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We have got a great post for you today about all the unique murphy® oil soap uses to make cleaning around the home easy and quick!
Months ago, I shared a list of my favorite old-fashioned cleaning products that are still better than anything modern! Murphy oil soap was one of them because it is such a unique product with important uses around the home!
The reason I love keeping a bottle of this on hand is because it is effective, non-toxic, and affordable. You can’t beat that! First, we will get into the science, then we have got a list for you to try!
Unique Murphy® Oil Soap Uses For Easy Cleaning
Ingredients in Murphy Oil Soap
By the way, the product is called Murphy Oil Soap, but I have heard people calling it “Murphy’s” for articles like this. So, we will refer to it as both, just keep that in mind 🙂
Chemistry Behind Murphy Oil Soap Original Formula
For this post, we are referring to the original formula. Keep in mind, this brand has some other products available, but we are using their original formula. There are very minimal ingredients found in this cleaning product:
- Water
- Sodium Tallate
- Fragrance
- Trisodium MGDA
- Lauramidopropyl dimethylamine
You might be a little concerned first looking at these words, but they are actually very efficient, safe chemicals.
How These Work Together?
Here is how Chemistry Cachet likes to use Murphy Oil Soap!
Wood
First and foremost, this oil soap is the best thing for cleaning wood around your home. All wood! I love using it to clean my dining room table. It not only gets it clean, but also conditions and shines the wood. It is probably my number one suggestion for cleaning wood in your home.
I get questions all the time about wood flooring and what to clean it with. I don’t have any wood floors in my home, but this product is probably what I would recommend to use.
Stain Removal
This soap is fantastic for removing stains on clothing. This works for so many types of stains, almost anything you are dealing with. I like to dab some of the solution right onto the stain. Allow it to sit for 20-30 minutes, then wash it in the washing machine like normal. This is so great for all fabrics!
You can also use it to remove stains on fabric furniture. You will want to dilute it first, adding some of the oil soap to water. Then dab gently onto the stained area. Scrub upward, then wipe with a damp microfiber.
Plastic
Oil based cleaners are great for plastic surfaces. Murphy Oil Soap is amazing for cleaning all the plastic surfaces in your home. I cleaned my trashcan in the kitchen with it, and it looked brand new within minutes. All you need to do for plastic surfaces is dab some of the oil soap onto a microfiber cloth, then wipe it down. If you would like, follow up with the dry side of the microfiber cloth to buff it, but it usually doesn’t need this either.
It can be anything plastic in or outside your home! If you want to clean plastic outdoor furniture, I recommend following their dilution instructions on the bottle to cover a large surface area. Simply wipe down the areas, then follow up with a dry microfiber cloth. It gets even the toughest dirt stains off plastic.
You can try it on any type of plastic to clean and remove residue!
Shine Metal
Another neat way to use Murphy Oil Soap besides wood cleaning is cleaning all types of metal. Indoor and outdoor metal furniture or even outside fixtures. I love using it for metal because it really helps it shine!
One of my favorite ways to use it on metal is cleaning my makeup mirror. This mirror gets dirty quick with makeup or hairspray, then it is hard to get that shine back. All I do is dab some Murphy Oil Soap onto a microfiber. Rub all around the metal portion, it gets it clean quick. To buff, I follow up with a wet microfiber or I use our DIY all-purpose spray which REALLY makes it shine. It is s a great combo.
This is just an example, but there are many ways to use it to clean metal. If you use the full concentration, make sure to buff it out. You can also follow their directions for diluting it before use, this also cleans it well.
Bathroom Faucets and Hardware
Most of my bathroom hardware is oil rubbed bronze, like in our new master bathroom, but our guest bathroom has these regular Chrome faucets. They get hard water stains quickly and are very hard to get shiny again. Murphy’s helps with this! It not only cleans the hard water off, but also shines it!
You can use this for all types of faucets, but it really works well on Chrome. Again, I dab some onto a microfiber cloth and rub around the surface. Then, I buff with a wet microfiber cloth. You can also use the diluted instructions to clean.
Leather
The manufacturer states you can use this product for cleaning leather! They recommend using at full strength, then buffing out with a separate cloth. This applies to leather clothes, furniture, and also your car. I was told by my car dealership this is great to use on the dashboard area of your vehicle. It will clean and shine it well!
Be cautious using it on leather seats in vehicles because it can discolor them overtime. This is due to the fact that most leather in cars isn’t pure leather, so you have to be cautious using products like this on it. Just FYI!
Other Areas in The Home
Honestly, you can try Murphy Oil Soap on just about any surface in the home. You can test it out and experiment! Wood surfaces are always a good option, but even plastic and laminate surfaces respond great to oil soap!
Safety Tips for Using Murphy Oil Soap
I would like to add in some safety information. PLEASE please be sure to read manufacturer information on cleaning surfaces in your home! Many times, a manufacturer will clearly state DO NOT use oil based cleaners. If you see this listed, avoid using Murphy Oil Soap.
On Chemistry Cachet, we always tell readers to test a small area of a surface you are unsure of before going full force with a cleaner. It is better to be safe!
As far as handling this cleaner, it is very safe. We always recommend using caution around kids and pets. Remember, all cleaners even DIY versions are best to be kept from kids and pets. However, this is safe to touch any surface your kids or pets also touch, this is why it is a great cleaner!!
Using Full Concentration vs Diluted Murphy Oil Soap
Most of our tips above state how we use it, but you can use this cleaner concentrated or diluted. The back of the bottle tells you how to dilute it for cleaning floors. I recommend always using a diluted version for floors to make sure it isn’t slippery.
