Skip the toxic chemicals. This natural homemade floor cleaner uses just 3 ingredients and works on tile, laminate, and vinyl.
Generally safe for kids and pets, but the essential oils may be a concern for pets, especially cats! Please consult with your veterinarian or a licensed aromatherapist.
Quick Recipe (full recipe below!)
Mix 1 cup water + ½ cup white vinegar + ½ cup rubbing alcohol + 2-3 drops dish soap + 25-30 drops essential oils in a spray bottle. Spray and mop.
How this homemade floor cleaner recipe was born
We’re going back to the basics and using simple, trusted, time-tested ingredients.
Vinegar is probably as old as civilization itself (seriously – it’s even been found in Ancient Egyptian pots and referenced in Babylonian scrolls!), and people have been cleaning their homes with water and vinegar for years.
But when I tried a simple 50/50 solution as a simple homemade floor cleaner, I was left wanting more.
More grime-fighting power. More “streak-free shine.” And let’s face it, more nice scent (vinegar can be quite strong and overpowering, although the scent does dissipate once it dries).
In my search for something stronger, I found a recipe which mixes equal parts water, vinegar, and alcohol, with a few drops of dish soap. After testing out a small area, I was getting much closer to what I was looking for, but the vinegar smell was still a problem.
Back to the lab I went to change the ratios a bit and add some essential oils…I’m now very happy with this all-natural homemade floor cleaner!
How to Make This Natural Homemade Floor Cleaner
Natural Homemade Floor Cleaner
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup distilled water distilled is best, but filtered tap water is fine for short term storage
- ½ cup distilled vinegar white distilled vinegar
- ½ cup isopropyl alcohol aka rubbing alcohol or surgical spirits
- 2-3 drops dish soap
- 25-30 drops essential oil my recipe uses 7 drops lavender, 7 drops orange or lemon, 10 drops tea tree oil, and 5 drops peppermint
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to spray bottle and shake to combine.
- Sweep/vacuum the floor, or remove stray crumbs from your surface.
- Spray the cleaner on the floor (or other surface).
- Wipe up with a microfibre cloth or microfibre mop.
Notes
- Visit the full FAQ section for tips, tricks, and most asked questions about this recipe.
- Do not use this on granite, marble, or other natural stone surface as the acid in the vinegar can etch the surface! Use this natural granite cleaner instead.
- You can use a microfibre mop like this one, which comes with a refillable compartment for your own homemade cleaner, and washable pads. Make sure to get some extra pads, because you’ll need them!
- Lots of readers have also tried this cleaner in their Shark steam mop with great results!
- For quick daily cleanups between mopping, keep a jar of homemade cleaning wipes on the counter.
How Each Ingredient Works
Update: Want ONE bottle that handles every counter, table, and tile? Try my all-purpose cleaner recipe!
Why Ditch Commercial Floor Cleaners?
Back in the day, our go-to floor cleaner was that popular, overpowering pine-scented concoction. If you grew up in North America, I bet that scent just flooded your memory!
But times have changed, and we’re more mindful of what enters our homes now. We crave transparency—wanting to know every ingredient’s impact on our health and the environment. And what kind of longterm effects we can expect down the road.
So what exactly is in Pine-Sol®?
Surprisingly, Clorox (the brand behind Pine-Sol®) has stepped up their game with a full ingredient list on their website—a nod to customer demands for transparency. Yet, some ingredients like ethoxylated alcohol and the vague “fragrance” still ring alarm bells due to potential health risks.
Ethoxylated alcohol
Can be contaminated with the hidden ingredients, ethylene oxide and/or 1,4 dioxane, during the manufacturing process. Both of these have been classified as “carcinogenic to humans” (can cause cancer) by the EPA. Read more about the ethoxylation process here.
