It can be a pain to figure out how to clean tile floors. My house has tile flooring and laminate flooring, so I mop quite a bit to keep the floors clean. You know how I love to make homemade cleaners – you could probably say it’s a hobby of mine – and I have finally found an awesome DIY mopping solution recipe! It is easy to make with common household ingredients, including my favorite natural cleaner: vinegar!
You can use this mop solution with just about any kind of mop. I have had good results using it with my Libman wonder mop and a Libman Freedom spray mop. I think a microfiber mop cloth is key to getting a streak-free shine.
These Microfiber cloths are some of my favorite cleaning tools to use around the house. I have had them at least two years, and they hold up after many, many washes. They are so inexpensive, too – especially compared to disposable paper towels.
The ingredients and why they are in this mop solution recipe.
Vinegar and water are excellent natural cleaners. Vinegar is naturally acidic, and at full strength may harm your flooring’s finish, so water is added to dilute it before using on flooring.
Rubbing alcohol helps leave a streak-free shine. I have tested this and truly there are no streaks left behind. See photo (the floor is still a little bit wet up at the top – but you can see it dries with no streaks)
Dawn dishwashing liquid. Just a few drops of this soap boosts the cleaning ability of a homemade mop solution. I think it also helps make the floors sparkle and shine. I love using the original blue Dawn to clean my tub in my homemade tub and tile cleaner. It’s a miracle worker!
Essential oils. It is not necessary to add essential oils, but I like to add them because 1) they smell good and 2) Lemon and Lavender essential oils have natural antiseptic properties, perfect for cleaning jobs. Other essential oils with natural antibacterial properties include Tea Tree, Sweet Orange, and Peppermint. Feel free to give those a try in this recipe.
My home only has tile and wood laminate flooring, so I have not been able to test this mopping solution on a hard wood floor yet. However, I did a lot of research about using vinegar and alcohol to clean wood floors and it’s my opinion that the vinegar and alcohol are diluted enough to be safe for use on wood surfaces **as long as they are not waxed wood floors**. Please, please, please, pretty please test clean a part of your floor in an inconspicuous spot to make sure you do not harm your flooring.
[Tweet “Check out this #DIY Mopping Solution at @momfindsout”]
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN MOPPING SOLUTION:
- 2 cups Water
- 2 cups Vinegar
- 2 cups rubbing Alcohol
- 6 drops Dawn dishwashing liquid
- 10 drops Lemon essential oil
- 8 drops Lavender essential oil
Combine all ingredients in a bottle and shake to mix well. Use a spray bottle to apply a thin layer of mopping solution on floors and immediately mop it up with a microfiber mop or cloth for best results. Allow floors to air dry. No rinsing is necessary.
Note: The mopping solution recipe makes enough to last me several times. I like making a lot of it at once to save time. You can easily cut the recipe amounts in half and it will work just as well.
You will be able to smell the vinegar and the alcohol when you use this cleaner. The good news is that the alcohol smell quickly goes away and the vinegar scent isn’t too overwhelming, thanks to the essential oil scents covering it up.
PS Don’t forget to sweep before you mop!
Did you make your own mopping solution? What did you think? Let me know how this worked on your floors.
Celeste says
This is great! Easy to make. My floors look great! I left out the essential oils.
Nicole says
Hi Celeste, thank you for coming back and leaving your review! So glad your floors are looking good! 🙂 –Nicole
Laura Mohan says
Hi Moms,
My floors, are fake wood vinyl type material it has/had a varnish of some type on it because i can see white flecks and on the flooring i can see the difference, barley. this weekend I am doing this mopping technique only ill be on my hands and knees with micro fiber clothes. We have a small place and I want to get base boards walls etc. one real good time, followed by weekly….Kids:) love their tiny but growing prints…and love magic erasers and their tiny hands helping me and dad. 😉 Ill update with results
Nicole says
Hi Laura, I think mopping with microfiber cloths on your hands and knees is really the best way to get the floors a good deep clean. It is hard to do it that way, but definitely gets in all the nooks and crannies and corners. Hopefully once you get the floors deep clean the way you want, it will be easier to upkeep them with a weekly mop. It’s literally impossible to keep the floors clean with kids around! LOL But we have to try! That’s great that the kids are helping out. Starting them early is awesome! My kids always loved to use spray bottles to clean anything – especially their handprints off the sliding glass doors. 🙂
Keep us posted, I hope your cleaning goes well! –Nicole at Mom Always Finds Out
Lisa says
Hi Nicole!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I have tried numerous ones for my plank style tile floors and this one worked great!! I even put in my Spray mop and used it that way and it worked perfect. Thank you! So I glad I found you. 🙂
Nicole says
Hi Lisa, Thank you so much for coming back to let me know. I am so happy this recipe has worked out well for you. That’s a great idea to put it in your spray mop! –Nicole
Magon says
Quick silly question! Do you need to wet the mop you are using to mop after you’ve sprayed the solution? Can’t wait to try it!!
