Recently I published an article listing the cleaning products and ingredients that you MUST avoid when you are cleaning your house. Many of the common household cleaners that we use are not only extremely toxic and carcinogenic to us, but they are taking a toll on the environment as well. Is all these cleaning products really necessary anyway?
We have become so scared of germs and bacteria that we are leered in to using products labeled “kills 99.9% of bacteria” and “kills germs on target.” When I see products like this it always causes me to think about how this world must have been before commercial cleaning products and if germs was such a big deal back-in-the-day.
When it comes to cleaning your floors, you don’t need expensive products to do the job. Essential oils are great at cleaning up the dirt while leaving a refreshing, clean aroma in the air. Cleaning your floors with essential oils is completely safe, non-toxic, frugal, and easy!
Best Essential Oils to Clean Your Floors With:
- Lavender + Lemon
- Citrus Blend: Lemon, Lemongrass, Wild Orange, and Lime
- Spicy Blend: Orange, Clove or Cinnamon
- Protective blend
- Cleansing Blend: Melaleuca + Eucalyptus
- Minty Refresher: Peppermint + Wild Orange
Where to buy essential oils? (click here)
What Oils Are The Best for Your Needs:
- Have ants and mice? Use Peppermint
- Feeling poopy? Use Melaleuca
- Want to disinfect? Use Lemon
How to Use Essential Oils on Your Floors:
1. Multi-Purpose Floor Cleaner Recipe
The beauty of using essential oils on your floors, is that you don’t have to worry about using a specific oil on a specific service. Each essential oil will work on your floors. This recipe works if you have tile, hardwood, linoleum, ceramic, laminate, and vinyl. You can mix any of the oils I recommend above to make this recipe or use one single oil.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup of white vinegar
- 1 TB of castile soap
- 15 drops of essential oils
- One bucket of water
DIRECTIONS:
- Put all the ingredients in a bucket and use to mop the floors.
2. Heavy Duty Floor Cleaner
This is a great recipe to whip up if you have a really messy, sticky spill. Most likely, you will want to use this in your kitchen under where your kids eat!
INGREDIENTS:
- Make the recipe above for my Multi-Purpose Floor Cleaner
- Mix in 1/4 cup of baking soda
DIRECTIONS:
- Mop the floor with the mixture above. Then go over with hot water to rinse any residue.
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I love these recipes. I like to use Peppermint & Rosemary essential oils together. It’s a really nice scent. Thanks so much for sharing these awesome floor cleaning recipes!
Great tips! Thank you. Sharing now. Jana
Jackie, I love this recipe. I’ve been meaning to do a good all-natural cleaning on my floors. Thanks for the tip!
Thank you Dana!
Great article…. but one caution, melaleuca is toxic to cats and dangerous on floors that may be traveled by infants
Love being able to clean my floors with essential oils! Great recipe and tips, Jackie 🙂
We are LURED into buying harsh chemical products not leered but then again have you seen the way Mr. Clean looks at us? Seriously though, thanks for the tips. Vinegar kills the same % of germs as bleach.
does it matter if i use white balsamic vinegar instead of white vinegar? I already have the white balsamic…
Balsamic vinegar is for cooking not cleaning. Buy some cheap vinegar.
I can’t find good floor cleaner. I didn’t know that I can make myself such a cleaner. Thanks a lot for this article! I will definitely try it at home!
I really had no idea that I can use the essential oils as cleaners! Thank you so much for sharing this information!
Is there a recipe for a floor cleaner concentrate, so I could make it all at once and store it? I don’t want to just do this recipe 10x, cause thats kinda expensive with the oils. So, Im just wondering if there is a really powerful oil you would recommend to make a concentrate with. Thanks!
I have two dogs at home and I don’t want to clean with something which could poison them. I know that the common cleaners are quite toxic so I prefer natural alternatives. Love your idea for floor cleaner! I think that my favorite essential oil combination is that which contains Lemongrass, Wild Orange, and Lime. Thank you a lot for this idea! I will give it a shot for sure!
I accidentally dropped a 15 ml bottle of Lemongrass essential oil on out terracotta floor, and I moped it up first then again with fresh water then again with hot soapy water but the spot remains sticky and has stained the tile, I am still in hope as it was not done long ago today, any suggestions?
I love mopping my tile floors with vinegar and essential oils. So far, I’ve used rosemary, eucalyptus, and peppermint. They make my apartment smell so fresh and clean. Ever since i started making my own homemade cleanners, I’ve noticed that my apartment stays cleaner longer and I have very few bugs and insects.
Hi
I was wondering why would you add baking soda in a mix that has vinegar in it? If I remember correctly from chemistry, when combined, they transform into just water and sodium… (depending on the ratio you might have vinegar or baking soda left)
Salt is a great cleaner for many purposes, so if it does become water and sodium, that could be why it still does a great job cleaning any time I’ve used that combination.
in curious if adding baking soda in the heavy duty floor cleaner cancels out with the vinegar?
I make my own all-surface cleaner form citrus peels and vinegar and it cleans quite good. I like the idea of using essential oils at home cleaning, but never tried it. Your recipe is a great for me to try, plus my baby-girl has started crawling recently and I need to clean the floors more often. Thank you for the advices you’ve given about using essential oils at all. Greets!
Love your suggestions! However if you have animals its important to know that some essential oils SHOULD NOT be used in your cleaners or anywhere around them. Particularly melaleuca should be avoided around dogs, and citrus oils should be avoided around cats.
I just started using essential oils and Castile soap, and apparently you should NEVER mix Castile with Vinegar….. https://www.lisabronner.com/a-word-of-caution-about-vinegar-and-castile-soap/
I started making this recipe but the castile soap completely solidified when I added it to the vinegar 🙁
Toxic and carcinogenic cleansers are really dangerous for our health. I don`t want my kids to live in hazard environment.We use at home only natural ingredients for cleaning. I am so glad I have found your article. Greetings!
What size bucket of water did you use? 1 Gallon or 2 gallon
1 bucket
Because lemon oil can be used as a detox and can break down plastic, i’m concerned about using it or other citrus oils to clean my floor. Is this a viable concern?
Please advise that when mixing white vinegar and baking soda, the foaming action is extensive.
Some people don’t know this.. Also to help clean out your sink drains, pour baking soda, about 1/2 C directly into the drain pipe and then add 1/2 to 1 c of white vinegar… Clean pipes..
Vinegar is an acid, therefore, it would breakdown the finish of your hardwood floor & they would become very dull looking. I have just recently tried hot water & ecualyptus oil. It seemed to work.
Is it ok to clean marble floors with the recipe?
I think it would work fine on marble floors. You may want to rinse with cool water after to eliminate any slippage.
When I use water, vinegar, a drop or two of dawn and peppermint oil, do I have to rinse my floors?
Nope! You are good to go!