How do you get your floors squeaky-clean?

Products like Swiffer are popular for their easy-to-use, disposable wipes—but you can’t help but notice that you’re creating lots of plastic waste. Not to mention that pungent, lingering chemical aroma in your home and on your wood or tile floors that is left behind by synthetic cleaning products. In fact, many common floor cleaners include potentially harmful ingredients.

If you’ve never tried out a DIY floor cleaner, you might be surprised to hear that essential oils can provide sparkling  and aromatic results. You can even learn how to use essential oils in the shower  and how to make a homemade bathroom cleaner too!

The same antimicrobial properties that make essential oils great allies for fighting allergies and brightening skin explain their efficacy in homemade floor cleaner recipes.

What difference can an essential oil floor cleaner make? Which ones are right for the surfaces in your home? In this short guide, we’ll go over our 5 favorite essential oil floor cleaners for every surface. From laminate flooring to ceramic tile, each homemade floor cleaner recipe is sure to do the trick

Why Add Essential Oils To Cleaning Products?

Have you ever had to refloor a room in your home? If so, you know that this process can be expensive, time-consuming and downright annoying.

The best way to care for our floors is to regularly clean them with natural ingredients that help enhance the integrity of the surface. 

• You don’t want to pour bleach on your beautiful hardwood floors

• Likewise, an abrasive scrub could scratch tiles or laminate

Taking good care of your floors requires treating them with substances that remove potential microbes without causing any damage.

Essential oils can come to the rescue.

• Many essential oils have unique antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties that can help remove common microbes from household surfaces including natural wood. Studies show that some oils are just as effective as their chemical counterparts.

• When properly diluted, essential oils are non-corrosive. They’re not only safe for floors—they’re safe for the people who walk on them every day!

• Besides their cleansing effects, essential oils’ uplifting aromas can brighten your mood and help your house feel like a home.

Many commonly available household cleaners contain essential oils, amongst other chemical constituents. Mixing your own at home with essential oils can result in an effective floor cleaner  without harsh chemicals.

Let’s take a closer look at a few of our favorite recipes for floor cleaners.

1. Tile Floor Cleaner

If you have a glazed tile floor, maintenance is fairly straightforward. Most tiles are waterproof, which means the main challenges are clearing away impurities and keeping grout just as clean as the tile. (Note that granite, marble and natural tile have different needs! Skip ahead to the “all-purpose floor cleaner” section if needed.)

To make your porcelain and ceramic tiles sparkle like new, all you really need is vinegar.

Acidic white vinegar is versatile, environmentally safe and best of all, affordable.

However, vinegar doesn’t have the best aroma. 

To make sure your tiles look  and smell fresh, pair white vinegar with uplifting, pure essential oils like the following:

• Lemon – Antiviral and antibacterial Lemon is a natural cleaning aid as well as a mood booster. That’s why it’s one of our favorite additions to cleaning solutions. Lemon is safe enough to be used topically so you’re unlikely to experience allergies or irritation from this all-natural cleansing powerhouse. 

• Tea Tree – Tea Tree is a popular addition to shampoos and body washes because of its vaunted antimicrobial properties. On top of that, it has a pleasant, herbaceous aroma that pairs well with Lemon.

Use the following recipe for your tile cleaner:

• ¼ cup warm water

• ¼ cup white vinegar

• 1 tbsp castile soap

• 30 drops Lemon Tea Tree essential oil

If you have significant gunk or goo on your floor, you can always add ¼ cup of baking soda for added abrasion. Just be aware that baking soda and vinegar will have a chemical reaction, resulting in a foaming mixture. Be sure to place your ingredients in a container large enough to contain this cleansing volcano!

Mop with the solution and wait for your tiles to shine like new after drying.

2. Grout Cleaner

Are you wondering how to clean the discolored grout between your bathroom and kitchen tiles? For this, we recommend making a separate grout cleaning solution. 

Combine the following:

• 1/4 cup baking soda

• 1/4 cup lemon juice

• 3 tbsp salt

• 3 tbsp Castile soap

• 1/2 cup white vinegar

• 30 drops Lavender essential oil

• 30 drops Tea Tree essential oil

3. Hardwood Floor Cleaner

Clean hardwood floors are beautiful—but they also have a reputation for being high-maintenance. Bleach and other chemicals can result in discoloration. Milder cleaners can still degrade wood over time.

