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Get those grimy floors clean with this heavy duty tile floor cleaner! It is perfect for getting rid of the “boy bathroom” smell!
I really hate to clean my floors. It’s my least favorite household chore. With three boys, two dogs and a cat, however, it’s a necessary evil. 🙂
At least I have a heavy duty tile floor cleaner that makes it less of a chore. The kitchen really isn’t too bad. I love my wood laminate floors because most of the time, a damp paper towel will do the trick.
But the bathrooms? Now that’s a different story.
I live in a house populated by males. Anyone with boys knows what that “boy bathroom smell” is like. It’s always there-wafting through the house like an Oscar the Grouch version of a Glade plug-in.
But this DIY tile floor cleaner just might be my salvation.
This DIY “recipe” from Food.com is for heavy-duty cleaning like in a commercial kitchen. It is designed to be a grease cutter. And it works great on the kitchen floor.
The problem with using ammonia based cleaners like Pine-Sol in the bathroom is that it just seems to make the pee smell even worse. And why use expensive and harsh chemicals when you don’t have to?
Seriously, my bathroom smells great and the floors look clean. At least for the next 12 seconds.
Please note: this tile floor cleaner does not work on wood laminate floors. It will leave a soapy residue and you don’t want to use that much water on a laminate floor anyway.
If you’re looking for a great cleaning solution for a wood laminate floor, this is the one. I’ve tested multiple floor cleaner mixtures and I love how fresh and clean my floor gets with just a little spray of this cleaner and a good dust mop. The O-Cedar dust mop is my favorite.
What you need to make Heavy Duty Tile Floor Cleaner:
- distilled white vinegar-you can purchase it by the gallon on the cleaning aisle in most grocery stores
- Dawn liquid dish soap-use the original blue kind for the best results
- washing soda-this can be found in the laundry aisle of the grocery store
- very warm water
- bucket and mop
Tile Floor Cleaner
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1/4 cup washing soda
- 1 tsp liquid dish soap
- 2 gallons very warm water
Instructions
- 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar, 1/4 cup washing soda, 1 tsp liquid dish soapMix the vinegar, washing soda and dish soap in the bottom of the bucket.
- 2 gallons very warm waterAdd the very warm water and mix well.
- Mop the floor with the solution. It shouldn't need to be rinsed afterwards, but if you notice a soapy residue, wipe it down with a damp towel. Air dry.
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Linda says
I have looked online and at retail stores for floor cleaners to use on my kitchen/dining room tile floor. I really questioned the ingredients for most of the floor products. I wanted a floor solution to clean the floor and without harsh chemicals. Your website has a homemade floor solution and I used it on my tile floor. It really cleaned the tile floor and the solution was a money saver! Thank you!
Heidi says
Could I use that solution in my floor cleaning machine?
Nicole Burkholder says
Honestly, I’ve never used it in anything but a mop bucket, so I couldn’t tell you. I would check the manufacturer’s information about what kind of solutions you can use in a machine.
Carla says
Could you use this for carpet cleaning?
Nicole Burkholder says
I’ve never used it for anything but tile floors in my bathroom and kitchen, so I can’t say for sure. If you were going to try it, I’d test it on a small section of carpet somewhere out of the way, like in a closet. Just to be sure it didn’t affect the coloring or anything.
Shelly says
This cleaner is awesome! I have white tile floors and this didn’t leave streaks and dries fast. My new go to, thank you!
Nicole Burkholder says
I’m glad you loved it!
Barb says
Can I sub borax for the washing soda?
Nicole Burkholder says
No, it’s not the same thing. Borax is more of a detergent booster. I mean, it probably wouldn’t hurt, but washing soda is what I use and I can’t say how Borax would work. (Washing soda is found right next to the Borax in the store and it’s fairly inexpensive.) I did find this pretty interesting, though! https://www.20muleteamlaundry.com/compare/borax-vs-washing-soda
Darcy Gassaway says
I just used this cleaning solution with my new O Cedar and WOW!! I have ceramic tile and this did the job!
Nicole Burkholder says
I love the O Cedar mop! Glad it worked for you 🙂
Charlene says
This post helped me SO much today!! My range oven door became locked and part of the solution was to unplug it from the wall. So my husband pulled my range out…..Oh My Word…..the nasty was bad!! I needed something to clean it, a degreaser, so Pinterest! It never fails me! Lol! I found this post and YES, I had everything! Well, I had Borax from 2009, so that still counts, right? I thought I was going to be in for some serious scrubbing, but this was not the case. I did scrub, but everything came off so easily. Within, I’d say about an hour I had scrubbed the wall, both cabinet sides, both range sides, and the floor clean. I had recently bought a set of silicone cabinet/range bridges that prevent food and spills from falling between them, so I should be good for at least a little while. Btw, this stuff made my grout look nicer, too. Thank you!
Nicole Burkholder says
You definitely need something with a bit of degreasing for a job like that! 🙂
CT Remodeling says
Combine equal parts white vinegar, rubbing alcohol and water, and then add ½ tsp. of liquid dish soap and a few drops of peppermint essential oils. This works well whether you use a bucket or spray bottle to dispense onto your floor as you mop.
Concrete Contractor says
I love clean as you go. I started to put things away that I use on a daily basis and it makes a huge difference.
Caroline says
Vinegar and baking soda are effective and amazing to clean the floor. Thank you for the post.
Homeadvisor says
Thank you so much for this blog! I love reading cleaning blogs and themes about the eco cleaning products.
PATRICIA says
I tried the diy heavy duty floor cleaner it worked wonders on my linoleum floor the only thing i did differently id been searching for a diy floor cleaner went id found one for making floor shine so just decided just decided to add baby oil from the diy how to make floor shine just followed the diy heavy duty floor cleaner recipe and added couple drops of baby oil to the mixture worked great,also went was supposed to use paper towels to wipe dry i used sponge in my bathrooms it worked better than the paper towels i used in my hallway and kitchen the sponge allowed me to get leftover dirt from cracks and crevices of my floor
airbnb cleaning sydney says
This heavy duty cleaner is nice i really like it its very useful.