How to Keep Laminate Flooring Clean

One of the best things about laminate flooring is that, when it's new, it is wonderfully clean and visually appealing. Over time, dust, debris and dirt take their toll. Despite your best efforts, troublesome stains and spills may occur. Instead of throwing up your hands and accepting a dull, unattractive laminate floor, you should set up a strict upkeep schedule and stick to it. Furthermore, you should educate yourself about the basics of handling common stains and spills. You will find all of that information - and much more - below.

Sweep or Vacuum Once or Twice Per Week

Don't wait until laminate flooring clearly needs to be swept or vacuumed before doing so. By that time, all of that dust, dirt and debris has had a chance to work its way into cracks; it could even grind down the surface of your laminate floor. Instead, get yourself on a strict schedule for sweeping, vacuuming and mopping. Don't be tempted to skip your weekly or twice-weekly vacuuming, sweeping or mopping just because the floor looks okay. By being strict about your floor's upkeep, you will never have to see what it looks like when it's truly dirty.

Mopping - You never want to get a laminate floor truly wet. However, mopping is necessary from time to time. The best course of action is to use a mop that is just a very tiny bit damp. Squeeze out as much excess moisture as possible before you begin. The goal here is to make it damp so that small specks of dust and debris stick to it - not to make it soaking wet. If you push your mop around and leave puddles in your wake, you are definitely using too much water.

Sweeping - Although the surface of a laminate floor is sure to be durable, you shouldn't push the envelope. Invest in a high-quality soft-bristle broom so that you don't have to worry about inadvertently damaging the laminate flooring in your home. Make a point of being delicate with your sweeping - don't thrash away at the floor with the broom. Lightly brush along the floor to create small piles of debris, and then whisk them away into a dust pan for disposal.

Vacuuming - Vacuuming is a great way to suck away all of those invisible yet annoying specks of dust from the surface of your laminate floor. Always use a special, soft flooring attachment in order to vacuum your laminate floors - don't just use the regular vacuum cleaner. Otherwise, you could inflict wear and tear on your floor and scuff it up along the way.

Use Warm Water and Change it Frequently

When you mop your laminate floors, always use moderately warm water. That way, it will evaporate away a lot more quickly. That's a good thing, since you do not want to leave standing water in your wake. Switch out the water in the bucket on a regular basis. Otherwise, you could end up spreading around icky, dirty water that will actually make your floor dirtier. Always keep in mind that standing water is the mortal enemy of laminate flooring.

Tips about Cleaning Products

Don't just grab any random bottle of floor cleaner to take care of your laminate floors. Floor waxes and polishes, for instance, should never be used on laminate floors. They leave behind a sticky film that attracts even more dust, dirt and debris. On top of that, laminate floors that have been treated with waxes and polishes usually look streaky and often have footprint marks on them. Never use steel wool, scouring powder, citrus oils or soap-based cleaners on your laminate floors, either.

Removing Common Stains

In the case of rubber heel marks, paint, oil, permanent marker and tar, apply a natural cleaner on a fresh, light-colored cloth. If that doesn't work, you can try using an acetone-based fingernail polish solution or rubbing alcohol. Nine times out of ten, such techniques do the trick.

Warm water, a natural cleaner and a light-colored cloth can be used to remove stains like pasta sauce, blood, soda, wine, beer and juice from your laminate flooring. Gently apply the cleaner and the warm water until the stain is completely gone.

If chewing gum or candle wax gets stuck to your laminate floor, freeze it solid with some ice. From there, use a piece of plastic to gently scrape the substance away. Wipe the area down with a warm, damp cloth and you should be good to go.

By keeping these simple yet effective tips in mind, you can keep your laminate floors looking spic and span no matter what happens.