Nicole says
Hi Megan, That’s actually a great question! I do wet the mop and wring it out so it’s damp. It will still get wet/damp from the solution so it probably doesn’t matter too much. In a large room, I almost always end up rinsing the mop with clean water and wringing it out again before I keep going on the rest of the room. I hope that makes sense! Thank you for your question, and let me know if I can help answer anything else. Happy mopping! 🙂 –Nicole
Kristen from The Road to Domestication says
This looks amazing! It’s so hard to find a good floor cleaner – why not make the perfect one?! Thanks for sharing this at the #HomeMattersParty 🙂
michael says
My tile floors have never been so streak-free as they are after using your cleaner! Thanks for sharing your secret, Nicole.
Nicole says
Wow, thanks for the feedback, Mike. I am so glad to hear the DIY cleaner worked so well on your floors. That’s awesome! –Nicole
Camila Cruz says
Hi I need to know if I could mop a tile floor using apple vinegar, Fabuloso, and hot water. I did try it on a small part of the floor and there were a lot of bubbles. Is this okay? Did I maybe put too much Fabuloso?
Nicole says
Hi Camila, I haven’t tried using Fabuloso with apple vinegar and hot water. But, from what I know about Fabuloso Multi Purpose Cleaner, you can use it to mop tile floors IF you dilute it with a lot of water. Try using about 1/4 cup Fabuloso and 1/4 cup vinegar mixed with 1 gallon water and see if that helps reduce the bubbles. If there are still too many bubbles or if your floor feels sticky after you mop it, use less Fabuloso. Hope that helps! Thank you for your question. –Nicole
Edi says
Can the homemade solution for cleaning floors be used on bamboo flooring? It sounds wonderful and cheaper than store bought products.
Nicole says
Hi Edi, Good question! I do not have bamboo flooring, but I did some searching around on the internet and from what I have learned so far, vinegar is too acidic to use on the bamboo flooring.
I wish I could find a good DIY bamboo floor cleaner to recommend. Unfortunately, I have not seen anything yet. If I happen to find one, I’ll try to remember to update you here. Sorry I can’t be of more help. Good luck finding a solution for your floors. –Nicole
Ruchika says
Hi, thanks for the recipe! Your floors looks amazing. Was wondering doesn’t the vinegar spoil the shine on the hardwood? (I have high gloss hardwood). Thanks!
Nicole says
Hi Ruchika,
Vinegar could mess up the shine on that type of finish. I do a small, inconspicuous test area just to see what happens (the vinegar is diluted a lot in the recipe, so maybe it would be okay to use, but I haven’t tested this recipe on high gloss finished floors.) Another way to go is to make it and leave the vinegar out and see how the cleaner works for you. Either way, test a small area first because you don’t want to mess up your glossy floors. Hope that helps! -Nicole
Edi says
Thank you for your prompt reply!
Stacey says
I used this floor cleaner recipe today and it worked very well.
I did modify it because my bathroom door is very small. I used 1/2cup vinegar (mix of white and apple cider) and 1/2cup alcohol and 1cup of water and it still worked very well! I didn’t add any essential oils but I may next time.
Thank you!
Stacey says
Floor*
Nicole says
Hi Stacey, Thank you so much for stopping back by to let me know how the DIY mopping solution worked for you. I’m so glad to hear it did a great job on your bathroom floors. Yay! —Nicole
Marilyn says
Can this work in a Shark Steam mop?
Nicole says
Hi Marilyn, I don’t have a Shark Steam mop, so I don’t know if it’s OK to use this in it or not. Sorry about that. Thanks for stopping by today! –Nicole
Anna says
Have you tried using it? I was going to ask the same question.
Tina says
DIY mopping solution:
I’m new to homemade cleaners but am loving the mopping solution. Is it safe to use on countertops? If not do you have a different formula to suggest?
