The Chemical-Free Way To Clean Your Kitchen Floors Is In Your Pantry Right Now - Tasting Table

"It's easy to toss store-bought cleaning agents into your grocery cart and similarly simple to use them on kitchen floors. Just spray, pour, or mix per directions, and you're on your merry way to fresh, clean floors. But is that really the case? The words "fresh" and "clean" take on new meaning when considering what's actually inside that bottle of store-bought detergent, including mysterious chemicals and words you can't pronounce."

"Castile soap is one of simplest and most useful agents for cleaning kitchen floors, requiring only water as a mop-mate. It's made from vegetable oil - often olive oil - which explains the namesake nod to renowned olive-oil soaps from Castile, Spain. When mixed with warm water, it's perfect for removing underfoot grime and germs on just about any surface, according to Koch. It is important, however, to avoid using too much water, which can warp wood or laminate surfaces."

"Koch explains that "baking soda is mildly abrasive and great to sprinkle on floors before mopping for a little extra scrubbing power," while also helping to deodorize the area. Mother Nature equips us for clean kitchen floors. In her conversation with Chowhound, Koch calls vinegar a deodorizer that can sanitize kitchen floors, noting that lemon juice works equally well - though both are more suitable to linoleum floors than ones made of wood, tile, or stone."

Store-bought floor cleaners often contain unfamiliar chemicals, but common pantry items provide effective, non-toxic alternatives. Baking soda acts as a mild abrasive and deodorizer, useful when sprinkled on floors before mopping to add scrubbing power. Castile soap, made from vegetable oils often including olive oil, mixes with warm water to remove underfoot grime and germs on many surfaces. Excess water can warp wood or laminate, so avoid overly wet mopping on those floors. Vinegar and lemon juice function as deodorizers and can sanitize floors, though they suit linoleum better than wood, tile, or stone. Vinegar and baking soda should not be used together.

Read at Tasting Table