Laminate floors are a practical and easy alternative to traditional flooring. You can install them at home yourself, and if properly maintained they can last for quite a long time. Yet, cleaning laminate floors can be a bit of a tricky business without a reliable steam mop at your disposal. They require constant maintenance and cleaning to protect them from scratches and warping, but you can’t just clean them like you would ceramic or carpet, or even wooden floors. They might look like wood, but they’re not. And if you mess up the cleaning process, you could end up with streaks and structural damage to the laminate, which you won’t be able to easily fix.
This is how you can take care of your laminate floors.
Don’t use electronic devices other than the vacuum
Using devices like a steam cleaner on your laminate floors is a bad idea. It can easily damage the floor instead of clean it. In case of an unclean floor, other than dust, use a mop to clean it up.
Take care of spills immediately
Liquid can have damaging effects on the laminate if left for prolonged periods. So it’s quite important to clean spills as they happen, immediately. You can use a dry sponge or a cloth, but avoid using hard tools as they too can damage the laminate. Whatever you do, do not leave the floor wet, even if you use a damp cloth to clean the stain. Quickly after that use a dry one to absorb the moist.
Regular cleaning
As mentioned, laminate floors require continuous maintenance. That means you have to regularly sweep the floor to remove and dirt or residue. Laminate floors have powerful surfaces, but dirt and dust residue accumulated over time can cause some serious damage to the floor. This is why you need to regularly sweep your floors. You might want to also consider vacuum for your laminate flooring as it’s even easier than using a traditional mop.
Don’t use detergents
Regular cleaning products will not work with laminate floors; they might end up damaging the surface and leaving streaks and the remains of the chemical, which could significantly shorten the lifetime of your laminate floor. You should never use polishers on the laminate floor as they could destroy the protective layer on top. If you’re going to use a laminate cleaner, don’t go overboard with it. Apply just enough and preferably not even to the floor itself, but rather the mop.
Homemade products are your friend
If you happen to stumble upon a stubborn stain or something, don’t go out and buy some chemical that could destroy your floor. Instead, use products within your disposal to clean the laminate. You can use vinegar for instance to try and clean some stains. Alcohol is also an effective way to remove paint or ink from the laminate floors.
Educate yourself
The best way to protect your laminate floors is to read up on how to take care of them before you even have them installed. Laminate floors are an excellent, elegant solution that many people use instead of the more expensive options, but they require maintenance and care to provide the value promised. Learn all you can about how to keep the floors intact, and don’t leave it up to trial and error because they can very easily be spoilt by a simple mistake, which is even easier to avoid.