Fragrance
This term is very ambiguous; manufacturers can put it on a label to describe any number of the more than 3,000 chemicals that are known to be used in fragrance compounds. Artificial fragrances are well known now for being linked to a long list of health issues like allergies, chemical sensitivities, and reproductive and developmental issues (source), so I try to avoid them whenever possible.
Which Floors Can You Use This Cleaner On?
| Floor Type | Safe to Use? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tile (ceramic, porcelain) | ✅ Yes | Great — cuts grease and grime |
| Laminate | ✅ Yes | Don’t oversaturate — spray and wipe |
| Vinyl / Linoleum | ✅ Yes | Works well, quick dry |
| Hardwood (sealed) | ⚠️ Use sparingly | Test a small area first — some sealants react to vinegar over time |
| Hardwood (unsealed) | ❌ No | Vinegar can damage raw wood |
| Granite / Marble / Stone | ❌ No | Vinegar etches stone — use this granite cleaner instead |
Tips, Tricks, and FAQs
I’ve created a new page with all of the most frequently asked questions about this homemade floor cleaner, as well as some extra tips and tricks to help you get the most out of it! Check it out here: Homemade Floor Cleaner – Tips, Tricks and FAQs
Questions like:
- “Can I use this in a Shark steam mop?” → Yes, many readers have.
- “Will the vinegar smell linger?” → No, it dissipates as it dries. Add essential oils for a fresh scent.
- “Can I use tap water instead of distilled?” → Yes for short-term use, but distilled is better for long-term storage (prevents mineral buildup).
Prefer to buy instead of DIY?
For those times you’re not in the mood for homemade, I’ve just discovered a pretty neat alternative that’s not only safe and non-toxic, but low-waste and eco-friendly as well!
Truly Free Refillable Floor Cleaner
TrulyFree makes refillable cleaning products that are safe and sustainable. They work on a subscription model, but unlike other subscriptions you may have tried, there are no commitments and you can always change your products or delivery date.
Your first order automatically includes a reusable bottle or jug along with the cleaning solution, and you’ll only need to order the refills after that. And they have probably the widest selection of natural cleaning products I’ve ever seen from one company.
I’m so impressed by TrulyFree and what they stand for, and excited to share that you can use the code: NURTURE30 and get 30% off your entire order!
How do you get your microfiber cloth to stay on your swiffer. I am into natural cleaners for my house, as well. We have an almost 4 year old and a 2.5 year old, so I want to keep it healthy for them, but as you probably can imagine, they are VERY messy, as well as my husband! Lol and since we’ve been married, I’ve only used an actual mop maybe 5 times or less, because I’m a hands and knees on the floor type girl! Lol I would rather fill a sink or bucket with cleaner and go around on my hands and knees on the floor and make sure every inch is completely clean and germ-free. Lol but, once getting pregnant with baby number 3 and not having any energy, I begged for a swiffer wet jet for valentine’s day. My husband bought it for me, but I was completey disappoints
Thanks for sharing this!
Hey, my go to cleaners have either vinegar or baking soda in every one. I love the idea of this floor cleaner. I am so trying this when I clean my floors this week. YaHOO!!! I have just been using water on my floors for years because other cleaners left a sticky feeling. Thanks for all your experimenting and sharing.
Please tell me which vinegar you are using? Cider or Distilled? I Direct a homeless shelter and we are considering some drastic measures to cut our cleaning costs. Someone gave us about 30 gallons of Cider vinegar and we are trying to use it. But boy does it smell!
No, for this you want to use regular white distiller vinegar, not cider vinegar.
Sounds like a great recipe. Be careful if you have a cat. Their kidneys cannot handle essential oils, and since they are constantly licking their paws, it might not be a good idea to use something like this. I wonder if you could make it without the essential oils, and maybe infuse vinegar with some herbs, or citrus peels.
