Kitchen Cleaner Series: Mopping

First, I will say, I don't have wood floors and never have, so I don't know about cleaning those yet, but I'll look into it if you want me to!! I have always had tile or linoleum in the kitchen and bathroom areas though and have used numerous things to clean them with poor to decent results, including: Swiffer dry and wet sheets, water and a few squirts of soap, a store-bought floor-cleaning concentrate added to water. If you've been reading this blog, you know that store-bought cleaners are no longer my go-to cleaners because they have loads of toxic chemicals, they're expensive, and they don't get the job done well. Anyone else resonate with these feelings? Here's what I use for mopping now:

Pre-Mop
Before you mop, I suggest sweeping or vacuuming, if you have a good vacuum for non-carpet. I LOVE my vacuum and will do a review on it soon, but it's a Dyson. Save your money or credit card points for a Dyson!! You'll be happy you did. There's literally nothing else on the market like it. Otherwise, bust out your broom and dust pan. I always found that to be more effective then the Swiffer.
 
Mopping Solution Ingredients

• 3/4 hot water (mixes well with other ingredients and cleans better when hot/warm)
• 1/4 distilled white vinegar (a wonderful, natural germ-killer)
• Optional: 15-25 drops of essential oil

I like lemon, sweet orange, or peppermint essential oils for mopping. The citrus oils smell wonderful, but the peppermint also has a lot of great germ-killing properties. Actually, I often use peppermint with one of the citrus.

I have also tried a lot of mops, and found that I like the old-fashioned type best. I don't have to change out its head constantly too!

Other Natural Alternatives
If you can't stand the smell of vinegar, you can try one of these top-rated floor cleaners on the EWG cleaning database:

Cost Effectiveness
Choosing vinegar, hot water and/or essential oils will cost you no more than 40 cents each time you clean your floor!! One Swiffer wet sheet is 40 cents or more, and usually just one won't cut it. Plus if you use a broom and dust pan instead of a Swiffer dry sheet, you'll save a quarter.

Are you willing to try this mopping solution? What do you use currently? Is it working for you? Share with us in the comments below!! Also, share, pin, etc. this post!!