Full concentration is good for other surfaces. Make sure to buff out the surface if using it in full concentration.
Where to Buy Murphy Oil Soap
Some of my local stores don’t carry this, so I buy this two pack from Amazon. It comes to about $4.70 a bottle. This will last you a year or more! I have been using this same bottle all this year. A little goes a LONG way for this, so it is very affordable.
I hope you enjoyed learning more about Murphy Oil Soap! Many of our readers have reached our since our old-fashioned cleaning product post for more information on using these products. This is definitely a great, safe product for everyone to have in their home!
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Alexis is an investigative chemist sharing her expertise in cleaning, skincare, gardening, and home hacks. She personally tests out products like the best skincare products or home products then shares not only the science behind how it works, but also her personal results. She is the mom of two living in Texas with her husband. Find her on Instagram for fantastic videos, tips, and behind the scenes.
I use Murphy’s on my hardwood floors throughout my house, I love it, and I recommend it. Who would have thought It had SO many other uses! Wow! Thanks.
It really is such a great and versatile product!!
Hi — Love your over-all suggestions for using Murphy Oil Soap. I tried it a couple of years ago on my horse equipment – saddle, bridle, et al. It worked okay, but seemed to leave a sticky residue. Now I think it might have been because I used it full strength and not diluted it with some water. It did get dirt off/out and things were “clean”, but the residue was not good. Glad to hear it works on so many things.
Thanks!
I think it works best diluted for things like leather! A little goes a long way. I hope you can give it a try again!
YOU HAVE TO MIX IT WITH HOT WATER
How good is cbd oil,or anything of that
I don’t use CBD oil, but I know some people who use it for pain
I use it to clean my paint brushes used with latex paint. I soak them in a jar/can, full strength. After rinsing, the brushes are clean and pliable.
It does a great job at removing paint! I have done this before too, and It will really get the bristles clean.
I SOAKED OLD PAINTED CABINET HINGES WORKED GREAT.
That’s great!
Hi Alexis! I was so excited when I read “Murphy Oil…” at the top of my email notification post! I have Murphy’s on hand for my wood tables – it works great on dried on peanut butter from my dog’s kong toy. Although I’ve read the label, it did not compute to dilute it and try it elsewhere. I’m curious about the laundry stains, and shining metal. I have stainless steel appliances – would it work (diluted) on those? Thanks for these tips!
You can use it on stainless steel! It doesn’t need to be diluted for that, just make sure to buff it out 🙂 On the back of the bottle, it will have the recommended dilution and other surfaces to use. For dilution, you can just do a few drops to about 1 gallon if you want to clean large surfaces (like floors). It is great concentrated for metal though!
I replaced my living room curtains with wooden blinds and cleaned them with Murphy’s soap and they look so nice, I like how it smells to.. I love using it on my wood floors also. Great Stuff!!
Yes it is! I really enjoy using it for almost anything 🙂
Thank you for this enlightening review of Murphy Oil Soap. Our kitchen cabinets are oak and need a good cleaning, so as will put it to the test!
It is great for cabinets! Hope you enjoy using it 🙂
Alexis, I have used Murphy’s Oil Soap all of my married life. I am allergic to dust so I fill a small pail with water and add a capful of MOS. I use a sponge or microfiber cloth and go over everything in the house. This method gets rid of the dust. I change the water frequently and continue cleaning. House is clean and smells fresh. I use MOS in the laundry room also. It’s my go-to cleaner. What do you think of FelsNaptha soap for laundry purposes. Curious of the chemistry? Love the pics of you and Amelia❤️Thanks!
Hi Betty! That is a great tip. It does such a good job with dust too! FelsNaptha is so great for stain removal BUT I am not a fan of the ingredients 🙁 It has quit a few that are questionable. I have had so many questions about it, I plan to do a full post for readers 🙂
I use Murphy’s for mopping the floors but as far as using it to dust (clean) furniture can I use it in a spray bottle and what would be the dilution. Thank you
I don’t recommend it in a spray bottle since it is an oil based cleanser, it might not spray well for very long. I use dab some on a microfiber and dust that way.
Thank you so much for all of your emails and tips that I’ve used over and over again. Murphy’e Oil Soap is a bottle I’ve had on my shelf for years and haven’t used. It will get well used now and I thank you so much for all of your information which I use and forward to others.
All the best of everything,
Cecile
Hi Cecile! I hope you enjoy getting to use is now. It is such a great product!!
Hi there! I have a huge bottle of MOS and I was wondering if it could be used as a cleaner in a jar of reusable wipes? (I’ve read your post about lemon infused alcohol, but since I have a huge bottle of this…). Thanks so much for all the great science and tips!
You can use this for wipes! I would make sure to really dilute it though because it is a thick, oil based cleaner
Hello, thank you for such an informative post! Would you consider Murphy’s Oil Soap food safe? I’m wondering if it’s safe to use on wooden salad bowls and cutting boards. Thanks again!
I wouldn’t use it on things you are going to eat from. I would use food grade hydrogen peroxide instead 🙂
I just want to add that MOS works great as a polished granite headstone cleaner too.
Thanks for sharing!
Can you use Murthy’s oil soap instead of laundry detergent in a washing machine?
No, this oil based cleaner wouldn’t be a good substitute inside the laundry machine
Would MOS work on a very fragile antique wooden clock that has fuzzy residue from being wrapped in a blanket for moving? Worried about ruining it completely.
It is usually safe for all wood when it is diluted according to the recommendations they have listed. You can test a small area first to make sure