Nontoxic Recipes for Cleaning the Kitchen Floor
Reduce your exposure to potentially hazardous chemicals by harnessing the power of nature. Clean your kitchen floor with pure, simple ingredients, including essential oils.
Our family has trampled on several different kinds of flooring over the years, from white tile (who does this in a kitchen?) to the 200-year-old wide-plank hemlock flooring in the home that we currently occupy. Although the children have fled the nest and all the fur-kids have crossed the bridge, my husband and I still manage to make a mess on our own. Then there are grandchildren, “grand-pups,” and other canines that accompany visiting friends. It’s a blessing and a joy whenever our cherished loved ones find their way home to us. Dirt? Not so much.
The type of cleaner to use on your kitchen floor will depend on the type of flooring you have, as well as the foot traffic. While all of the formulas suggested here are effective and safe for people and pets, you should avoid the use of white vinegar if you have hardwood or no-wax floors because its acidity may damage the finish over time. This is also true for stone surfaces.
Nontoxic Pine-Fresh Floor Cleaner
This formula isn’t at all like the old pine-solvent cleaners you may be used to. It works just as well but leaves a light scent more reminiscent of a pine forest than a bucket of chemicals. You can adjust the scent to your preference by increasing or reducing the amount of essential oil used.
Ingredients
- 1 gallon hot water
- 2 tablespoons liquid castile soap
- 10 drops pine essential oil
- 5 drops cypress essential oil
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a large bucket. Dip a mop into the bucket and squeeze out excess liquid. Clean the floor by working in sections, using short strokes and dipping the mop as needed. Rinsing is not necessary.
Nontoxic Citrus Floor Cleaner
Nothing works like citrus in the kitchen!
Ingredients
- 1 gallon hot water
- 2 tablespoons liquid castile soap
- 15 drops sweet orange essential oil
- 8 drops lemon essential oil, or ¼ cup lemon juice
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a large bucket. Dip a mop into the bucket and squeeze out excess liquid. Clean the floor by working in sections, using short strokes and dipping the mop as needed. Rinsing is not necessary.
Excerpted and adapted from The Naturally Clean Home, 3rd Edition © Karyn Siegel-Maier. Photo © Kimberly Thompson Panay.
Learn More
In this updated edition of her best-selling book, The Naturally Clean Home, Karyn Siegel-Maier brings together the formulas for home cleaning solutions that readers have trusted for years with new information and ingredients updated to today’s green standards. A new introduction shines a light on the antiseptic properties of essential oils, addressing different grades of oil and their effectiveness against bacteria and viruses, as well as updated safety precautions and cost. Updated recipes eliminate Borax (banned as a food additive in the US and from cosmetic and cleaning products in the EU) from ingredient lists, replacing it with safe substitutes that include citric acid powder, hydrogen peroxide, diatomaceous earth, cornstarch, washing soda, and baking soda. New recipes show readers how to make easy, nontoxic, environmentally friendly substitutes for popular cleaning products, including molded laundry and dishwasher tablets. Packaging updates emphasize the use of glass containers for homemade cleaning products, to diminish environmental impact of plastic waste.
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