Laminate floors look fantastic when they are nice and clean. However, with two pets a couple of kids and a partner who likes to walk half the garden in with them, it is safe to say that the laminate floor in our house takes a real beating.
Laminate flooring can be quite low maintenance as long as you treat it right and that is why today I am sharing with you my tips for keeping your laminate floors clean.
Clean As Soon As You Can
If the dog has made a mess or if one of the kids has dropped some food on it or maybe even you have stepped in something and now it is all over the laminate flooring, you want to tackle it as soon as you can.
One of the best things about laminate flooring is that if you treat a spill or mess as quickly as possible the chances of it leaving a stain are slim to none. I have found that a quick wipe with a microfiber cloth or even a baby wipe is enough to tackle most messes.
Do Not Use A Ton Of Water To Wash
In theory, grabbing the mob and giving the laminate flooring a swabbing like you would give a pirate ship is the best way to go. The trouble with this is, people tend you use far too much water when they mop. On the surface, it will look like the laminate flooring is sparkling clean.
However, the danger of using too much water is that it can seep in at the sides or if there are any little cracks that you cannot see with your eye. This can lead to all sorts of problems not just for your laminate floor, but for what you have underneath it as well. So when you are mopping your laminate floor, make sure you are not using too much water.
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Careful Not To Scratch Your Laminate Floor
Laminate flooring looks great, but you get a scratch on it, you better believe that sucker will stick out like a sore thumb. If you do want to brush your laminate floor before you give it a proper clean, you do not want to use a brush that is rough.
You also need to be careful in regards to using a vacuum cleaner. Many vacuum cleaners these days come with an attachment that is designed for more delicate surfaces like laminate floors and tile floors. Just avoid cleaning your laminate floors with anything that could scratch them up.
Use The Right Cleaning Products
Have you looked at a household cleaning aisle in a supermarket recently? It is nuts! The amount of choice these days is crazy so it can be hard to know what is the right cleaning products for laminate floors.
Thankfully there are products out there that are designed with laminate flooring in mind. Why can’t you just use any old floor cleaner? Well while these may clean your floors, they can also leave a nasty looking streak.
If you are unsure about the floor cleaner that you have, rather than spray it directly onto the floor, put it into a microfiber cloth or your mop and clean it that way.
I would not really say that any one brand is better than the other, just go for one that specifically mentions laminate flooring on the packaging. If you are a little worried, you can always dilute it a little bit with some water.
Stay Away From Bleach
I used to use bleach to clean pretty much everything, but bleach and laminate floors do not go together at all. Bleach can seep into your laminate flooring and while it may “clean” it, bleach is going to take away the nice sheen that it has and make it look old and haggard rather quickly so no bleach!
I know that bleach seems like the obvious answer when the dogs have made a real mess, but trust me, bleach will do far more harm to your laminate floor than good!
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Careful When Scraping
When we did a little painting, I let the kids help and as you can imagine there was as much paint on the floor as there was on the walls. Your gut instinct will be to just start scrubbing at the paint with something like a baby wipe which will just spread it all over.
Instead, wait for it to dry. Scraping is what you want to do, but do not use a knife or anything like that. Some people will use this and be fine, but why take the risk? You are far better using an old credit or store card to scrape up any paint or anything else that is welded onto your laminate flooring.
It is not just paint, but things like candle wax and chewing gum that is better scraped off than wiped off. You just have to be careful with what you use.
Protect Your Laminate Flooring As Best You Can
While cleaning your laminate floor is not that hard, there is no point making it look nice and clean if it is all scratched up because you have not taken care of it properly.
Rather than placing things like a bed, a chair, a desk or whatever directly on top of the laminate flooring, make use of things like furniture pads, rugs, mats and so on. It can be very easy to scratch laminate flooring, but as long as you protect it right, you can get a lifetime of use out of it.
Laminate floors are very easy to clean and if you have a family they are certainly a very attractive idea. Not only do they look great, when the kids and pets make a mess it is easy to clean up.
Just always remember to not overdo it with the water and to make sure that any products you are using to clean the floor are suitable for laminate floor. The last thing you want to do is take away that lovely shine and make your laminate floor look dull and lifeless.
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