Laminate floors look great at home, but one of the reasons why I hate mine is CLEANING! I know how difficult cleaning laminate floors are, whether the dogs come at home with mud on their feet or an accidental spill. Fortunately, cleaning such floors doesn’t need to be so difficult with the right equipment and techniques.
Yes, there are so many ways on how to clean laminate floors, and it’s crucial to learn what to use based on the mess. From the right tools to different cleaning solutions, read on! I’ll show you tips and methods on how to clean laminate floors the right way.
How to Clean Laminate Floors
There are so many reasons why you need to clean your laminate floors correctly. I will break down the different things you need and methods to do for cleaning them:
1. How to Do General Cleaning
Do proper general cleaning by following these steps:
- Make sure that you sweep the floor daily or every few days, using a dry dust mop and sweeping in directions your laminate floors were laid. This prevents scratches from happening, just do not use the standard floor brush, which damages your floors. If you want, you can also use a vacuum with the soft brush attachment.
- If something spills, clean it immediately with a cloth or sponge. Use a dry cloth to make sure all spills are cleaned out after
- If you’re planning to deep clean, use a mop and avoid any buffers or steam cleaners. This is because laminate floors can easily damage from such polishers and steam, so it’s better to use your mop for safety, rather than risk the damage. If your floor still can’t get clean regardless, you can ask a professional to do it for you
2. Using Normal Hot Water
You’ll be surprised that you won’t need the fancy and expensive floor cleaners, you just need hot water! I recommend that you use hot water only every few months or once your floors begin to look noticeably dirty and muddy. Just make sure you follow these steps to prevent it from leaving streaks:
- Fill any clean bucket with hot water, not boiling but not lukewarm either.
- Soak and wring your mop, using it on your floors only if it’s mildly damp to prevent it from streaking on your floors
- Mop your floors, covering the entire floor. Begin from the center, working the way out, or to start from one side to the other. Just don’t work from the exterior to center to avoid having to walk across the room, re-soaking and wringing it only a few times until you’ve touched everything
- Dry your flooring with a clean and dry microfiber cloth. If it isn’t too moist, allow it to air dry instead, avoid letting any puddles of water sit on the floor for longer
3. Try Vinegar For Stains
Besides just plain hot water, I like adding a vinegar solution, which helps clean stains and mud. Mix in 1/4 cup of white vinegar in a 32-ounce spray bottle filled with water.
Spray this solution on your stained laminated floors, just a bit at a time. Avoid spraying it all at once, as you’ll have to wipe it immediately after. Use a damp cloth or mop when doing so, then drying it out afterward.
4. How to Remove Problem Stains
Did you know that there are other problem stains besides the usual dirt and grime? If you have “unique” and tough stains from different accidents, here are the treatments to clean it up:
- You can remove blood by using window cleaners, then wipe it away with damp cloths. You can also use a mop, then follow it with dry cloth
- With candle wax, allow it to harden before scraping it off using a plastic knife, NOT a metal one
- For chewing gum, it’s best to freeze the gum using plastic of ice before you try scraping it off using a plastic knife, again NOT a metal one
- You can remove greets and tar using mineral spirits
- Remove heel or shoe scuff marks with pencil erasers, rubbing the stain gently
- Ink, crayon, and shoe polish can be removed with rubbing alcohol, while nail polish can be cleaned off with rubbing alcohol and a small amount of nail polish remover
- Wipe off wines using a damp cloth
5. Protect and Maintain the Floors
Protecting and maintaining your floors is another way to clean your floors better, having it last longer and look better. You can do this by following these tips:
- Wipe all wet spills immediately, as water and laminate can end up shrinking or damaging it
- If you have laminate floors with pets and children, placemats under your pet’s food bowls and have a mat under your child’s high chair
- Avoid using any shiners or wax, which causes buildups that are difficult to remove
- Don’t use any pine-scented cleaners, which leave a dull and soapy residue. Also, avoid any form of oil-based cleaners, which streaks on laminate floors that look and feel worse
- Avoid traditional wet mopping, using microfiber mops and vacuum cleaners instead
- Do NOT use any stiletto heels and sharp objects on your laminate floors. If you can, leave your outdoor shoes away from your floors and use house slippers instead
6. Prevent It From Getting Dirtier
Now that you know how to clean your laminate floors, the next thing to learn is how to prevent major dirt and stains from happening in the first place. You can follow these tips to keep them looking nice and new:
- Use entry mats, which collect most of the first, grit, sand, and other substances like sealers and oils. This lessens the tracking on your floors, as well as protective mats for furniture that has castors
- If you have an area rug, prevent it from slipping by using vinyl rug underlayments
- I suggest you use floor protectors and bases or rollers when moving or placing heavy furniture around the room. Note that the heavier the object is, then the wider the floor protector should be and that you shouldn’t slide heavier objects
- You need to have relatively humid levels in your room, which should be about 35-65% all year long. This minimizes expansion and contractions of your floors. You can also use a humidifier, which prevents shrinkage from lower humidity levels, especially when it’s near electric heat and stoves
- During the wet season, dehumidifiers, air conditioners, or switching on the heating can help maintain the humidity better
- Do not expose the floors to water and keep your pet nails trimmed, preventing it from scratching floors
7. The Right Tools and Cleaning Solutions
I mentioned general cleaning and other methods, but I want to focus on when to clean and what to use. The first few things to prepare when cleanings are vacuum cleaners and microfiber laminate mops.
I recommend that you either use the vacuum or sweep regularly, picking up all dirt and grit tracked from outdoors. It’s recommended to pick up the dirt regularly since these grits can scratch up your floors and have it lose the shine.
While you can broom or use a mop, it’s best to use a vacuum cleaner, which traps and removes all allergens even better. Brooms would usually just lift the grits into the air, resettling back to the floor.
Microfiber mops are also a good choice after vacuuming, which can further remove the dirt and dust on the floor, as well as liquid accidents.
Besides this, you also need to have the right cleaning products for it. While vinegar and other cleaning products work, the old-fashioned water and vinegar are one of the most recommended and superior cleaner.
Wrapping It Up
Cleaning your laminate floors is crucial if you want to make sure your home is free from bacteria and the like. Not only that, but you wouldn’t want a home that makes your home look unclean. With regular cleaning, you can keep your floors looking great for years to come, lessening chances of damage.
I hope this article on how to clean laminate floors gave you an idea of what you can do! So don’t wait any longer and begin trying any of these methods and solutions for your floors now. If you have any questions or want to share tips and experiences on cleaning your floors, then comment below. All your thoughts are much appreciated!
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