I used this on our tile kitchen/dining floor, although I left out the soap. I also used lemongrass and eucalyptus oil because that is what I had at the house. I loved it smelled so good and the tiles were so cleam. I didn’t have a mop so I sat with washcloths and hand did all the tiles (I went through all the washcloths in the house cause it got that much grime off and I thought it looked pretty clean). Afterwards, I went out and bought the Libman swifer type mop, It will make cleaning the Bathrooms and foyer so much easier… Thanks for his great natural recipe…
I have both laminate and hardwood floors and have tried a number of different cleaners. I keep going back to a recipe that I have had for over 30 years which cleans everything: 1/4 c. Rubbing alcohol, 1T. White vinegar, 1 T. Clear ammonia (non-sudsy), add to 4 c. Hot water. Wipe on with soaked cloth, wipe dry with microfiber or flour sack towel. This cleans mirrors, floors, appliances….just about anything. Ammonia does not react with the vinegar or the alcohol in case this is a concern. There is no residual vinegar or ammonia smell, and no streaking. When I use this on my floors, I apply with a well wrung out sponge mop and dry with an old Swiffer dry mop covered with a microfiber cloth.
Thanks! This stuff is awesome 🙂 it will always be in my arsenal of cleaning solutions.
I will have to try adding the oils you mentioned into the water/vinegar mix next time! Thannks for the tips!
My floor did not end up nice and shiny like yours. What am I doing wrong? Also a small bit of streaking was still there, How can I get rid of it?
ooooooh I like the advice about the distilled water. (darn it back to the store I go ha ha)
I also wanted to suggest it might be the type of cloth using or what is being picked up.
I have 3 micro fibers that I switch out on my mop. One is horrible leaves streaks (note to self toss bad cloth) the other two are great.
As far as what is being cleaned up. I have dogs in my house. The area in which always collects the dog hair I have to go over twice because of the oils from the hair leaves the floor dull the first run with the cleaner.
LOVE LOVE LOVE this stuff.
I have hardwood floors throughout my house. I was told not to use anything but water to clean them. I use a microfiber mop head with little microfiber loops or fingers all over and the floors come beautifully clean. I was told that anything else could remove the finish over time.
Hi,
I tried this a while back and it left a nasty residue. Just made a new batch using distilled water and it was fantastic. For those concerned that their floors are not as shiny as the picture, if you notice the dirty floor shown is shiny as well – not all laminates are high gloss and will never shine like that. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Thanks for the tip about the distilled water! 🙂
Thanks for this info. just cleaned my whole kitchen with this solution and it worked out perfect. No streaks and it smells very clean. I’ll have to check out the oils because the vinegar can be overpowering. I used a regular swiffer dust mop with a terry cotton towel on the floors and it works just as well if not better then the swiffer wet cloths.
Two questions! 1) could i substitute eucalyptus oil? 2) it is ok to use with laminate wood flooring? Thanks!
Yes, you can use whatever oils you like! And regardless of the flooring you have, I would make sure to spot test to make sure it works with your floor and finish. Tile and such should be ok but there’s a lot of variance in wood floors so just do a spot test first.
It works! I have dark glossy laminate floors that have thus far been the bane of my cleaning existence. I tinkered a bit with the ratios of the recipe to find what was most effective for my floors, but the ingredients were the same: water, white vinegar, rubbing alcohol, (cheap) dish soap and (lavender) essential oil. The results are awesome.
I used a microfiber mop thing from walmart. First I used one lightly damp cloth to piick up all the dust & debris. Put on a clean one, put the magic solution in a spray bottle, spray, wipe until it (quickly) evaporated and kept moving through the house. Then I used the same solution to clean my mirrors, bathroom, kitchen tile, sinks, tub etc. LOVE IT and THANK YOU so much for sharing!!!
I just tried this on my tile floors and they look (and feel) brand new!
I thought you could not use water on laminate flooring. Does this recipe work because it’s a mixture? Just wondering because my floor already has bad seams from the previous owners. But the Bona I use always streaks so it would be nice to use something that didn’t!
