The great thing about laminate flooring is that it combines the natural beauty of hardwood with simple, worry-free maintenance. With a little foresight and a smidgen of elbow grease, you can expect quality and performance from your laminate flooring for years to come. Here's a crash-course on what you need to know to keep your floors looking their best! We'll start with what you absolutely shouldn't do:
Things to Avoid
• Stay away from cleaning your floor with any agents that contain detergents, waxes, varnishes, or chemical agents intended to enhance or protect the shine of your floor. Over time they can create a filmy buildup that spoils the surface of your floor.
Instead, use a drop or two of dish soap in a bucket of water, and use that with a very dry mop to clean the floor.
• Avoid allowing any moisture to sit for too long on your laminate floor. This includes moisture from mopping. After you have finished mopping with a very dry mop, you may want to go over the floor again with a dry towel to help the floor dry faster.
• Stay away from powered cleaners like steam cleaners or spray mops.
• Never apply cleaning liquids directly to the floor. Instead, lightly wet the mop to be used.
General Maintenance
Abrasion and excess moisture are your two worst enemies in the fight to keep your floors in tip-top condition. So, it's important to keep any excess buildup of grit and dirt to a minimum. Use a soft bristle broom or a vacuum cleaner to clean the floor regularly. For regular levels of traffic, once every two days should be good but, in cases of higher traffic, you may want to increase the amount.
If you use a vacuum cleaner, it is incredibly important that you disengage the beater brush to avoid abrasion of the floor. Those beater brushes are murder on the finish of the floor.
When you mop, it is recommended that you use a microfiber mop instead of the traditional style mop. This will allow you to clean your floor without using too much liquid in the process.
When moving furniture, be sure to always lift it from the floor completely, never drag or slide it.
Preventative Maintenance
A big part of keeping your floors in great shape is preventing problems before they occur. It's a good idea to invest in some quality floor mats for those places where excess moisture or dirt are likely to appear. Place these mats at the doorways leading to the outdoors, and near kitchen sinks or other sources of moisture like washing machines or showers.
It is also a good idea to get some adhesive furniture pads for the feet of your furniture to avoid gouges or other damage to the floor.
Things to Avoid
• Stay away from cleaning your floor with any agents that contain detergents, waxes, varnishes, or chemical agents intended to enhance or protect the shine of your floor. Over time they can create a filmy buildup that spoils the surface of your floor.
Instead, use a drop or two of dish soap in a bucket of water, and use that with a very dry mop to clean the floor.
• Avoid allowing any moisture to sit for too long on your laminate floor. This includes moisture from mopping. After you have finished mopping with a very dry mop, you may want to go over the floor again with a dry towel to help the floor dry faster.
• Stay away from powered cleaners like steam cleaners or spray mops.
• Never apply cleaning liquids directly to the floor. Instead, lightly wet the mop to be used.
General Maintenance
Abrasion and excess moisture are your two worst enemies in the fight to keep your floors in tip-top condition. So, it's important to keep any excess buildup of grit and dirt to a minimum. Use a soft bristle broom or a vacuum cleaner to clean the floor regularly. For regular levels of traffic, once every two days should be good but, in cases of higher traffic, you may want to increase the amount.
If you use a vacuum cleaner, it is incredibly important that you disengage the beater brush to avoid abrasion of the floor. Those beater brushes are murder on the finish of the floor.
When you mop, it is recommended that you use a microfiber mop instead of the traditional style mop. This will allow you to clean your floor without using too much liquid in the process.
When moving furniture, be sure to always lift it from the floor completely, never drag or slide it.
Preventative Maintenance
A big part of keeping your floors in great shape is preventing problems before they occur. It's a good idea to invest in some quality floor mats for those places where excess moisture or dirt are likely to appear. Place these mats at the doorways leading to the outdoors, and near kitchen sinks or other sources of moisture like washing machines or showers.
It is also a good idea to get some adhesive furniture pads for the feet of your furniture to avoid gouges or other damage to the floor.
