The Best DIY Floor Cleaner for Sparkling Results Every Time

Get sparkling clean floors naturally! Try this quick and easy DIY floor cleaner with just three household ingredients – super cheap and effective.

Ah, Pinterest, you’ve made my life that little bit better again with this DIY floor cleaner that beats the rest.

I came across this recipe for floor cleaner and had to give it a try.

I’ve been washing my floors with plain old dishwashing liquid for years now. And while it does the job well enough, it’s not brilliant.

We have porous non-slip tiles in the kitchen, and they collect grime, particularly around the edges, that’s hard to shift. To really get the edges clean, I have to scrub them on my hands and knees with a scrubbing brush.

As you can imagine, that rarely happens.

So I gave this recipe a go and was amazed at the results.

No more grey, grotty ring around the edge of the kitchen floor!

I honestly didn’t think this recipe would do a better job than the dishwashing treatment I always use.

You know that TV ad where the family gaze admiringly at their new roof? Well, that’s what I did all day after washing the floor and seeing it so clean. It hasn’t been this clean in years!

(2025 update: I used this recipe for 11 years!! But recently got a steam mop when my old mop died. This recipe is better than the steam mop – the steam mop doesn’t do a great job, in my opinion.)

DIY Floor Cleaner

This is made from ingredients you already have around the house: dishwashing liquid – it doesn’t matter which brand, but I use an eco-one – plain white household vinegar and washing soda, used for making your own laundry soap.

How to Make DIY Floor Cleaner

This floor cleaner is quick and easy to make in the bucket when you need it.

In your mop bucket, add a squirt of dishwashing liquid – about a tablespoon. I don’t measure, but that’s about how much. One good squirt. Then add a sprinkling of washing soda.

Again, I don’t measure, but about 2-3 tablespoons. Too much, and your floors can end up a bit powdery.

Finally, add about a quarter of a cup of vinegar and 2-3 litres of hot tap water.

Then mop the floor. For particularly grimy floors, add a little water (not too much) and let it soak for a while before mopping again with a well-squeezed-out mop. You don’t want to drown your floors like you see on Insta-cleaner reels – that’s going to invite mould into the baseboards and under the flooring, just a little bit on particularly grimy parts, so you don’t have to scrub.

I don’t rinse my floor with plain water, I just go over it with the mop rung out.

What Flooring Can You Clean with This Cleaner?

I’ve used this cleaner on ceramic tiles for over 11 years without issue, and it works wonders on greasy, grimy kitchen floors.

It can also be used on vinyl and some water-resistant laminate floors—but always check your flooring manufacturer’s care instructions first, and avoid over-wetting.

I would not recommend it for hardwood floors, as the moisture and vinegar can damage the finish over time. If you have natural stone tiles like marble or travertine, patch test first—vinegar’s acidity may etch or dull the surface.

Here’s the recipe for the best floor cleaner (DIY or commercial) I’ve ever used. Try it for sparkling floors, naturally, and with minimal effort.