Eliminate Foul Odors While Disinfecting Laminate Floors With An Easy DIY Recipe

A clean and fresh-smelling home is what everyone wants, but it can be a shockingly difficult goal to attain; it requires constantly staying on top of everything related to cleaning, including mopping your floors to freshen up the house. Homeowners who are fortunate enough to have laminate floors are at an advantage on cleaning day, as these floors are easy to care for, look great, and are highly durable. If you are seeking an easy DIY disinfecting floor cleaner — that will also help get rid of lingering household odors — you need only a few ingredients.

Your odor-eliminating floor cleaner will be made with 10 to 15 drops of lemon essential oil, 2 cups of white distilled vinegar, and a bucket of warm water. Combine the ingredients, give them a generous stir, and mop as you would normally, remembering to squeeze out excess liquid from the mop for the best results. Upon using this freshening solution, you should quickly notice a brighter scent in your home.

You may be surprised at how effective a little essential oil, vinegar, and water are at cleaning your laminate flooring and banishing bad smells from your home (especially if your battles against unpleasant odors have been unsuccessful up to this point). But there are good reasons this approach is so effective, and it all comes down to some simple science.

Vinegar, which is a combination of acetic acid and water, can limit the growth of certain bacteria around the house. When heated up, vinegar's ability to fight bacteria improves even more, which is why pairing your vinegar with warm water makes this floor cleaner super effective. Lemon essential oil, which anecdotally has a lovely smell, has been studied in relation to airborne germs. One notable study published in the Journal of Environmental Science and Health explains how lemon essential oil was able to reduce a hospital ward's airborne bacteria and fungi by roughly 40% in only 2 hours. By combining lemon essential oil, vinegar, and warm water, you get to reap the benefits of these all-natural ingredients' cleansing powers, resulting in an objectively fresher home and cleaner floors.

There is a lot to love about laminate flooring (there are even some reasons it is better than hardwood), especially with how easy they are to care for; that said, this type of flooring can be damaged by excess moisture left on the surface. Too much moisture can lead to buckling of laminate planks and discoloration. With the right technique, mopping your laminate flooring with a vinegar solution is a solid way to gently and effectively clean any buildup on the surface.

In order to avoid the pitfalls of laminate flooring, the best approach is to regularly clean your floors but never let them sit in water for too long. Once you have completed your mopping, follow up with a quick drying session using a terry cloth or microfiber cloth, which are both soft and absorbent enough to efficiently dry the floor. Make sure to completely dry any damp sections to avoid risking water damage.