DIY Floor Cleaning Solutions

Good morning, friends -

Another of my tasks around the house is getting a makeover - cleaning the floors!  Where has vinegar been all my life?  Seriously...I'm going to be that crazy lady you see buying it by the gallon because it works GREAT in so many ways.

 

I decided to attack my floors tonight while hubby was out to practice and then boiling syrup, so I had to do a bit of researching first.  My kitchen (which was...well...kind of icky) was first.  I found a formula that sounded pretty good over at Nature's Nurture's blog.  I tweaked it just a wee bit and found it worked very well.  I used the same one to clean the wood floors in the dining room - they'll need a bit more work, but they are clean.

Here's all what you need, with my "tweaking" notes included.  There are some of the formulas I am trying that make up a batch to be used over time.  This one, at least for now, is one I'll make as needed.  It's something I think I use less AND I like have the very hot water as part of the recipe.

         

DIY Floor Cleaning Solution

2 cups HOT water
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup rubbing alcohol (or in my case - vodka!!  Yup...out of rubbing alcohol...so...)
3 drops dish soap (I used Dawn)
3 drops tea tree oil
3 drops orange essential oil

Stirred this up in a small bucket and dunked my mop in it.  I squeezed out the excess water and went to town.  It clean up parts of my floor that, were...shall we say... BEYOND ICKY!!  Smells great - the orange essential oil covered anything the tea tree or vinegar might assail the nostrils with.

I used the same solution on my dining room hardwood floor, BUT went VERY light on the moisture.  I squeezed the mop till nothing came out, ran it over a portion of the floor and then continued till the mop was dry, going back over the start so excess water didn't sit on it.

That all being said, the polish on that floor is long gone - years of muddy boots and shoes make it ready for re-doing the surface.  I will let you know how that goes...

Like the other DIY recipes I am playing around with there might be some adjustments to be made.  I think I might like a bit more soapy-ness for the kitchen floor.  It's force of habit - suds mean clean!  It might take a while for me to get used to how this works.  Patience with me, gods of clean.  I am trying!

What do you use to clean your floors?  Thoughts?  Ideas?  Concerns?  I'd love to hear.
Have a wonderful day,
Carrie