10 Best Floor Cleaners
Updated: Mar. 07, 2024
For any floor in any situation — from laminate to linoleum — here are the best floor cleaners to keep things sanitized and spotless underfoot.
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Best for Hardwood Floors
Many floor cleaners contain harsh chemicals that can discolor and damage wood. Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner is a water-based, pH neutral formula that’s safe to use on unwaxed, unoiled or polyurethaned wood. It’s also GREENGUARD Gold Certified so it won’t harm people, pets or the planet.
Bona sprays on easily and dries fast — there’s no measuring or rinsing or residue. It also comes in a money-saving, 128 fluid ounce refill size.
Best for Ceramic Tile Floors
Brought to you by the flooring experts, Armstrong Once’n Done Resilient & Ceramic Floor Cleaner concentrate is great on ceramic tile as well as no-wax vinyl. Its extra-strong formula won’t harm grout, and it’s economical, too. The concentrate makes up to 16 gallons of cleaning solution from a single quart bottle.
One Amazon reviewer was pleased with her purchase. “For cleaning resilient flooring or ceramic tile, it is hugely effective. No rinsing means scrub and done, fast and easy-peasy,” she wrote.
Best for Natural Stone
When it comes to cleaning and preserving your polished marble or sealed granite, one cleaner does not fit all. Made exclusively for hard surfaces, OdoBan No Rinse Neutral pH Floor Cleaner safely washes, deodorizes and restores shine to natural stone without stripping or etching.
If you have pets, there’s more good news. OdoBan removes nasty stains and odors from urine, as well as other unmentionable bodily fluids.
Best for Babies
Highly rated as a kid-friendly option, Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day All Purpose Cleaner is the product to choose if you live in a home where babies dare to tread (or crawl!).
Made of plant-derived ingredients, Mrs. Meyer’s is not only manufactured for use on floors, but it’s great on other baby-contact areas like countertops and walls. Just a few drops diluted with water ought to do the trick. Let babies and toddlers roam free on your floors again.
Best for Linoleum
Given the organic composition of linoleum (compressed linseed oil, plant resin, sawdust, ground limestone, ground cork, etc.), using the right cleaner is especially important. For example, ammonia can strip away linoleum’s shine.
You can’t go wrong with Aunt Fannie’s Floor Cleaner. This vinegar-based solution naturally breaks down dirt without harsh chemicals so you won’t risk damaging your linoleum’s beautiful finish.
Best Eco-Friendly
Kinder to the environment and you, Better Life Naturally Dirt-Destroying Floor Cleaner has more than 4,000 positive reviews on Amazon.
Made to clean almost any type of sealed flooring, it contains good stuff like plants and minerals and no bad stuff like volatile organic compounds (VOCs), alkylphenol surfactants (industrial chemicals often used in detergent production) and petroleum. Naturally scented from real citrus and mint, it’s Leaping Bunny Certified, meaning it’s never, ever been tested on animals.
Best All-Purpose
A popular choice for its versatility, Rejuvenate High Performance All-Floors Cleaner rates right up there with other products that cost more but do less. Its pH-balanced formula works on almost any type of floor.
This no-bucket cleaner (with shine booster) keeps floors looking tip-top, even in the highest traffic areas like entryways, the kitchen and family room. A great value for the money, pick up the Rejuvenate System Complete Bundle, which includes a mop, grout brush, three reusable microfiber pads and 32 ounces of floor cleaner, all in one!
Best Squirt and Mop
Doing it right and fast is the name of the game with household chores. Method Cleaning Products Squirt + Mop Wood Floor Cleaner is a one-step cleaner that’s perfect whether you’re doing a deep scrub or a quick once-over. Either way, why lug around heavy buckets of water when you can just squeeze, squirt and mop your way to spotless, gleaming floors?
Best Value
Clean your floors without breaking the bank! Murphy Oil Soap is good old-fashioned muscle in a bottle, and costs less than $4 for 32 fluid ounces.
Unlike some bargain brands that often come diluted, this highly concentrated liquid is ready to mix with warm water to effectively and naturally cut grease and dirt. One bottle can last ages. Dependable as it is cost-effective, Murphy’s non-toxic formula consists of 98 percent organic-based ingredients that won’t dull surfaces or leave a sticky film behind.
Best Homemade Floor Cleaner
For a dirt-dissolving solution you can make at home for pennies, try this simple all-purpose floor cleaner recipe:
- Four parts warm water;
- Two parts white or apple cider vinegar;
- Five to 10 drops of degreasing dish soap;
- Five to 10 drops of essential oil or lemon juice (optional).
Pro tip: To help maintain floors between washings, vacuum and dust regularly and wipe up spills as soon as they happen.
Up next, check out these homemade pet floor cleaners.
Originally Published: April 08, 2021
