Truth be told, hot water with a little dish detergent will clean the dirt from any floor day to day. But the stain is more difficult to disappear and in fact floor cleaner liquid do subtle tests.

To start my test, I created a popular, all-purpose cleaner. White vinegar and washing soda pack one or two punch which take out the dirt. Then I mixed them with dish cleaner and water and made a daily cleaner.

Homemade Floor Cleaner

• ¼ cup white vinegar
• ¼ cup washing soda
• 1 tablespoon liquid dish soap
• 2 gallon hot tap water

This is the control solution I have compared to all other DIY solutions. I then sampled the flooring material – vinyl, ceramic tile, laminate, and hardwood – and tried to remove the traces of the Sharpie (permanent marker) with various DIY cleaners, which I made using the original recipe as a base was made.

Vinyl Floor Cleaner

This is one of the popular kitchen floors. I have marked it with a black Sharpie and compared to the all-purpose control solution (A) with isopropyl alcohol (B). I placed each cleaner on a clean cloth and did 20 swipes on each stain.

All-purpose control was a stir. But the alcohol eliminated the stain in about five swipes. I then wanted to see if diluted liquor (C) – one part liquor; One part of water – will be equally effective. It wasn’t

Ceramic Tile Floor Cleaner

This is one of the popular floors for bathrooms. I have compared all manner of objective control solutions to a dab of toothpaste known as household polishes and cleaners. For this test, I used a circle made with a Sharpie marker. The all-purpose solution excluded the Sharpie circle, while the toothpaste lightened it.

Laminate Floor Cleaner

I characterized some laminate floor samples and introduced a control solution against spraying borax onto the sponge. Borax is a laundry detergent that, because it is abrasive, also removes other household stains.

The exam was a stir. Neither the all-purpose control solution nor borax removed the stains on the laminate. Half-baked, I tried alcohol and toothpaste – just for the kick. Alcohol is a great stain remover on the floor and ejects the stain. The toothpaste lightened it.

Wooden Floors

Just about anything will clear dirt from wood floors. But removing the Sharpie is nothing less than a challenge. I rounded up the usual cleaning suspects – all-purpose control solutions, straight white vinegar, hydrogen peroxide (which has many home uses), and alcohol – and gave them a chance to prove themselves.

• The original homemade floor cleaner recipe (A) removed most – but not all – stains.
• Vinegar (B) did nothing.
• Hydrogen peroxide (C) was a stir.
• The alcohol (D) removed the stain, but left a smear. To remove the gauze, I dabbed and rubbed a piece of olive oil on a cloth. And the wood looked as good as new.

I use alcohol judiciously on wood floors, because it can eliminate something, such as wax and shellac. So use only in the worst case, and be prepared to finish later.

Ground Level

Homemade floor cleaner recipes are an effective alternative to commercial cleaners. Some people work better than others on different types of flooring. But stains on every type of floor surrender to some sort of make-it cleaner.