Thanks,
Tina
Nicole says
Hi Tina, Thanks so much for your feedback on the mopping solution. I’m so glad to hear you love it! I have not used it as a countertop cleaner, but I think it should work great for those surfaces, too. (Do a test spot first, just in case.)
Now I’m wondering why haven’t I tried it on my counters yet?!? Thank you for suggesting it. 🙂 –Nicole
Janessa says
Thanks for this recipe! I used it but was still seeing streaks in my laminate floor–until I started mopping in straight and slightly overlapping lines, lifting my mop as little as possible. No more streaks!
So along with your cleaner, a microfiber mop, and this method of mopping, the results are very satisfying 🙂
Nicole says
Hi Janessa, I’m so glad you stopped by and left your feedback about the mopping solution and your tips. That’s great, and I’m sure everyone who reads your comment will find it helpful.
Have a wonderful weekend! -Nicole
Silas Knight says
Thanks for the great mopping tips for most floors. I didn’t know that vinegar, water, and rubbing alcohol could be so effective on floors! I have tile for most of my floors, so I need to try this method out.
Sharynne says
Hi I did not have rubbing alcohol but had essential oil as suggested. My tile floors are rather sticky if you walk on them with rubber soles. Do you think it is the essential oil drops that do this?
Nicole says
Hi Sharynne, I am sorry your floors are sticky. I haven’t ever had that happen to me, so I don’t know. I don’t think that the essential oils would make them feel sticky. My best guess is that it’s the Dawn dish soap causing the stickiness. I would mop with plain water to try and rinse away the stickiness.
If you try making this mopping solution again, I would suggest cutting down on the amount of dish soap. Possibly all the way down to a single drop or two. Sorry that you are having to do extra mop work! Good luck – hope that helps.
Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful day, Nicole
Swasal says
Hi! Loved ur post! I am also looking for ways to bring shine to my ceremic floor tiles, which always look dull. I would like to try your solution, is it ok to skip rubbing alcohol, is there any other alternative ?
Please reply!
Nicole says
Hi Swasal, I have not made the mopping solution without the rubbing alcohol, but I think it would be worth trying without it to see the results. I would first make just a fraction of the recipe and do a test area on your floor to see if you like the results. If you give it a try, let us know how it goes. Thank you for stopping by! –Nicole
Sarah Anderson says
Indeed, tile can be a pain to clean. I will have to look into these cloths you suggested. Hopefully it will make cleaning just that much easier.
Tish says
Hi, I am somewhat new to the homemade cleaners, but I am loving it! Tho I do want to point out that u aren’t supposed to use essential oils with vinegar…. They cancel each other out! I personally do not care for the smell of vinegar and I’m currently in the process of making a lemon fresh one (lemons and white vinegar). But apple cider vinegar isn’t quite as bad as white, try using it instead! Read more on essential oils and vinegar… Not a good mix! ?
Tiffany says
This actually isn’t true. Vinegar & Essential Oils work just great together. It’s vinegar & baking soda that you do t want to mix as they do in fact cancel each other out.
RonnieB. says
What do you do with the extra homemade cleaner?
Nicole says
Hi Ronnie, Any leftovers can be stored and used next time. My floors need cleaning at least once a week – so having the cleaner already made is very convenient. Thanks for your question, hope that helps. -Nicole
Jennifer says
I am allergic to Dawn dishsoap. Is there a substitute or should I just leave it out all together?
Nicole says
Hi Jennifer, If you are allergic to Dawn, I wouldn’t use it. But I have never tried substituting another kind of dish soap, so I do not know if it would work the same way. I think it would be worth a try, though!
Dela says
To make this recipe Not using the Dawn dishwashing soap do to sensitivity a great alternative would be Castile Soap or OnGuard Concentrate by doTERRA.
Nicole says
Hi Dela! Thanks for the great suggestion for an alternative to the Dawn dishwashing soap. I know several people have wondered what else could be used. –Nicole
Yvonne Kyle says
help, it tried it on my laminate floors and it’s still streaks!!!! Any ideas what I’m doing wrong??
Nicole says
Hi Yvonne! Hmmm… I can only think to ask what kind of mop are you using? It may just be me, but I think that when I use a mop with a cleaning pad (instead of a mop with tassels) on my laminate floors, they don’t streak. A mopping pad seems to leave less wet mopping solution on the floor, so the floor dries quickly and evenly.
