If you just moved into a home with tile floors in your entry, kitchen, and/or bathroom, you’re in luck!
Ceramic tile floors are incredibly easy to clean. Follow our complete guide to concocting your own natural tile floor cleaner.
Why Use Homemade Tile Floor Cleaner?
First, let us emphasize that these homemade floor cleaners are incredibly easy to make with materials you probably already have on hand.
But if you’re still wondering why you should even go to the trouble, there are many benefits to making your own.
Our homemade cleaners are just as effective as store-bought cleaners, and they significantly reduce indoor air pollution caused by volatile organic compounds found in many cleaning products.
And these recipes are incredibly budget-friendly. Swiffer wet pads can cost as much as $20 for a pack, and they create a lot of unnecessary waste.
These homemade floor cleaners are affordable, eco-friendly, and leave a beautiful shine after cleaning your floors.
If you love your essential oils, there is also another way to use these therapeutic drops in your daily routine.
You can even use a natural cleaner with your cleaning robot if you want to let it do all the work. What’s not to love?
The Best All-Natural Homemade Tile Floor Cleaners
In this day and age, you’ve probably heard about the dangers of harsh chemical cleaning products. But can the natural stuff really get the job done? When it comes to tile floors, it certainly can.
Whip up our easy cleaning solutions from materials you already have in your kitchen, and you’re on your way. Plus, you can breathe easy knowing there are no VOCs to inhale while you work.
All-Purpose Floor Cleaner
Combine the following in a small bucket:
- Two cups warm water
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 cup Isopropyl rubbing alcohol
- A few drops liquid dish soap (this will dissolve the bond between dirt and the floor, but a little goes a long way—too much can leave a film)
- 5–10 drops of your favorite essential oil (lavender and peppermint are ideal choices to cover up the vinegar smell)
This smart all-purpose cleaner can clean anything from tile to laminate floors, linoleum floors, and hardwood floors, so it’s great to use if you have multiple surfaces in your home.
It is not recommended for marble or granite countertops or any porous stone, as the vinegar can be harmful to these surfaces. However, if you want to clean any other surface, follow our recipe below.
Disinfecting Floor Cleaner
This solution is free of vinegar, so it is also great for marble countertops or stone tile floors. Just combine:
- 1 gallon of water, hot
- 1/4 cup Borax
For your bathroom or kitchen, you may want to up the ante and use a disinfectant cleaner.
The secret ingredient is borax, a natural detergent. You can purchase it on Amazon or at your local grocery store.
Tile Floor Cleaner
To use this deep cleaning recipe, combine the following in a spray bottle and spray cleaner onto tiles, a small section at a time.
- One gallon hot water
- 1 cup baking soda
- 3/4 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup ammonia
- 10–15 drops essential oils
If you want your tile floors to really shine, clean them with this powerful recipe once a week. It combines a few pantry staples without any soap.
After cleaning the floors, rinse the floor with one part vinegar and 10 parts hot water. You’ll be shocked at how effective this is.
Grout Cleaner
There isn’t much to this easy recipe. Just combine baking soda and water to form a paste.
- 3 tablespoons baking soda
- 2 tablespoons water
- Adjust to form a paste
Rub it into the grout and let it sit overnight. In the morning, scrub with a wet nylon brush.
How to Clean Tile Floors with Homemade Cleaner
Tile floors require minimal upkeep. And you don’t need to be too dainty for it.
There’s no risk of warping as with wood floors, and they aren’t prone to stains like carpet.
That said, the best way to make this an easy job is to clean often. Clean tile floors weekly or twice weekly, depending on the amount of traffic in your home. Here’s how to get it done:
- Sweep or vacuum first. Remove loose debris from the area before you start mopping, or you’ll just be spreading the crumbs around.
- Clean the grout overnight. Apply your DIY grout cleaner (baking soda and water) to the grout lines, and let the mixture sink in overnight. In the morning, clean the grout with a dampened, stiff nylon scrub brush.
- Use a mop. Be sure to work back to front, so you don’t have to walk across your clean work.
- Detail with microfiber. When it comes to tile, foam mops or steam mops can push dirty water into the grout lines, undoing all your hard work!
- Dry the floor. Yes, it’s an extra step, but drying the floor is the best way to prevent water spots on your newly cleaned tile. Wipe it dry with a lint-free cloth (or you’ll leave little fuzzies on your hard work).
Want to be extra fancy? You can apply a silicone-based sealer to the grout to prevent future stains.
What Are the Best Tile Floor Cleaners?
To sum things up, it’s pretty easy to combine a few household ingredients to make your own homemade tile floor cleaner.
If you can do a little planning ahead of time, let our homemade grout cleaner soak overnight.
In the morning, scrub away grime. Then, quickly mop the floor with a solution of water, white vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and liquid dish soap. If you’re an essential oil lover, add a few drops to your floor cleaner, and your home will smell as beautiful as it looks when you’re done.
You don’t need to rinse this natural recipe when you’re done; simply wipe the floor dry, and you’ll be impressing guests in no time.