For the Love of Pinterest ~ DIY Floor Cleaner

Dogs….I love them….really, I do….but this….I do not love!

I can not keep my laminate wood floors clean!  This is a spot of the floor right in front of the door to the backyard, so it is dirtier than most, but really…it just drives me nuts!  I sweep every single day and mop at least twice a week.  It’s not the dogs’ fault.  They have to go out, but I wish I could wash their feet before they come in each time. 

My other problem is that no matter what I clean the floors with (Mr. Clean, Pine Sol, Lysol, etc.) it ALWAYS leaves streaks.  Since I have so many windows in my living space (which I love) I get a lot of natural light.  This natural light is like a spotlight on the streaks on the floor.  How frustrating!  I spend hours cleaning and it looks all streaky!!

I found this recipe on Pinterest for a DIY Streak-Free Laminate Floor Cleaner.   I followed the pin to the Nature’s Nuture blog and read through her post.  It seemed like this recipe she came up did exactly what I needed so I tried it out.  I followed Sarah’s recipe exactly: 

Homemade Floor Cleaner

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1 cup alcohol
• 2-3 drops natural dish soap
• 10-15 drops essential oil
• Fine-mist spray bottle – 24oz

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to spray bottle and shake to combine.
2. Sweep/vacuum the floor.
3. Spray cleaner on the floor.
4. Wipe up with a microfiber cloth.

I used an orange essential oil this time, but next time I think I am going to try a Lavender Essential Oil like Sarah suggested.

I mixed it all up, sprayed the floor down, and went to work.  I was pretty happy with the results.  It is not TOTALLY streak free, but it is MUCH MUCH better than any of the store bought cleaners I have used so far. 

It did still have a pretty strong vinegar smell (which is why I want to try lavender next time), but we had company over about 30 minutes after I mopped and they said they only smelled clean.  I am most happy about knowing exactly what is in my cleaner.  With pets, and hopefully someday children, I am starting to become very aware of all the chemicals that are brought into the home.  I am glad that this worked and I plan on using this mixture for all my floor cleaning from now on.