Homemade Floor Cleaners put to the Test

If you have kids you know how often you must mop your kitchen floor. You also know how impossible it is to keep that floor clean, my toddler loves to spill his milk or snack right after I just mopped. As frustrating as it can be mopping is a necessary part of housework. My floors usually need a good mopping every other day, if not daily. Since I mop a lot I go through cleaners in a hurry, even by using coupons this has been getting expensive.

After doing some research I decided that we would no longer buy any more floor cleaners. I will now make my own, it will save us money and I don’t have to worry about the chemicals I am using. My curious toddler likes to help mop from time to time and now I am comfortable allowing him to help. (Before I was always worried he would get into the mop water when I wasn't looking.)

I looked up several recipes for floor cleaners but I wanted to know which one really worked. So I tried 4 different solutions this past week and here’s what I thought. (FYI, I have a wood laminate kitchen floor.)

My favorite!
Vinegar Floor Cleaner

1 c. white vinegar (1/2 c. if cleaning wood floors)
2 gallon hot water
Couple drops of essential oils (optional)

Mix and Mop!

What I thought: I loved how simple this one is. I’ll be keeping my essential oil by the sink so I can quickly throw this together. It looks like this one is the winner in my book!

** Need essential oil? I found it at Hobby Lobby in the candle making section. Cut out the coupon from Sunday’s ad (it’s the tiny one on the bottom) and save 40% on this item.

Linoleum Floor Cleaner

¼ c. baking soda
2 gallons hot water
1T. dish soap
¼ c. vinegar

Dissolve baking soda in water and once almost full add 1 T. dish soap.

(If you add it too early it is makes this very sudsy and left streaks on my floor.)

Once you have 2 gallons of hot water with baking soda & dish soap, add ¼ c. vinegar and you’re ready to mop.

What I thought: I loved that this solution had vinegar, a natural disinfectant and baking soda which helps cut the grime. I used a scented dish soap which helped eliminate the smell of vinegar. I was very impressed at how this did a great job cutting through some tough spots (I think we spilled something sticky.). I will probably use this on days when I need a little extra umph.

Baby Shampoo Floor Cleaner

1-2 t. Baby Shampoo
1 gallon hot water

Add baby shampoo after filling bucket half way to avoid a lot of suds & mop.

What I thought: This did a great job, but since my toddler spends a lot of time playing on the floor and occasionally eating a lost cheerio off the floor, I want a floor cleaner that also disinfectants.

Floor Disinfectant

½ c. borax
2 gallons hot water

Mix and Mop.

What I thought: I liked how simple this was but I didn’t think it cleaned effectively. It left streaks and left the floor feeling a bit sticky.

There's no going back now, these floor cleaners Work for Me. Check out other great tips this week at We're THAT Family.