My suggestions would be to 1) try a mop with a pad and 2) use a minimum amount of mopping solution so that floors will dry quickly and evenly. If your mopping pad is oversaturated after you mop, you may want to change it out for a dry mopping pad and go over the floors once more. I hope that all makes sense. Just let me know if you have any more questions. I sure hope that helps! –Nicole
Christine says
I’m thankful for this recipe! I especially love the options for scent with the oils. We have a problem with small bugs, and on another site I read that lavender is good for helping keep bugs away. So lavender oil in my floor cleaner just makes sense!
Nicole says
That’s a neat fact about the lavender being good to keep bugs away. I didn’t know that! I’ll definitely be sure I’m putting lavender EO in there all the time from now on. I’m glad you like this mopping solution. Thank you for taking the time to share your comments. –Nicole
Grass Mesh says
just bookmark your post. I will definitely try this home remedies. My floor looks quite dull now a days I hope this tips makes my floor again shiny.
Carolin Flores says
Thank you for this recipe! It’s been two weeks since we have new flooring in the living room and I have no idea how to clean it. I make my own all-surface cleaning solution, But I didn’t know if I can use vinegar for floor cleaning too. Your cleaning solution seems to work quite good, so I’m mixing it tomorrow and cleaning our laminate, at last. Thank you for sharing it!
Nicole says
Hi Carolin! I hope you are enjoying your new floors and that this cleaning solution recipe works well for you, too. Thank you for your comments! -Nicole
Phillius Thomas says
My home is carpet and tile, so this sounds like it will work great. I should test this when I do my weekly cleaning on Saturday! Also, sounds like I may need a mop too.
Laura J says
Oh I am going to have to try this! I would love to save money on the floor cleaners! Thank you!
JR FrugalMom says
Thanks for sharing this recipe, I’m going to pin it, because I’ve been looking for a natural floor cleaner.
Aimee Trader says
Love having safe and effective products to clean!
Rhonda R says
Thank you for this formula! I had always heard of others using vinegar on wood floors but I was scared to try it. Do you NOT have to rinse afterward?
Nicole says
Hi Rhonda – No, you do not need to rinse afterwards. I just let it air dry and it turns out just like what you see in the photo.
Glynda Rice says
Do you not need to rinse even if you put Dawn in it?
Nicole says
Hi Glynda,
There’s only a few drops of Dawn in the entire bottle of mopping solution, so no, I don’t rinse the floor after I mop with it. I just let the floor dry on its own (as shown in the photos). Hope that helps! –Nicole
Samantha says
This is an awesome recipe! Thank you so much for sharing it. One question, you mentioned other Essential Oils than the Lemon and Lavender like Orange, tee tree, ect. Would you use those in place of the Lemon or Lavender or with them? Thank you again for sharing!
Nicole says
Hi Samantha! Great question! I would use other essential oils in place of the Lemon and Lavender. OR for an example, if I wanted to use Lemon, Lavender and add Orange to it, I would just reduce the amount of Lemon and Lavender by a few drops each and replace those drops with Orange. (I hope that makes sense).
You can make endless DIY Mopping Solution fragrances using your favorite essential oils. I would just try to keep the amount of essential oils to around 18-20 drops for this recipe. Adding too much oil to the formula could potentially lead to build up on the floors.
Also – you mentioned using Tea Tree oil – and I just wanted to share something I learned while I was making other cleaners. I saw many websites saying that Tea Tree oil can be toxic to pets. This recipe uses such a small amount of essential oil and they are diluted – so it may not matter – but I just wanted to let you know in case you wanted to do more research on that before you used tea tree on your floors where it could come into contact with pets.
Thank you for your question, let me know how it goes. –Nicole
Melody says
Thanks for sharing this. I really need a new laminate floor cleaner. I am tired of always running out of the small bottles that are specifically labeled for laminate. This sounds so much better, and your floors look so shiny!
Heather says
I kept seeing this on your home page and finally clicked on it! It sounds like a great floor cleaner. I am trying to go a less chemical way and this sounds perfect. I keep hearing about essential oils too. It seems like they do everything! I am going to have to do some research!
Wendi S says
My Mom always made her own cleaners. I never knew what besides vinegar was in it. Thanks for the information.
Nicole says
Hi Wendi,
You’re welcome for the cleaner recipe. Lots of people just use vinegar and water (equal parts mixed). That works great, too. I like adding the other ingredients for extra cleaning boost and also for a pleasant scent.
Thank you for stopping by! -Nicole
Janet W. says
Thanks for this DIY recipe! Good to know that it works on wood floors, too!