How to Clean and Maintain Laminate Floors | Tips & Advice!

The first useful tip in keeping laminate floors clean is to make sure they are well-protected at all times. Water is a laminate floor’s killer and can spell disaster if left on the floor for too long. Place a mat under any bowl that carries water such as a pet water bowl or under your baby's high chair. These are sources of potential water spills, so if they aren’t taken care of, they could spoil laminate floors. Next, you need to avoid anything that promotes a shine because waxy buildup is very difficult to remove.  

Avoid scented cleaners that are dull and can leave a soapy residue on laminate floors.

There are certain types of oil that are not good for laminate floors because they cause major streaks on laminate floors. The use of vinegar is widely debated because it is acidic and might not be too good for the surface of the floor. However, many people use a little bit of vinegar plus a lot of hot water to cut out pet grime from laminate floors. Because of the acidic nature of vinegar, overusing them can remove the protective seal over the floor.

Leave out the traditional wet mopping that is carried out on concrete floors. They just won't work on laminate floors. To protect laminate floors avoid using heels on the floors.

Protect the laminate floors from scratches by trimming out the nails of pets and place furniture pads under table and chair legs.

Maintenance tips

Laminate floors will benefit immensely from regular sweeping with a soft bristle broom that can get most of the pet hair, dust, and dirt off the floor.

To reach hidden spots on the floor, attach a broom to your vacuum and stretch out to clean those areas. To mop the floor, rather than using the traditional mopping, use a damp mop that eliminates the risk or chance of water seeping between laminate seams.

Deep Cleaning

Occasionally you will have to carry out deep cleaning of laminate floors to ensure that they last a very long time. To carry out a deep cleaning routine use a steam mop occasionally. However, don't do this daily because the repeated use of a steam mop can buckle the laminate floors. 

The occasional use of a window cleaner is OK, but avoid overusing ammonia because it can strip off the protective sealant of laminate floors.

Using Hot Water and a Clean Mop

Fill a bucket with hot water to the point where it is just above lukewarm. Avoid using extremely hot water or steaming hot water because that would damage the floor. Occasional damp washing must be performed every few months or when you noticed a wide area of the floor has become dirty.  

Slightly warm water is one of the best ways of cleaning laminate floors because they will not leave streaks on the floor. Warm water has a mild touch on laminate floors and its the least likely to damage the floor.

Next Read: 10 Easy Steps on How to Mop and Clean Wood, Vinyl & Laminate Floors

Next, soak a sponge mop into slightly warm water and squeeze it until it is slightly damp. If you are using a traditional mop ensure that you control the water the mop carries by squeezing hard on it. Like we have mentioned before, water on laminate floors can spell disaster so ensure that the mob you use is slightly damp.

Next, give the floor a thorough mopping by covering the entire area starting from the center and working your way out to the edges. The way you mop the floor is not cast on stone, so you can start from the side or the exterior of the floor to the center. Because you are using a slightly damp mop you may need to re-soak and squeeze it again during the cleaning process.

Finally, dry out the floor with a clean dry microfiber cloth. Please, avoid the use of abrasive clotting since these may be a source of scratches to the laminate floor.

Using Vinegar the right way

In this section, we will correctly highlight the best way to use vinegar. As we have said before, vinegar is acidic and may negatively impact the integrity of the laminate floors. 

To use vinegar, prepare a solution of white vinegar in a spray bottle by mixing about 60 mL of vinegar with about 940 mL of water. You should have a solution of 1000 mL of vinegar in water. The highly diluted vinegar is just ideal to mildly clean laminate floors that have cake mud or other stains in it. Never use vinegar in its raw form because it is too abrasive for laminate floors.

Next, spray the solution you just prepared on the laminate floor a little a time. Avoid spraying the entire floor with the Vinegar solution because you will need to wipe the floor off the Vinegar solution immediately you have sprayed it. In fact, you should focus on areas that have caked mud or dirt in them before other areas. 

Immediately cleaning off the vinegar solution form the laminate floor will prevent it from wearing away at the protective fiber of the floor. 

Next, wipe out the solution with a damp cloth or mop just as we illustrated earlier. Avoid using a microfiber cloth at this stage because it may be too abrasive for the floor. As usual, avoid soaking the floor with water because it can cause the floor to wrap.

Finally, dry out the laminate floor if you feel a large amount of water was left behind during the cleaning or soaking process. You can use a dry microfiber cloth at this stage on the laminate floor.