Well, the kitchen/laundry room tile installation is complete and I couldn’t be happier! To say it’s an improvement over our old linoleum floor would be a VAST understatement. :-) My compliments to “Levi The Tile Guy” (sung to the tune of “Bill Nye the Science Guy”…in my own mind anyway!)…..did a fantastic job! Thank you Mr. Hammond! :-)
I have spent the last SEVERAL days trying to get things back in order and FINALLY, this afternoon, I was ready to give my new floor it’s “first bath”. I have already damp-mopped it a few times in an attempt to clean up the dust and grout residue, but today I decided to give it a good old-fashioned cleaning. With an old-fashioned mop and everything! :-)
And I had just the cleaner in mind. It’s something I found on Food.com. I know….crazy huh? lol. I still get a chuckle out of that one. Turns out they have lots of great homemade cleaner-type “recipes”. Food for the home??
The thing that “sold” me on this cleaner was the grease-cutting factor. I hate a greasy floor and over the last few days I have been cooking a bunch of stuff on the stovetop that seems to be greasing up the place. (I’ve actually been experimenting with a cool idea for cooking the PERFECT steak! So carnivores take note! Blog post coming soon!) :-)
So with the floor freshly swept and all chairs, stools, etc. up off the floor….I was ready for the inaugural mopping of the tile floor!
Here is the recipe:
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon liquid dish soap (I use Dawn and it’s pretty concentrated/sudsy….so I cut this back to 1 TEASPOON)
- 1/4 cup washing soda
- 2 gallons very warm tap water (I think I added closer to 3 gallons to my bucket. I like to give the floor a pretty good soaking!)
Directions:
1. Place all the ingredients into a bucket and mix well until sudsy.
2. Mop the area with the solution.
3. Not recommended for waxed floors.
When I first started mopping I was a bit concerned about the suds because typically I just STEAM my floors. But the more area I mopped and watched it dry, the less worried I was. The floor didn’t have any feel or look of soap residue at all. It just looked and felt CLEAN! And grease-free!
Here is what the floor looked like after it’s inaugural cleaning. I’m a very happy homemaker/homeowner today. :-)
Looks great! I had to degrease my kitchen floor yesterday and just used white vinegar. Worked slick!
Love this and can’t wait to try it! Do you think it would get old wax from a floor also? My mom’s floor is so old and has the “residue” from all the waxing back in the day. We want it gone! lol
Jillee states “No recommended for waxed floors”.
IFyou read the original post on Food.com it shows that it makes the wax all gunky.
Hope this helps.
Hi Jillee,
How about an addition to recipe so that we can make in bulk and add as needed on mopping day?
I was surprised that you use the old “Carole Burnett” type mop.
Do you really wring with your Jillee hands?
Love your website.
Carole Burnett mop! lol! Love it. :-) I do pull the ole Carole Burnett mop out on occasion. Mostly when I want to really “soak” the floor. And yes, I did wring it with my hands! Right after my manicure even! Which reminded me why I don’t often GET manicures! lol
What is Washing Soda? I’ve never heard of it or seen it. Is this recipe okay for linoleum? With the humid summer days my floor is sticky even though it’s clean.
Also, I don’t have a mop (my kitchen floor is small, maybe 6 feet by 3 feet? Can I use a Swiffer mop??
I hadn’t heard it called gust before either, bug by the picture it appears to be baking soda (good old arm n hammer!) Which would make sense because it is great for cleaning!
hope it was ok for me to jump in here like this! Love the blog!
God bless,
jo
Actually, it’s NOT Baking Soda. Washing soda is a different animal all together. Both are made by Arm and Hammer – A & H is just the brand name. In the States, you can find it in a lot of hardware stores and sometimes in Wallyworld.
this is good to know. i was suspicious of going ahead with my assumption that it was baking soda because with the vinegar i know it will create… volcanic issues (hee hee). Thanks for the clarification.
Look in the cleaning aisle of your Target/Walmart.
For some reason, Target where I am doesn’t carry it, but my local grocery store (Publix) does. Wish my Costco would start carrying it in bulk!
