The Cheap Ingredient You Can Add To Your Mop Water For Sparkling Clean Floors

Keeping your floors clean often seems like a never-ending battle. Getting down on your hands and knees to scrub sticky residue or stubborn stains is definitely no fun, but mopping can be just as tedious — and frustrating, when you consider how pricey some floor cleaners can be. Many formulas average about $15, which can be a lot to spend, especially if you're not happy with how well they clean. Fortunately, there is an inexpensive ingredient you can add to your mopping solution to get your floors pristine: castile soap.

Castile soap isn't just cheap, though. This all-natural, vegetable-based soap is an eco-friendly, all-purpose cleaner that can be used on various household surfaces, yet remains gentle enough for daily use on your skin. It usually has an olive oil base, but it often contains other plant oils, such as coconut, jojoba, hemp, palm, almond, and shea butter, too.

Don't assume that its gentleness means it can't effectively remove the dirt and grime from your floors, though. It makes a powerful household cleaner that can remove tough floor stains due to the dirt-attracting molecules that it's made of. Castile soap's molecules have one end that attracts water and another that attracts oil and grease. When you mix the soap with water, the oil-loving end of the molecules grabs onto the dirt and grease, so it can be rinsed away.

Castile soap is widely available in liquid form, which makes it very easy to dilute and mix into your mop water. To prepare an effective mopping solution, pour 1/2 cup of liquid castile soap into 3 gallons of hot water. Mix the two until some bubbles appear, being careful not to create too much foam on the water's surface.

Before mopping, though, vacuum or sweep your floors. No matter what type of cleaning solution you use, this mopping tip will keep your floors looking like new because it removes loose debris that might be pushed back and forth over the floor while you mop. If your floors are particularly dirty, consider pre-treating them by mopping with a mixture of white vinegar and hot water. The acetic acid in the vinegar helps break down any buildup on your floors, making your castile mopping solution even more effective.

To mop with the castile solution, dip your mop into the mixture and wring it out until it is just damp. You can use a microfiber, string, or flathead mop with the castile soap solution. Clean the entire surface with the solution. It's usually not necessary to rinse the floor, but if you notice any bubbles, use water alone on your mop for rinsing.

Castile soap works well for cleaning wood, laminate, tile, and stone floors. However, don't leave excess water sitting on the surface of wood or laminate flooring to avoid potential damage. In addition to your floors, this natural ingredient may be the secret to spotlessly clean tile countertops.