Smart Strategies on Cleaning Laminate Floors Fast and Simple
If you want to give your home’s floors a more polished appearance, laminate flooring is a fantastic option. But there’s a big catch: laminate cannot be refinished, so you’ll need to clean it often to maintain its impeccable appearance. So, how should laminate flooring be cleaned? You can rapidly learn how to clean laminate floors and move on to the enjoyable parts of your day by paying attention to a few crucial laminate flooring cleaning recommendations.
Getting Ready for Laminate Floor Cleaning
Learning about the risks of using the wrong cleaning techniques is the first and most crucial step in properly cleaning laminate flooring. Laminate flooring is resilient, like how hardwood floors clean, yet it responds badly to certain cleaning solutions and instruments. Steel wool and scouring pads, for example, are extremely rough and scratchy to use on flooring and should be avoided.
Furthermore, stay away from using strong cleansers since the active chemicals might remove the laminate’s protective layer. Even steam mop and stiff-bristled brooms must be avoided. Remain with soft instruments, including mop heads with microfiber content, and mild cleaning solutions designed for laminate floors.
Clear Out Debris from Crannies and Nooks
Most laminate designs include a lot of awkward areas around corners and in between pieces where pet hair, food scraps, and other gross stuff collect. To prevent damaging the laminate’s top layer, the first task in your cleaning mission is to eliminate this dirt using mild cleaning techniques.
Select a Cleaning Agent
It’s time to concentrate on making your flooring seem glossy now. Make a mild cleanser that will yet provide great outcomes. In a medium-sized bucket, combine one cup of vinegar with one gallon of hot tap water. Add a few drops of dish soap to finish it up and stir. Here, you should use less dish soap to prevent making the flooring seem duller.
You provide a wide range of do-it-yourself laminate floor cleaner cleaning options. Here are some other laminate-friendly cleaning options available:
- A teaspoon of baby shampoo and a gallon of water
- A tablespoon of dish soap, a gallon of water, and a teaspoon of isopropyl alcohol
- A commercial cleaner designer for laminate flooring
- A gallon of water and a tablespoon of dish soap. Squeeze a lemon into it
Avoid using abrasive cleaning materials or strong chemicals since they might cause scratches on the floor, as we previously discussed. Furthermore, certain professional cleaners designed for cleaning and waxing genuine hardwood can leave laminate with a slick residue. In general, avoid overfilling your bucket with soap since this can cause soap residue on the laminate.
Disperse Baking Soda throughout the Flooring
After you have completed preparing the solution, begin cleaning the floor by lightly dusting it with baking soda. Why do this action? You want some minor abrasion for the greatest results so the cleaning solution can effectively take up accumulated dirt and grime. Because the top layer of laminate is prone to scratches and scuffs, as mentioned before, using baking soda as an irritant completes the task without endangering your floor.
Mop Gently and Gradually
Seeing a pattern here? When it comes to laminate flooring, gentleness is key. To prevent leaving puddles on the floor, carefully dip a mop with a microfiber head into the cleaning solution. While the bottom layers of laminate are not resistant to moisture, the top layer is.
Wipe with caution and gently, wringing the mop into the bucket as needed. Starting at the rear and working your way towards the front of the room can help you avoid mopping yourself into a corner. To get rid of any remaining baking soda and cleaning solution, give the mop one more wring and then use the dry mop on the floor.
Deal with Any Scratches and Stains
Are you seeing any stains, scuffs, or markings that just won’t go away even after using a mop and cleaning solution? Here are some cleaning tips for stubborn residue, suspicious areas, and sticky flooring.
Large paint, tar, or grease stains can be gently scraped away using a plastic putty knife.
Scuff marks can be removed using a basic tennis ball. To remove scuffs even more effectively, cut an X in one side to make a hole, then attach the tennis ball to the handle of a mop or broom. To get rid of the markings, gently scrub.
Coffee, wine, and juice stains can be removed right away by using a microfiber cloth to wipe the area off after sprinkling it with a solution of water and vinegar (1 cup vinegar to every gallon of water).
Dry the floor as soon as possible.
Dry the floor as soon as you’re done cleaning it to prevent any moisture from penetrating to the laminate’s bottom layers. To finish the task, use some microfiber dish rags, a microfiber towel, or another dry mop head. In a pinch, paper towels are also helpful.
Check your work again, and if there’s still damp on the floor, go over it again. Never, ever allow standing water to build up on laminate flooring.
How to Maintain Clean Laminate Flooring
perform you want to reduce the amount of cleaning you perform every week? A few more adjustments to your weekly routine are necessary to maintain the cleanliness of your laminate flooring. For example:
- Encourage a shoe-free home or place doormats by each entrance. Use a hand vacuum to pick up stray dust bunnies.
- Sweep your laminate floors every two days to remove general grime, dust and pet hair.
- Avoid standing water or moisture by sitting for longer than a few minutes when cleaning.
- To prevent your pet from scratching the flooring, check their claws.
- Keep your area rugs tidy to prevent grit and dust from getting on the flooring.
- Take care of stains as soon as you can.
How to Clean Laminate Floors: Do It Yourself or Hire a Pro
Because it’s so easy to do yourself, you should include this procedure into your normal home cleaning schedule. In more severe cases, such if you discover damaged flooring when cleaning, you should use professionals.
But the professionals have access to cleaners that work better, which is helpful if there are stains or scuffs that don’t go away. Additionally, hiring a local laminate floor cleaning expert might be a time- and money-saving option if cleaning your laminate flooring is just one of several cleaning duties, you’re finding it difficult to keep up with. Professional house cleaning typically costs $170 for the whole property, and simple laminate flooring probably won’t have any additional fees.