DIY Wood Floor Cleaner

Since Ayden joined our family we have been on a quest to make our home as healthy as possible for him.  We have been gradually educating ourselves and replacing conventional products with healthier foods, hygiene products, pest control and home cleaning supplies.

--Maya Angelou

 It is all way too overwhelming, not to mention expensive, to replace everything at once.  So instead, we take a "use it up, research, replace with a healthier option" approach.  There have been a few products (like our oven cleaner and a few other harsh cleaners) that I looked up and tossed immediately once I saw just how toxic they were but for the most part, this method has been a good way to ease into a less toxic lifestyle.

We recently ran out of our favorite hardwood floor cleaner.  This is the perfect example where researching the ingredients in your products is important because the lack of regulations for labeling on products can allow companies to lead us astray.  Here is what we have been using:

Before repurchasing, I looked it up and to my surprise, here is what it scored:

The packaging even claims to be non-toxic.  UGH.  So frustrating...

So of course I headed over to Pinterest to find a recipe for a homemade cleaner using my tried and true ingredients that I have around the house.  Low and behold, I found one that I tried out today (you can find the exact recipe here).

Okay so in my before and after photo it's hard to tell but it did clean up all of the smudges that drive me bonkers.  

Before on the left, after on the right.
The floors here at the cottage are so scratched up that they aren't really the best model...

The verdict is still out on whether or not I like this cleaner better than my last.  It did clean the hard wood but the laminate wood floor in the kitchen was pretty streaky afterward.  The only thing is, now that I know better, I'm not going to be able to go back.  I'll give this cleaner a few more tries before moving to the next option which will probably be investing in a steam mop. I've heard good things about those...  I'll keep you posted!

David and Ayden spent the morning together while I went to check on my bees really quickly.  Our honey supers are set up with a 9 frame system which puts a little too much space between the frames for while the bees are pulling out the comb. It could result in some burr comb (comb that isn't straight or usable for the bees) so I just have to keep an eye on them.  They were just getting started so no problems yet.  David and his dad were out at the building site by 9:00 and made a lot of progress on the sheathing today!

Ayden and I had another pool day and had lunch with David and his dad on the farm.  While Ayden was napping I went through his newborn and 0-3 month clothes to see what we could use for Logan.  

So incredibly tiny...

There were plenty of 0-3 month options but only a couple of newborn onsies (the rest was all too Wintery) so I've got some consignment shopping to do!  We ended the evening with dinner and the World Cup game at David's parents' house.  It was a really great day!

Do you make a homemade wood floor cleaner?  What is your recipe?  Does it work on laminate too?

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Cheat Night, Date Night"

And two years ago today: "Sitting Tall"

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