My Favorite Floor Cleaner (Homemade and Non-Toxic)
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Image courtesy of This homemade floor cleaner is citrusy and fresh. And it's natural to boot. I LOVE it.
It's also great for cleaning the counter tops.
Oh yeah, it's super easy to make!
Citrus Floor Cleaner
Recipe adapted from The Naturally Clean Home Karyn Siegel-Maier
1 gallon hot water
2 tablespoons liquid castile soap
15-20 drops sweet orange essential oil
8-10 drops lemon essential oil
Pour soap and essential oils into a large container (can divide between two half gallon jars). Fill with hot water.
Pour some into a spray bottle to keep for cleaning the counter tops.
Does not need to be rinsed off.
If you like orange and lemon, you will like this.
So, do you like orange and lemon?
Ooh- this sounds lovely! I really should make this. Like today. (Somehow I like the nice-smelling “cleaner” part better than the *cleaning*, though.) 🙂 I love orange & lemon!
Blessings,
Michele
Thanks Michele. I agree with you, the nice smelling cleaner is much more fun than the “cleaning” part. But at least you can smell something lovely while you are doing the chore, right?
Does the essential oil not add a touch of slippery-ness to your floors? I love using citrus products and using the essential oils to freshen up my home, they are so invigorating, but I have a natural cleaner (store bought at my local co-op) that has orange essential oil in it and it says on the label not to use it on floors due to slickness, and when it’s accidentally gotten on the bathroom floor, it is indeed slippery… but maybe the essential oil concentration is higher, I dunno… I just know that with 7 very busy children running through our house all day every day, an extra layer of slippery on our floors would not be a good thing 🙂
You definitely would not want any extra slickness with 7 kids running around!
I have not noticed any extra slippery-ness, but then again, I wasn’t looking for it. I need to mop my floors today or tomorrow, so I’ll see if it is extra slick or not 🙂
The essential oils are different that the other vegetable based oils we are use yo using. Even thought they are oils, they evaporate when used on hard services, and if used on the skin, the molecules are so small they will be absorbed into the skin very quickly. I think the floores will be safe.
I’ve been using cleaners from that book as well, but hesitated to use this one because of this question: is this like a regular cleaner that you use a little and add water to it? (I’m also a new reader of your blog and am enjoying it very much!)
Well, I finally took notice and was surprised that it may actually be a little slippery. But I had a hard time telling really. I haven’t used anything else for a while now so I didn’t have anything to compare it to!
One thing to consider is the quality of the essential oils you are using. Some companies cut/dilute their essential oils with a filler oil (won’t be on the label.) So as to make more of a profit, they will leave a slippery residue because of the added oil. You can test your oils by placing a single drop on a sheet of copy paper over night. If it has been diluted with an oil, it will a greasy spot on the paper when dried. No spot = pure essential oils.
Excuse my ignorance, but where can I get those essential oils and castile soap? What is castile soap exactly? Does it actually disinfect? Thanks Stacy!
I buy mine from Mountain Rose Herbs. You can get some essential oils at your local health food store. I’ve even seen a few at target before. Just make sure you get 100% essential oil and nothing in a carrier oil.
Castile soap is a vegetable oil based soap: usually olive or coconut oil is used for the base. It is made with natural ingredients and no harsh chemicals. You can learn more about Castile soap here.
Dr. Bronner’s is a Castile soap you may have seen. It is available at health food stores and some main stream stores. You can also buy it from vitacost.com.
I would not call castile soap a disinfectant, but coupled with the essential oils, it will definitely kill germs.
Hope that helps 🙂
Thank you for such a thorough reply. You are my favorite blogger! 🙂
hee hee. Thanks Abbie. You made my day 🙂
A great wood floor polish is 1/2c. Apple cider vinegar to 1/4 c. Olive oil add your favorite essential oil ( mine is lavender, and it disinfects to!) rub it in good and your floors shine.
That sounds great, Lisa. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Lisa, I’ve had a hard time finding something to add shine to my bathroom tile. This sounds like something I want to try. How much of the essential oil do you use?
As much as you’d like! I would say be very careful. It might get very slippery on tile. The hard wood kind of soaks it in. Maybe do a search for DIY natural tile polish. I wonder if buffing with beeswax would work?!?
Just used this to clean my floors today and it smelled wonderful! Thank you!!
This might be a stupid question. 🙂 Do you make this in a container then just add a little to a gallon of water to mop with? Or do you use these measurements everytime you mop? Does that make sense?! lol thanks so much!
I use all of the ingredients for one session of mopping. I often have some leftover. After mixing everything together, I fill a jar with some of the mixture so it doesn’t get dirty. Then I can use it to clean the counters or cabinets.
Let me get this straight….I mix everything including the water and then use it right away?
I can’t find the soap…where should I look?
I ordered mine from Mountain Rose Herbs. But you could use Dr. Bronner’s soap. That is usually at the health food store or on amazon.com
I could only find the soap in bar form…if I grated it would that work?
I’ve never tried that, so I’m not sure. I have used grated soap in a homemade laundry detergent recipe. I had to melt the grated bits in water first.You could try that. But that is a lot of work.
Can you use this cleaner on hardwood floors without causing demmage to the finish?
Among the things that guests easily notice when they enter your home is the floor. Whether your floor is laminated, made of wood or tile or concrete, maintaining its beauty and cleanliness requires your time and attention. With the help of an effective floor cleaning agent, your time and energy are used in a productive way. Thanks for sharing!
I am having a mental moment…is this solution alright to use on granite? i know you cannot use vinegar or anything acidic to clean granite, but are the orange and lemon essentional oils acidic? Also, if my castile soap is already scented (with lavender) then there is no need to add other essential oils unless i maybe used tea tree right?
Hi Stacy,
Found you through Keeper of the Home today… Just wanted you to know you have a new follower! Your blog has such a wonderful, peaceful look to it, and just loving all these tips! I look forward to hearing more from you! 🙂
Thanks, Jessica! It was kind of you to let me know. Your comment made me smile 🙂 I hope you have a wonderful day!
Can you add vinegar to this for disinfecting or does the castille soap disinfect?
Adding vinegar is a great idea. You could even use half vinegar, half water.
Can you use this on laminate wood floor? I am using vinegar and water but mine often has smudges. Any ideas how to help with that and to keep it looking polished and new?
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