Oh your floor is just gorgeous! Isn’t it the best feeling to wake up and look at a pretty new floor every day?! Enjoy!
Your new floor is gorgeous! We have travertine floors in our kitchen and foyer. I always just spray it with some white vinegar than use my steam mop on it. It seems to work pretty well. But as we’re moving soon, I may try this recipe just to make sure the floor is really clean before we go. Thanks for sharing!
just be careful with vinegar on any type of stone floor. It’s not recommended by any stone tile manufacturer or janitorial service I’ve been able to find, especially for marble because it’s a softer stone. Acidic cleaners will etch and pit your gorgeous marble over time. Stone floors really need a ph neutral cleaner.
I believe that the soda neutralizes the vinegar, so it shouldn’t do any harm
Poor Milo, just wanted to run in and say hello, and slipped and slid all over the floor
awwww….I felt so bad! lol! Didn’t seem to phase him though. :-)
I was wondering what washing soda is. Is that your liquid laundry soap? Sonds crazy but I can’t wait to try it. Thank you for your great tips.
washing soda is a highly alkaline “laundry booster” product, sodium carbonate not sodium BIcarbonate so don’t confuse the two. ;) It’s often sold in the laundry aisle in a dishwasher detergent sized box.
Any idea if this would be ok to use on wood-laminate floors? I currently use a mix of citrus-infused white vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and water, but my floors still don’t look clean to me and it looks dull as soon as it dries.
Try adding some Borax to the vinegar & alcohol. Or add a small squirt of liquid dish soap, as Jillee did. This is my favorite for my laminate floors, OR I use a steam mop with 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water.
I also use the washing soda as a laundry booster and for polishing silver. DID YOU NEED TO RINSE THE FLOORS?
For polishing silver? How do you use it for that? I somehow ended up with a set of real silver silverware, and I can’t keep it from tarnishing! Any tips? (I think part of the problem is I live in a very humid area.)
Sorry this is so late. The only way to keep sterling silver flatware from tarnishing is to store it in a box that is lined with special non-tarnish fabric. These boxes also have special sections to keep the pieces separated from each other. I also store my silver plate this way. That being said, silverware that is used regularly should not tarnish as much as silverware that is just stored in a drawer. Also, good flatware should be washed by hand, particularly the knives. The dishwasher is too hard on it. All of this shows why stainless flatware was embraced so readily when it became available!
Bill Nye the Science Guy!! Yessss!
Perfect timing this post as I was just contemplating a new way to clean the kitchen floor. Thanks!
Thanks for this Jillee! I am about to clean my floors so I will try your recipe. Cheers!
Will this work on greasy pans as well? I always have trouble getting grease (from like bacon) off the pan and it drives me nuts!
The trick for greasy pans is making a semi-thin paste with baking soda and water and letting it sit on the pan for a bit before scrubbing with a plastic pot scrubber. Works well on burnt spots in pots as well. Just let the mixture soak in for a bit and then a little bit of elbow grease goes a long way. Hope this helps.
I actually soak my “stuck on” with a fabric softener sheet in the water. Just fill the pan and toss it in overnight. Then use the sheet to scour whatever is left and a quick wash with soap.
Works like a charm every time!
Can I put in a “shout out” for Avon Bubble Bath for washing floors. Just a small amount (capful or two) in a bucket of water (or I use my Videla spray mop) and it does a beautiful job with no residue. Leaves a great shine on my linolium as well as the laminate flooring. I won’t use anything else. I was skeptical, but now am a believer.
I second this one. I have had hardwood for 8 years. I have never used anything but Avon bubble bath.
I have those “faux wood” laminate floors (they also have a texture to them, like ridges), and I can NOT get the spots off them no matter which cleaner I use, which mop I use, and how hard I scrub with them. It is so frustrating. I am going to try your formula. If this works, I will be one happy woman!
Arrrg! Please forgive the typos. Blame it on my kindle and auto correct. It couldn’t be my fault! LOL!
I am so in need of help :( I have a bamboo wood floor in my livingroom and dining room , Does anyone
know how i should clean it ? I tried vinegar/water and it is just dull looking. Please help me.