Thanks for your help,
Margaret
Margaret,
You can’t use water on laminate if you’re soaking the floor and letting the water sit there. Because this recipe is a “spray and wipe” type recipe, the water doesn’t have time to penetrate through the flooring to cause the kind of damage that you’re noticing in the seams of your floors. Hope that helps! 🙂
The rubbing alcohol in this causes the solution to evaporate quick. Test and see. Just make sure you mist not saturate the floor.
Love this stuff!
Has anyone ever tried Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds? I use this instead of Castile or Dawn soaps. It works great!
You can use vinegar water on hardwood. Won’t hurt it.
Omg!i could see reflection of my doors on a cherry laminate floor. My 5 yr old could see and appreciate the shine and what an amazing job this solution did removing any streaks and buildup. Million thanks
The very best place to buy fragrant and essential oils plus a multitude of other natural cleaning ingredients is http://www.soapgoods.com They have the very best authentic and pure oils and never underestimate the power of a little very cheap citric acid. Essential and fragrant oils also require the sources be well cared for, not destroyed to create the product.
So once the floor is cleaned, what do you use to get that incredible shine? And is the floor a slippery hazard all polished like you have it? It sure looks gorgeous 🙂
Wendy, The only thing I did was use the cleaner and wipe with microfiber cloth. As stated in the post, the area I photographed for this post is a low traffic area so it’s arguably less worn than the rest of my house. But I used it because it was the only place I could get good pics with proper lighting. The rest of my floors aren’t quite that shiny depending on where in the house they are. However, the cleaner promises to clean, not necessarily shine. 🙂
I have to say I am DEVISTATED by the results of my floors. It is full of streaks and now I have a white cloudy film that I cannot get up. I followed everything to perfection and my results are nothing like some people are saying. I am at a loss as to how to fix my floors. I truly hope no one else has this problem although I have seen some people post problems. My question is: HOW DO I FIX THIS??? How do I get the white film off?
I’m so sorry Alicia. As I state in the post, it’s best to do a spot test before trying this on your entire floors because there’s no way that I can guarantee that this cleaner will work on all floors. I have no idea what type of floors you have or the finish that was used on them, so I’m not equipped to help with getting the white film off. But if it were me, I think I’d try a steam cleaning if you have one. Again, I’m sorry the cleaner didn’t work for you and I hope you can get it fixed quickly.
Ok, is this a girl’s club or are bachelors allowed in here as well,,,lol. Just wanted to say thanks for the great recipe and add a little something. Just pulled all of the carpet out of my home and replaced with laminate. I loved the look but hated the streaks. Even with this solution and a microfiber head it was a lot of work to get it streak free. I just picked up the Shark Sonic Duo and between this recipe and that machine it cut my cleaning time in half. The machine actually scrubs the floor with two microfiber pads and this solution leaves my floor squeaky clean and looking great. Much cleaner and easier than the old mop.
LOL, Darrell! (Green, natural, eco-friendly) bachelors are definitely allowed! 🙂
I am in a rental house and was worried the amount of alcohol might be too drying? Have you had any concerns?
been trying to use natural cleaner for the floor, and i found this!! cant wait to try ASAP! thanks.
I don’t know if it’s just coincidence or if it was the cleaner, but my Shark steam mop is now ruined. After reading several ladies success with using this solution in their Shark steam mop I decided to try it too. About two minutes into the cleaning my mop made a loud popping noise and no longer works. Like I said, could be coincdence, but I’d be careful of trying it! I’m not too upset. I really wanted to get a mop with reuseable pads and the cleaner thing that you can refil yourself that doesn’t require plugging in. Now I HAVE to get one. 😉
wow……a steam cleaner (for floors which is small and lightweight) works just as well….faster, more convenient and you just add water and mop! Why the need for several different products when steam is more sanitizing? Been proven over and over and with having a severely chronic pain condition? If I can use one anyone can and it gets right into every little nook and cranny!! Dries even faster!!
