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. 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 its first bath. I have already damp-mopped it a few times in an attempt to clean grout residue and dust, 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? :-) Turns out they have lots of great homemade cleaner-type “recipes”.
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 experimenting with a cool idea for cooking the perfect steak on the stovetop that seems to be really greasing up the place. 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!
Related: Clean Your Hardwood Floors Easily in 3 Steps
DIY Grease-Cutting Floor Cleaner
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon liquid dish soap
- 1/4 cup washing soda
- 2 gallons very warm tap water
*Note: I do not recommend this recipe for waxed floors.
Directions:
Add vinegar, dish soap and washing soda to a bucket.
Add warm water from your tap and mix well.
Mop the area with the solution. 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!
How do you clean a greasy floor?
Hello, I love all your advice and read them every day. Only thing about my floor is I have wood floors and after my dog finishing eating he likes to lick the floor. How can I clean the floors, so I won’t see those areas he has licked? Thanking you in advance for any suggestions.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Elizabeth, thank you for your kind words. You made my day! You can use a cloth dampened with diluted hydrogen peroxide to clean the area. It’s best to try to clean it as soon as the dog licks the floor.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi Jillee. I have a question about the floor cleaner. Don’t vinegar and washing soda neutralise each other? When I add the vinegar the solution fizzes. Isn’t this counterproductive???
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I still have a linoleum kitchen floor. Usually we steam it. This time I used peroxide, water and some Dawn lemon dish soap. Amazing ! Came out better than ever.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.How to rid ants safely in the kitchen when you have cats?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Put a square of Fells Naptha Soap in the outside door threshold. Rub it across the threshold. No crawling bugs for the summer. Our vet in MI recommended and said it would not harm our pets.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hate a greasy floor also so will give this a try . Thanks !
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Can you use the solution on glossy porcelain tiles?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yes!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi Jill I have been receiving your ideas for so long now. I am a fan of yours from Jamaica and I am surely enjoying your posts
Please log in or create a free account to comment.That’s great! Welcome Elizabeth!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sorry but I read mostly all of these comments, first the very first picture of the post shows you exactly what Jillie used. An actual picture of the products. ♀️ I don’t get the confusion. Also, I don’t understand why everyone’s floors are so greasy. ♀️
Please log in or create a free account to comment.How about using this on a laminate floor. My floor is not greasy…. but after I wash it with the specific cleanser for my floor…. it’s sticky like. You can hear your shoes come up when you walk. Ugh. Tonight when I mopped, instead of the spray, I just used pine sol and a fan to dry the floor quickly.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The vinegar in this recipe prevents that sticky feeling!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I just use a gallon of warm water and 1 cup apple cider vinegar on my floors. I rinse my mop pad before putting it back in the vinegar water and my floors aren’t greasy or sticky and come out clean. I don’t even have to rinse it off the floor. No buildup and safe for babies and animals.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Has anyone had any issues with the smell of vinegar lingering after cleaning with this recipe? I’d love to try it but I seriously can’t stand the smell of vinegar, so I seldom use it to clean! Thanks!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The smell of vinegar dissipates very quickly! You won’t even notice it once the floors are dry :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Works for me! Trying it tonight, thanks!!
Hi, thanks for all the great tips. We don’t have washing soda, I don’t know what that is. Could I just use bicarbonate soda? or is it not the same thing? Thanks.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.It is not the same as baking soda, you can read all about here: https://jillee.co/2zhoXC2 :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.if you have a WalMart near where you live, they carry it in their clothes soap aisle/
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Love all your wonderful ideas! My only concern about this mix for a floor cleaner is that I have a small dachshund that is very low to the ground and the ingredients could be toxic for her. Any ideas for a safe, non toxic way to wash my floor. Thanks, Leslie
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi Leslie! You actually can use this mopping solution with a dog in the house! Vinegar is safe for both dogs and humans to consume. If your dog ate a lot of dish soap, he would have a stomach ache and possibly some vomiting. However, there’s only 1 tablespoon of soap in the whole bucket – there’s no way your dog would lick up enough off the floor to feel sick. The washing soda is also diluted enough that it won’t harm your dog. These are all natural ingredients that are safe for your family and pets. :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Could this recipe be used in an OCedar ProMist Microfiber Spray Mop? Or any type of Spray Mop?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sure! :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Jillee, I don’t know why, but it drives me crazy that you, and almost everyone else, calls vinyl floors linoleum. They are very different!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I agree they are completely different and real linoleum is awesome and has different care requirements than vinyl.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.What do you mean by “waxed”? I had my tile floors sealed, should I avoid this recipe? My tile was just finished last Friday!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Jenni – this will work perfectly on sealed floors! :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I only have a clorox ready mop, will that work as well as a regular mop?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.It should work just wonderfully! In fact, I would suggest using a microfiber rag (instead of the cloths they sell), with this solution. :-) That way, you can machine wash the cloth and you never have to buy the refills!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thank you :)
Just used the floor cleaner on my tile floor and it looks great. Only problem I had was with my two cats because they thought it was play time with the mop.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.heheheh…. =^..^=
Please log in or create a free account to comment.How do you wash mop in picture? I Have one, don’t know how to clean it. Does it come off?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You can learn all about that mop right here: https://jillee.co/2ISlWbJ :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Does anybody know if this would be safe for a terrazzo floor?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Is there no rinsing after mopping the floor. Is it good for no wax hard wood floors
Please log in or create a free account to comment.No rinsing is needed, and it’s great on all wood floors! :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.First off I love your site. Tried the rug cleaning for cat vomit where you use an iron after. Worked great.
I want to try the floor cleaner but like several other readers I’d like to know what washing soda is.
Thanks,
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Louise
Hi Louise. See my reply to washing soda below. It’s wonderful.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Kim.
Add Dawn to your mix. I use 1/3 cup vinegar, 1/3 cup alcohol, 1/3 cup water, 3-4 drops of Dawn and love the results. Google “Homemade Pergo cleaner” and it should be one of first results. I mix bigger batches for mopping, but keep spray bottle handy for spot cleanups.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Just finished my floors and they look fabulous!!! Thanks Jillee!! Will definitley be using this all the time! I did use baking soda, instead of washing soda but will try it next time. :D
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We had our hardwood floors finished with polyurethane, several years ago, the great fellow who finished our floors and they’re shiny, just as I had asked him to do, said to use water very sparingly, and to wipe the area dry where you used the water. He suggested only using Swiffer Dusting cloths on the device that hold the Swiffer cloths and they can be purchased at any Supermarket. They work like a charm, and once the cloth is dirty, toss it.
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