Non-Toxic Floor Cleaners (For Wood, Vinyl, Laminate, Tile & More)

The following four non-toxic cleaners are likely the only products are you will need to clean any type of flooring.

In some cases it’s vitally important to know what kind of finish your flooring has. For example if you have hardwood floors you need to know if it has a synthetic coating or an oil finish in order to choose the right cleaning product.

With each of these products the dilution will also vary depending on what kind of flooring you have.

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1. AFM Super Clean Degreaser

AFM Safechoice Super Clean is a highly concentrated, all-purpose cleaner and degreaser formulated for the chemically sensitive. It can be diluted down to an all-purpose cleaner or used at higher strengths as a degreaser.

It is not toxic, odor-free, dye-free, and biodegradable but it is still strong enough for industrial strength chores. This is the best all-around option for heavy-duty household cleaning.

Use it on: Porcelain or ceramic tile, stone tiles (with a synthetic or penetrating oil finish), painted floors, vinyl, concrete, laminate, natural linoleum, wood floors with a synthetic or natural oil finish, cork, bamboo, or any other hard non-porous surface.

Do not use on: The only surface it’s not recommended for is aluminum because it will stain it.

Dilutions:

• Heavy-Duty Cleaning Jobs – Undiluted. Use on: Heavily soiled shop floors, ovens, lime deposits, soap scum, mold and mildew stains, grills, engines, grout, concrete, laundry (spot test for colorfastness), decks, smoke stains and pet odors. Rinse off.
• Medium Indoor/Outdoor Cleaning – 7:1 dilution. Use on: Floor wax (use hot water), tough food and tobacco stains, house exterior, ordinary oil and grease, and vents. Rinse off.
• Light Cleaning – Most regular household cleaning would be done at a dilution of 20:1 dilution with no special rinsing. You can use it on Marmoleum floors if diluted 20:1 which will give the cleaner a neutral pH. You can also use this on linseed oil finished floors.

Ingredients: Water, Two Non-Ionic Plant-Based Surfactants, Water Softener, Two Plant-Based Emulsifiers, Citric Acid, Sodium Percarbonate.

Need more heavy-duty degreasing options for industrial applications? See the post on non-toxic degreasers.

2. All-Purpose Floor Cleaner – Diluted Dish Soap

Dish soaps also make great all-purpose cleaners. You can use it on almost all flooring types (including most wood), laminate, natural linoleum, tiles, vinyl, cork, and more. Be sure to check the dilution recommendation for each type of flooring, since this varies.

ECOS Dishmate is a good natural dish soap for those that want to avoid those toxic preservatives and most sensitive people do well with this one. Phenoxyethanol is the preservative and they do have a scent-free version.

Ingredients: Water, Sodium Coco-Sulfate, Cocamidopropylamine Oxide, Lauramine Oxide, Phenoxyethanol, Coco Betaine, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citric Acid.

Made of Organics is an awesome super “clean ingredient” choice.

Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Tocopherol, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera), Cocos Nucifera Oil, Helianthus Annuus Oil, Ricinus Communis Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Extract, Potassium Hydroxide.

Dr Bronners Castile Soap, Dr Bonners is also a great non-toxic formula with no chemical preservatives.

Ingredients: Water, Coconut Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Palm Kernel Oil, Olive Oil, Hemp Oil, Jojoba Oil, Citric Acid, Tocopherol.

3. Branch Basics All-Purpose Cleaner

Branch Basics is an all-purpose concentrated cleaner with a very pure formula. Many chemically sensitive folks like this brand. The camomile extract in this does not have a scent.

Ingredients: Water, Coco Glucoside, Organic Chamomilla Recutita (Chamomile) Flower Extract, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Citrate, Lauryl Glucoside, Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Phytate.

Use on: You can use this on most hardwood floors with a synthetic finish (acrylic/polyurethane/UV cured aluminum oxide), painted wood floors, luxury vinyl plank/tile, vinyl sheet, ceramic and porcelain tile, stone tile, polished concrete floors with a synthetic finish, laminate flooring, Marmoleum/linoleum, cork and bamboo flooring. Note: Vinyl and linoleum floors should be cleaned with a more diluted formula.

To clean grimy grout use Branch Basics Oxygen Boost on the grout and then spray liberally with their All-Purpose cleaner. Or, mix 1 scoop of Oxygen Boost with 1 tablespoon of warm water and let it sit for 15 minutes to an hour on the grout before scrubbing.

Do not use on: If the floor is finished with a natural oil or wax, don’t use Branch Basics, which is likely to remove natural finishes. You generally can use diluted dish soap, or diluted AFM Super Clean (more below) on tung oil and linseed oil finished floors. You should ask the company that makes the finish what they recommend and you may want to go with their branded cleaners in some cases like with Rubio Monocoat.

4. HOCL Disinfectant

If you need to disinfect marble, granite, or travertine stone floors you can’t use most conventional options like bleach, ammonia (including “quats”, i.e. Lysol), hydrogen peroxide, or vinegar since they all damage stone.

You can use hypochlorous acid (HOCL) which is very affordable (I use this one, pictured, which makes HOCL from water, salt and vinegar), 7th Generation Thymol-based spray, or 70% rubbing alcohol (you can mix 99% isopropyl, with some water, dish soap, and if you like, essential oil).

These options are also good for disinfecting tiled floors.

Don’t Use:

Vinegar – vinegar damages many floor finishes, especially synthetic finishes on wood floors and natural oil finishes on wood or stone. Some flooring companies will even void the warranty if there are any signs that vinegar was used.

Enzyme cleaners – enzyme cleaners can break down natural oil finishes as well as some synthetic finishes.

Corinne Segura is a Building Biologist Practitioner with 8 years of experience helping others create healthy homes.