Sandie,
A steam mop cannot be used on laminate wood floors. This mixture is for those type floors. The heat and moisture can ruin the laminate. I’m sure the steam mop works wonders for you on the type floors you have.
This sounds great but I would leave out the dish soap considering many of them are toxic. I have yet to find a truly natural dish soap.
I just use castile soap, which is all natural. You can either use that, or just leave it out. 🙂
I was going to say the same thing.
I don’t know how this recipe worked for everyone else but it left my floors streaky and very dull and I followed the recipe to a tee.
When you say alcohol, exactly what did you use?
Just regular rubbing alcohol from the drug store.
Hi,
Would you please also list this same recipe for mop cleaning? It sounds great, but I don’t know what amounts I should use to mop with a bucket versus this recipe is for a small amount that goes into a bottle. I do not want to squirt my entire tile floor, I would rather use the mop and a bucket. Thank you!
A few people have asked this already, so I need to update the post, but here’s the recipe:
for a gallon of water, you could try 1/2 cup of vinegar, and 1/3 cup of alcohol, plus a few drops of dish soap.
Love the recipe, will try it soon! Thanks for sharing!
Do you have to use the essential oil scents you used or can you use any scent? What do they do for the floor?
Hey Tamie, as I said in the post, the oils I chose came out of some trial and error. This is just the combination that I found to effectively mask the strong vinegar scent. I also chose oils that have specific antibacterial qualities as well, so it’s not just for scent. Of course, you can omit them altogether and still get the same cleaning results!
Sounds like you get a lot of joy finding great natural cleaners that work well! You may want to check out Norwex’s amazing cleaning products. (full disclosure: I am a consultant.. because I LOVE how much they work and save money/time and help on the environment).. but you don’t have to buy from me at all.. hearing your joy of finding great cleaners – these are definitely products you’ll want to try out! And they last for a very long time.. no more ‘reusable’ things to throw out! 🙂
Sounds like a great floor cleaner but why do you need all 3 essential oils? Why not just one?
Hey Betty, as mentioned in the post, the oils I chose came out of some trial and error. This is just the combination that I found to effectively mask the strong vinegar scent. I also chose oils that have specific antibacterial qualities as well, so it’s not just for scent. Of course, you can omit them altogether and still get the same cleaning results!
I just don’t particularly like the smell of vinegar and when using this recipe everyone in the living room is holding their nose when I’m moping with this in the kitchen. You can literally smell this in the whole house while mopping the floor. The smell of the vinegar is way too overpowering when used to mop a floor and yes I’m using just regular white distilled vinegar. I don’t care how many drops of essence oil you put in there, it won’t mask the smell of the vinegar. I read all these comments from people saying they love the smell and I ask myself how can that be. How can anyone love their whole house smelling like vinegar each time using this. It’s not just me either. Every time I used it, everyone in the house was commenting, “what the heck are you doing, that stuff smells terrible”. Then after putting up with the smell, I didn’t see any special cleaning results that would make up for what my nose just went through. Sorry but I’m not with the posting majority on this one. I tried it, didn’t like the results and dumped it. The only thing I want from vinegar is to make Italian dressing to put on my salad, that’s it. Using as a cleaner, no way.
I won’t use it on real hardwood. I did and now I have huge white spots all over it.
I was so excited to try this, I ran right out to buy the free & clear dish detergent, spray bottle and alcohol that I didn’t have to try it tonight and I’m sadly disappointed. I couldn’t find essential oil in a pinch so without that, it STINKS. It smells like I’ve just dyed easter eggs. Worst part is that the floor does not look any better than it did before. I have laminate wood floors and was using the Bella Wood cleaner that they sold me with the flooring, it seems very dull, streaked and just not clean. The “after” picture above looked like my floor did while it was wet but it was quickly back to dull yuck. 🙁
THank you for the cleansing product .Before this i applied alot product but nothing works.When you will try it surely works. I too have wooden laminated flooring and when i apply this my floor looks so clear and shiny..Thank you 🙂
Yes, vinegar is stinky – what an awesome idea to use lavender, and to make use of its anti-bacterial qualities. Thanks for sharing this recipe – we’ll have to try it out and pass the idea along to clients!
