If there’s one smell that transports me to my past, it’s Murphy Oil Soap. One sniff and I’m back helping my mom scrub the house with the warm, soapy water during summer vacations. Then the longer I smell it, the more I realize it also reminds me of college. Every year I moved in to a new dorm room, my mom would wash out all the dresser drawers and woodwork with Murphy Oil Soap and water. For some reason, the smell lingered for a few days, and now it’s my scent of anticipating new beginnings.
When Prince Charming and I unearthed all the finished hardwood floors in our new upstairs, instantly I went to my old stand-by. As I washed our bedroom floors a couple times with Murphy Oil Soap and water, I started wondering … is the soap safe to use?
My research
After a bit of researching, I found Colgate-Palmolive Company’s material safety data sheet on Murphy Oil Soap Liquid. They fully disclose the cleaner’s ingredients, including potassium hydroxide, a strong alkaline chemical that’s on the Hazardous Substance List in several states.
Even though potassium hydroxide is considered a hazardous substance, it’s also known as lye – something commonly found in soaps, including castile soaps and the homemade soap recipe Kristy shared earlier this year. Potassium hydroxide is a typical ingredient in cleaning products, and it’s also used medically to diagnose fungal infections.
The lowdown
So … is it safe? Yes! Murphy Oil Soap is a LOT safer than many cleaners sold today. It’s biodegradable and free of phosphates, ammonia, and bleach. Plus, it’s made with naturally-derived ingredients. If you have stringent safety standards, though, and want to avoid lye you’ll have to stick to natural staples like vinegar, baking soda, and lemons.
Interestingly, many floor care professionals say that Murphy Oil Soap should not be used to clean hardwood floors. Instead, a mixture of a gallon of warm water and a half cup of white vinegar is the best cleaner. Who knew that something so simple and cheap is really the most effective?
While I’ll start washing my hardwood floors with vinegar and water, I’m definitely keeping my bottle of Murphy Oil Soap for other cleaning jobs. I enjoy reminiscing while cleaning … but most importantly, I think it’s safe enough for my family and home.
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If you're searching for ways to live a healthier life that honors God, yet you're not incredibly environmentally conscious, then you're in the right place. While I try to glorify God and use my ten years of journalistic experience to create a healthy home for my family, most of my choices just tend to be green ... quite accidentally. – Hilary
I LOVE Murphy Oil Soap too !One of the big reason we bought our house is it has beautiful original woodwork in pristine condition . And hardwood flooring. I’m so happy its safe to use , I was afraid to read this post this morning. lol !
I really was afraid to do the research … but I’m glad I did!
Yay…I was so relieved to read this! When I saw the headline, I instantly thought I was never going to have clean floors again!
Isn’t it great news!?
Murphy’s oil soap contains:
tetrasodium edta – a preservative that’s made from the known carcinogen, formaldehyde and sodium cyanide. (see how) It is also a penetration enhancer, meaning it breaks down the skin’s protective barrier, going right into your bloodstream. Many companies trying to be “natural” will use Tetrasodium EDTA instead of parabens to preserve their products
I’m confused about hardwood floors. Some places I’ve read say to use vinegar solution, some say never use vinegar on unsealed floors. (Ours are unsealed.) Someone recommended using strong black tea to clean our unsealed oak floors, as the tannin in the tea actually feeds the wood. That’s what I’ve been using. We really ought to sand and seal our floors, but that’s another chemical dilemma…
Thanks for the good news about Murphy’s, though. I only use it to clean our painted wood, and it works beautifully. For the rest, we’re using lemon, vinegar, baking soda…
Just in the past week I heard about using tea to clean wood floors, too. So it really works for you? I may be trying it in my spring cleaning efforts this spring.