• 4 cups of white vinegar
• 4 cups of rubbing alcohol
• 1 teaspoons of liquid dish soap
• 240 drops of your favorite essential oils

If you want to make 2 gallons, use these amounts:

• 16 cups of warm water
• 8 cups of white vinegar
• 8 cups of rubbing alcohol
• 2 teaspoons of liquid dish soap
• 480 drops of essential oils

Please note: there are approximately 250 drops of essential oil in a 15 ml bottle. So, you’ll need about a whole bottle for every gallon of cleaning solution you make.

8. Tips for hard water?

Hard water just doesn’t clean as well. If you have hard water, it’s a good choice to use distilled water rather than tap water loaded with excess minerals.

9. More DIY cleaners?

If you’re looking for more natural ways to keep a clean house, try some of these cleaning recipes with various household uses:

• Window cleaner / Glass cleaner
• All Purpose Cleaner
• DIY Cleaner for Tubs
• Natural Cleaner for Wood
• DIY Upholstery Cleaner
• Carpet Deodorizer

More Cleaning Tips and Recipes