DIY Wood Floor Cleaner
Believe it, or not, there’s a very simple way to make your own wood floor cleaning solution—right in your own kitchen!
Next time you wash your wood floors (after you’ve vacuumed or swept them clean), try adding a few cap-fulls of white vinegar to your bucket of hot water. It’s that simple! There’s no need to add any soap or floor cleaners to the solution, simply the vinegar and water.
I have even heard of some people adding 8-10 drops of an essential oil to the vinegar/water solution—this gives the room a nice, fragrant smell without adding any harsh chemicals like some of the store bought cleaners. Consider peppermint or lavender!
Choosing to make your own wood floor cleaning solution is very cost effective, simple and great for the environment. Try it out the next time you are doing your weekly chores.
Author's Name: Megan Sprague
Posted Date: July 23, 2008 at 11:27 AM
Filed under: DIY - Do It Yourself, Hardwood Flooring, Megan Sprague
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"I think my mother used this solution".....This old fashion cleaning solution is a GEM! I just tried it, though I only had apple cider vinegar, it worked great! As suggested, I used the lavendar essential oil, which added a bit of fun to mopping. It might have been a stronger scent if I'd used more, but I only used 2 drops. Very reasonbly priced:)Not to mention the tiny weenie carbon footprint. What more could you want? It's amazing how smart your parents become the older you get!
Posted by Brenda Smith on July 24, 2008 3:49 PM
So why the constant arguement with many floor cleaners thesedays? I've been trying to put my finger on it and my guess is it has much to do with the application. Correct?
Btw, you folks have very good info on your main site. Quite attractive as well, especially the informative videos.
Ken Fisher
Posted by Hardwood Floor Guy on July 24, 2008 5:52 PM
Brenda,
Another essential oil to use is grapefruit oil! I just thought of it and it's got such a great scent. Glad the solution worked for you!
Posted by Megan on July 28, 2008 4:11 PM
We try not to suggest using this solution anymore for hardwood floors. The reason is that sometimes this mixture can have an off-balanced pH. We only tell our clients to buy store bought hardwood floor cleaners for this reason.(Bruce, Zep, Bona)
Also you have to be careful how much water you put on the floor. Too much can warp or cup the floor after excessive exposure. Haven Hardwoods, Inc.
www.havenhardwoods.com
Posted by Haven Hardwoods, Inc. on August 2, 2008 1:13 PM
As long as your floor is finished with a sealer that waterproofs your floor, like a urethane or Tung Oil wood floors can be damp mopped. Although excessive water can lead to wood movement, damp mopping a sealed floor is safe and is our recommended way to clean a floor. Professional cleaners are fine to use however we always recommend using a simple household item like white vinegar (much better for the environment too) or for more "hand waxed look" Murphy?s oil soap (just a cap full or two) mixed in a bucket of warm water.
Posted by Megan on August 6, 2008 1:29 PM