Unlike other surfaces, hardwood floors benefit from a cleaning solution that contains plenty of moisturizing oil. At the same time, you need to stave off fungi that could rot and discolor hardwood floors from the outside in.

How can you cleanse and nourish your hardwood?

Combine the following ingredients:

• 1/4 cups distilled water – Distilled water is made through a process of vaporizing and re-cooling water to remove any minerals. This means you’re less likely to abrade your wood’s finish.

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar – Like white vinegar, apple cider vinegar is a highly acidic, natural antimicrobial cleaning aid. Darker apple cider vinegar will help protect your wood from discoloration.

• 1 tbsp olive oil – Use olive oil or another carrier oil of your choice to moisturize and protect your wood.

• 10 drops Cedarwood Atlas essential oil – Cleansing Cedarwood Atlas will give your living room a deeply warm, woody aroma.

• 10 drops Lemon essential oil – Harness the antimicrobial properties of Lemon to give the apple cider vinegar a helping hand.

Formulated without soap, this solution allows you to mop your floors without rinsing. So grab a mop bucket, microfiber mop and start mopping!

4. Laminate Floor Cleaner

Laminate floors can be more sensitive to moisture than their tile counterparts. To avoid early peeling and discoloration, you’ll need a gentle laminate cleanser that wicks away microbes without introducing excess liquid. 

That means using a more highly concentrated cleaner.

We recommend combining the following:

• 1/4 cup distilled water

• 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar

• 1/4 cup 190-proof alcohol

• 30 drops Steam Distilled Lemon essential oil

Distilled water and white vinegar decrease the chance of streaks while alcohol provides extra antimicrobial effects.

As you can guess from the ingredients, the vinegar and rubbing alcohol combine to make an aggressively pungent aroma. To cover it up while boosting antimicrobial power, add ample Steam Distilled Lemon. The steam distilled version of our popular Lemon essential oil is non-phototoxic, making it the ideal addition to this potent floor scrub.

5. All-Purpose Floor Cleaner

While vinegar is the base for all of the above cleansers, it’s not well-suited for  every floor.

Granite, marble and some natural tile might be discolored by exposure to vinegar. And if you have several different floors throughout your home, you may not want to make two, three or four different cleansers!

Not to worry. There’s an easy, all-purpose recipe that can meet your flooring needs, too.

Just combine:

• 1/2 cups distilled water

• 2 tbsps Castile soap

• 30 drops Xiang Mao essential oil

Unscented castile soap is gentle on floors and won’t leave suds or soapy residue. Xiang Mao oil brings its famously bright aroma along with germ-busting qualities.

Use this liquid with your mop or use a sponge to focus on any particularly dirty spots. 

6. Rug Cleaner

Do you have carpeting in your home?

We won’t assume you have a steam cleaner. However, it’s incredibly easy to refresh rugs and carpeting with a few household ingredients and a vacuum.

First, create a solid carpet freshener with the following ingredients:

• 1 cup baking soda

• 15 drops Steam Distilled Lemon essential oil

Sprinkle this concoction all over the desired area. Let sit for ten minutes to an hour, during which time the baking soda will absorb odors.

Then, vacuum it up.

Voila! It will smell like a whole new room.

Health From The Floor to the Ceiling

Whether you’re using them in a diffuser, cleaning solution or on your skin we can ensure our oils are always free of harmful chemicals.

Essential oils can help you create a healthier, more grounded environment in which to thrive. Thanks to their uplifting and grounding effects, essential oil floor cleaners set the stage for a better mood and ambiance, too.

Are you ready to experiment with green cleaning solutions? With free shipping within the U.S., it’s never been easier to order essential oils straight to your door. Make your own set of three, six, twelve, twenty-four or forty-eight oils and start mixing!

Sources:

1. Chowdhary, Charu. “5 Harmful Chemicals in Your Floor Cleaner You Should be Concerned About.” The Better Home. https://www.thebetterindia.com/215620/toxic-floor-cleaners-harmful-chemicals-the-better-home-floor-cleaners-sustainable-eco-friendly-lifestyle-buy-online-char01/