Tips and tricks for cleaning laminate flooring
Laminate flooring is a popular choice for those of us that want to have the best of both worlds: the natural beauty of wood flooring, without the more laborious cleaning and maintenance that’s associated with it. With just a little knowledge and general TLC, it’s possible to keep your laminate flooring looking great for many years after installation.
We’ve put together some tips to help keep your laminate flooring in top condition, so you can continue to use it as a practical flooring solution in your home or office space.
Basic cleaning tips for laminate
Most of the time, all you need to clean laminate flooring and keep it well maintained is a light sweep or vacuum, or a damp cloth when a slightly deeper clean is required. To remove dirt, dust and loose matter, use:
- An indoor, soft-bristled broom
- A dust-mop
- A vacuum cleaner (with a smooth, soft cleaning head – no beater bars necessary)
When you need to wash something off the laminate, avoid using a mop-and-bucket or too much liquid. Instead, you should use a gentle cleaner designed for laminate and hardwood, sprayed onto one of the following:
- Cotton rags
- A terrycloth mop
- A microfiber mop
Preparation for damage prevention
There are some simple things you can do to prolong the life of your laminate flooring; we recommend that you consider these when your flooring is still new, but for best results we also suggest that you try and remember some of the following tips as your floor ages.
- Invest in protective curtains or blinds that will prevent UV rays and extra heat from strong sunlight indoors.
- Regularly rearranging your furniture and rugs will help your laminate flooring to age more evenly.
- If your laminate flooring happens to border an outside door, be sure to use a mat to absorb excess water from rainy, muddy or snowy boots.
One of the benefits of laminate flooring is that you never need to polish, wax, varnish or use any kind of protection or shine product.
Dealing with everyday life and your laminate flooring
It’s inevitable that your laminate flooring will be on the receiving end of the occasional spill or accident in the home or office. We’ve provided plenty of advice to customers on how to handle these, so we’ve compiled some of our most common responses here:
- Tacky substances like chewing gum are no problem for your laminate floor. Overlay with an icepack or smooth a cube of ice over the substance until it hardens, then gently lift off the gum using a plastic paint scraper. Ensure your scraper is clean first as small hard grit particles could scratch the floor. Follow up by wiping with a clean, soft, damp cloth.
- Wipe away any spills and dropped food as soon as possible to avoid staining. A little laminate cleaner or white cleaning vinegar mixed with a clean, soft cloth should suffice. Never use soaps or detergents on laminate.
- If one laminate plank is damaged beyond repair, don’t despair. Most laminate systems allow you to remove and replace one plank in just minutes, without harming the rest of your floor.
Some tips for extra protection
- If you are going to use heavy furniture over your laminate, purchase some high-quality protective pads to place under table legs and sofa feet.
- Choose rugs or mats that complement your floor and place them at entrances or anywhere in the room(s) that will see the most foot traffic. This will avoid pesky stains from time to time but also help prevent these areas from ageing faster than the rest of your floor.
- Even if you only use mild, recommended cleaning products to clean your laminate, make sure that you don’t apply them directly – strong surfactants and even mild acids like lemon juice or vinegar can cause staining and bleaching when applied directly. Always apply these to the damp cloth or mop head instead, to reduce the chance of any soaking into the laminate rather than the dirt that you want to clean away.
- Take care to mop up water spills as soon as they happen, and don’t mop with a bucket of water.
- Avoid using cleaning machines such as spray mops, power cleaners, steam mops or steam cleaners. Applying any harsh cleaning methods is in fact counterproductive! Your laminate is designed to stay naturally beautiful for many years, with very little effort on your part.
Find laminate flooring for your home
If you want to install or replace your flooring, you can view our range of laminate flooring online, or call our trained staff to walk you through every step of your purchase on 0113 831 4313.
