Wood Floor DIY Vinegar Cleaning Solution
DIY Vinegar Cleaning Solution
For cleaning stains or dried-on soil, you may not need a commercial product at all—an effective all-natural bamboo floor cleaning agent might already be sitting in your home. If you mix 1/4 cup of white vinegar into a quart of water, you’ll have a solution that will allow you to clean the surface of your bamboo floors safely. This cleanser should be applied in the same way as with a commercial hardwood cleaner, using a damp sponge or rag wrung dry before application. Be sure you are diluting the vinegar appropriately as the floor can be damaged by full-strength vinegar. Save this solution for when you need to remove a stain or do a deep cleaning.
Removing Scuff Marks From Bamboo Flooring
Some of the most difficult stains to clean from any floor, including bamboo, are the scuff marks that appear when the rubber heel of a shoe drags across the surface of your floor.
Apply Hardwood Floor Cleaner to Microfiber Cloth
Add a few drops of an approved hardwood floor cleaning product to a microfiber cloth.Rub the Scuff Mark
Gently rub the bamboo planks where the scuff mark is located with the damp cleaning cloth.
Be slow and patient with this approach—eventually, the scuff mark will be erased. Avoid the urge to use steel wool or an abrasive pad on bamboo, as you can easily scratch the surface.
How do you make a vinegar floor cleaner?
Vinegar is 5% acetic acid, which fights against bad bacteria and other yuckies. Vinegar has a pH level of about 2.5, making it ideal for cleaning dirty surfaces. A small amount of dish soap or Sal Suds may also be combined with vinegar to help lift dirt and grime on floor surfaces. (Never combine castile soap with vinegar.) White distilled vinegar is best to use when making a floor cleaner. There’s no need to use expensive apple cider vinegar (save this for homemade salad dressing).
Don’t Have Time to Make Your Own? That’s OK!
Of course, life has changed a bit since I first experimented with homemade natural cleaner recipes years ago. I’ve had a few more kids (just a few!). Schooling and working from home make for crazy hours sometimes. I often get the question, how do you do it all?!
The answer is … I don’t! Life goes through certain phases and I certainly didn’t tackle living a healthier life all at once. I’ve learned, experimented, and grown bit by bit. And since vinegar stinks and borax is controversial, once I found store-bought brands I liked, I’ll be honest … my homemade cleaners appear less and less on the scene.
The good news is there are a lot of health-conscious companies and brands out there now.
My Favorite Store-bought Floor Cleaners
Vinegar and water make for a pretty easy recipe. But when a ready natural substitute is needed, try one of these brands. Some of these are multipurpose so you can use the cleaning solution for more than just your floors.
Sal-Suds (The one I use often as it works for everything from floors to laundry)
BioKleen Bac-Out Floor Cleaner
Branch Basics Cleaning Concentrate (cleans almost everything)