Jillee,
How about a recipe for nasty grout? I’ve tried everything. Please, I’m begging! Thank you!
Hands and knees scrubbing with a nylon brush. Use cleaner of choice. Only thing that works for me and a 1yo, 3yo and 5 yo messes. I only do this when I notice it is really bad in the grout. Otherwise I steam mop. I want to try this jillee cleaner for greasy floor days
I see from above that there is actually a difference between baking soda and washing soda. I was wondering if I don’t have the washing version can I use baking soda?
Jillee- did you have to rinse your floor? I think I need to reduce the Dawn to 1 tsp. too sudsy…but CLEAN! :))
I used this on my stove (hamburgers last night, and 409 or simple green wasn’t getting it clean enough) and now my stove looks great! I let my burners soak in it and with little scrubbing those too look great. Tires recipe is a life saver. I think i’m going to put it in a spray bottle anf use this for now on. My floor and counters are made of the same tile so this worked great for, my counters as well
Wondering how this works on Vinyl floors. Ours could use a “deep” cleaning.
Happy with the results on my tile floors, but can’t say the same for my prefinished hardwoods. Left water spots and a white film once it dried.
I just tried this on my floors and my water turned WAY more disgusting than usual, so I’d say it works! Thank you so much! :)
Just used this in my laundry room where my 90 lb kab resides. Holy cow!! No more funky wet dog smell or sticky floor. YAY!
Do you have a solution for cleaning my very dingy hardwood floors??
Can this be premixed without the water and then just added to the water when needed or will it loose it’s potency over time that way?
We pre-mixed ours. Even added a small amount of ammonia to it so that it helps with our male dogs trying to mark everything.
Thanks Ali!
I heard several years ago, from a cleaning company employee, that you should not use vinegar on floors that have a finish as this would strip the finish. Has anyone heart the same thing? This sounds like it would do a wonderful job, but I would hate to strip down the finish on my floors. I like to use murphys oil soap mixed with hot water.
For anyone who wonders, washing soda and baking soda are different forms of sodium carbonate. If you have baking soda, you can use to to make washing soda. All you do is put it in the oven and heat (although I don’t know specific details-there are how-tos all over Pinterest!) baking soda is considerably cheaper! Hope this helps!!!!!!
Ps Jillee, I always read your awesome ideas and I’m gonna give this one a try!!!!
I NEED A NATURAL (I HAVE DOGS) LAMINATE FLOOR CLEANER. EVERYTHING I HAVE USED LEAVES A DULL RESIDUE THAT YOU CAN NOTICE IF YOU RUN YOUR FINGER OVER IT. I HAVE TRIED: JUST VINEGAR AND WATER, WATER AND AMONIA, ZEP FLOOR CLEANER, BRUCE LAMINATE CLEANER, ALL THE SWIFFER MOP PRODUCTS, JUST DAWN DISH CLEANER, AND SEVERAL OTHER COMMERICAL BRAND NAMES THAT SLIP MY MIND. IS THERE ANYTHING THAT WORKS? MY FLOORS ARE NOT THE SHINY LAMINATE KIND SO I DON’T EXPECT TO SEE A CLEAR, BRIGHT SHINE. I JUST WANT THEM THE WAY THEY WERE WHEN WE TOOK IT OUT OF THE BOX, NO RESIDUE. HELP!
What I desperately need is a NON STREAK!!!!!! floor cleaner for my stupid black granite – high shine pain in the butt – floors!!!! Everything I use from the most expensive to the cheapest leaves a sort of film on them. Drives me nuts. If you have any ideas I know I would love to hear them!! Think of it as a challenge ;)
This post says, “Not recommended for waxed floors.” What kind of floors are waxed?? Just hardwoods? Sorry, probably a silly question, but I’ve really never heard of that!
Haha, not a silly question! I think wood an linoleum can both be waxed.
Jillee – You said this shouldn’t be used on waxed floors. I didn’t realize until I saw the very last comment to this post that linoleum is waxed and, of course, my floor is linoleum. I’ve been using this recipe for awhile now and wondered why my floors felt a little sticky; now I know. Have you found something that works well for waxed floors?