I use this combination with only one oil but as many drops. I put it in the swifter bottle not a spray bottle. When I do my floors they are horribly dull. Does anyone have suggestions what’s wrong?
Hi Brittany,
What are you using to wipe up the solution afterwards? If it’s not microfiber cloth, you may have some dull marks and streaking.
I just tried this with my Rubbermaid Reveal and LOVED it!! I didn’t have any lavender oil (forgot I ran out) so instead used a couple drops of geranium and a couple of ylang ylang. The house smells amazing, fresh and clean, and the floors look great!! I will absolutely be keeping this recipe for future use!!!
Do u use the alchol that’s in the plastic bottle that is white?
Yep, just regular old isopropyl alcohol. I think mine was 70%.
Hi…
I live in an 80 years old pine a frame home…everything is pine planks the walls the floors…even the built in kitchen table. I use Dr. Bronner’s to clean my family of 5 and my home.
On my floors ….
a little alchol…
warm water…
sunflower oil..
and a little squirt of Dr. bronner’s
NO VINIGER!!!!! if you use DB and viniger they have a chemical reaction that renders the soap useless
I put it all in my O’Ceder fill and mop thing with the reuseable cloth… pull the trigger and go.
no streaks…dries fast…super healthy and smells great….
No worries about the kiddies running around or licking the floor haha babies tastes everything…and nothing bad getting to the baby who will make us a family of six….
No chemicals in my home just whats in my Kitchen used to use Viniger for everything but since I switched to Dr. Bronners I get nice smells too and the kids love it…Dulitted to wash with they love it doesn’t hurt there eyes even when the so called tear free stuff whould make them scream…and no more in homepollution ahhhh….i can sleep better at night
All One
Really Really love this stuff. I started using it as an all purpose cleaner as well.
I have noticed now after months and months of use it doesn’t seem as shiney as before. Would there be anything to boost the shine again??
Thanks
I tried this today and it dried streaky and muddy looking. I’m wondering if its because of the vinegar I used. I had put white distilled vinegar in a jar with orange peel 2 weeks ago and used the vinegar for this cleaning. Could the oils in the orange peels have made this effect? Any ideas for me?
I’ve heard of others trying the orange-vinegar cleaner in this recipe but haven’t tried it myself. I would try to make another smaller batch with just regular white vinegar to see if you get the same result.
I tried this concoction and you are a genius!!! I to have been struggling with my wood flooring and i have a Boxer that drools all over the place, so I tried your recipe and it worked amazing. Not one streak, it looks and smells clean. Thank you! Very happy.
So skeptical but it worked like a DREAM on our laminate floors! I didn’t want to spend too much on the oils because I wasn’t sure how it would work so I purchased one essential oil blend on Amazon.com that basically smells clean and citrusy and it worked amazingly! I just used 13 drops of that oil instead of the 3 different ones mentioned. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe! I will never buy harsh chemicals for my floors again!
We have stained concrete floors with radiant heat in our newly built home. It’s very energy efficient, and also very quick clean-up! I have central vac through out, which is great for everyday upkeep. The mopping is where i was running out of ideas for getting it clean AND looking decent…it was either one or the other, until I found this miracle recipe!!! I tweaked a little bit because even though it looked great, and was really truly clean, because the floor is heated it dries right away and this cleaner made it really really slippery. I just cut back on everything except the water and used my Swiffer Wet Jet mop which is more of a mist than a drenching spray. I ‘ll never buy the stuff from the store that’s made for the Swiffer again! Thanks so much for your tip.