By guest blogger, Becca Piastrelli
For those of you with wood floors that could use a little pick-me-up polishing, it’s easier than you think to do-it-yourself. The combination of anti-bacterial white vinegar with wood preserving olive oil will work wonders on your precious flooring. Add in some essential oil (I enjoy the refreshing scent of lemon) and your floors will smell as good as they look.
DIY Wood Floor Treatment
- ¼ c. olive oil
- 1/3 c. white vinegar
- 12 drops lemon essential oil
- 5 c. hot water
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Combine olive oil and white vinegar in a deep bowl. Add in the hot water and the drops of lemon essential oil. Grab a mop or a cloth rag, and start polishing. You’ll want to make sure you spread the mixture nice and thin and leave time for the wood to dry thoroughly. If the floor is too slick after polishing, wipe with a dry cloth to soak up any remaining oil.
Like this tutorial? You can find more healthy home recipes and wellness DIYs on The Dabblist.
Would this work for laminent floors, too?
Thanks,
Jim
Hi Jim~
We would suggest equal parts of vinegar + water + alcohol with a dash of natural dish soap (add essential oils to cover vinegar scent) without the olive oil for your laminate floor (Becca may have some additional input for you). Since laminate floor is just a veneer of wood that is typically sealed, the oil would be useless. Let us know your results!
Would this work for wood kitchen cabinets too?
Thank you for all the great information.
Doesn’t olive oil turn rancid in the wood after awhile? I’ve heard that’s why they don’t use it on cutting boards. But maybe it’s different with floors?
Hi Diane~
I use olive oil with vinegar (or lemon) on my wood table and wood floor mats, so I don’t see why it wouldn’t work on cabinets. Just be sure your applying to real wood.
Let us know how it turns out!
I mix together about 1/4 cup white vinegar and a good tablespoon of jojoba oil in a bowl, then apply with a soft rag. Then take a dry corner and buff it to wipe off excess oil. You don’t really need much oil to make a good furniture polish and this way it doesn’t turn out too greasy. For scent I add a couple drops of cedar essential oil, though lemon would be nice too. Jojoba oil is light and doesn’t go rancid like olive oil. It’s also great for the skin so it’s nice to have around.
Perfect – thanks for sharing Jay! Cedar oil is a great tip (looove that smell) as is the jojoba oil versus olive oil recommendation.
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Jim – I agree with Ron & Lisa about not using this mixture on your laminate floors since it’s a different material.
Diane – Yes, I use this on my wood table and cabinets!
Regina – The white vinegar helps prevent the rancidity of the olive oil. You should also be sure to smooth the mixture evenly across your floors and wipe away any excess before covering with a rug or furniture.
Becca, you may be correct that vinegar will help keep olive from turning rancid in the wood. However, I can’t find anyone else making the same claim.
Livestrong says all olive oil will turn rancid, no matter what you do: http://www.livestrong.com/article/426889-how-to-identify-bad-olive-oil/
And Wood Central recommends mineral oil, over food oils, for any wood: http://www.woodcentral.com/woodworking/forum/archives_turning.pl/bid/2107/md/read/id/152749/sbj/olive-oil-rancid/
Hi Regina,
I love that you are taking the time to inform yourself about what you use to clean your home!
The method of using olive oil, white vinegar, and hot water to clean wood floors has been passed down my family for 3 generations now. So far, so issues with rancidity or damage.
If 1/4c. of olive oil seems like too much, you could lessen it to a 1-2 tbsp or use a mineral oil instead if it really makes you uncomfortable (I would add in some lemon essential oil to that mixture as well!).
I hope that helps!
Good to know, Becca. I may try it sometime, on a small piece of wood at home. Then I’ll wait a few years, and test the results. If it works for me, you’ll be famous!
I have almond oil that’s used for massage therapy. I’m wondering what you think of using that instead of olive oil?
Mariel,
Would have to agree with Jay above that Jojoba oil is a great alternative because it doesn’t goes rancid. However, re: almond oil, we would only suggest on unvarnished wood. You could try using a few drops of almond essential oil to the above mix however. It appears some manufacturers do infuse almond oil into their wood floor cleaners as a moisturizer (Method + Pledge), but would definitely recommend testing this first (Becca, thoughts?).
Yes, I fully agree. Jojoba is a fine alternative to olive oil (though I still think olive oil is fine as long as you go light on it and combine with the vinegar).
Unfortunately, my knowledge of using almond oil on anything other than skin likely doesn’t compare to Ron and Lisa’s. So, I would likely not use it and go for the essential oil instead.
Wonderful information for the great data you may have right here.
Thanks for the commentary. I use a very similar formula to Becca for a number of years and it works wonderfully! I have bookmarked your page and will be back next year to visit frequently. Merry christmas to you all.
Merry Christmas to you as well! Thanks for your feedback 🙂
The idea was great but for my wood floors it made them really slippery. I had to wash my floor 3 times to get the slipperiness out. Not happy:( I also wiped them down with a dry cloth more work.
If it didn’t soak in after a couple of hours, you have used toooooo much. OR, it isn’t wood.
All olive oil, All the time. straight up and uncut. lol. cheap, natural wood food. Hell, I even use chicken fat as my gran used too. Works great. Cheers.
If you do use a rag and the on-your-hands-and-knees method, be sure to wipe in a circular motion across the floor.
Can I substitute almond oil for the oil?
I tried the mixture using Jojoba oil, it did not mix well with the water and vinegar. It stayed separated pretty much. What should I do to make it mix better? Can I use straight Jojoba oil?