Dos and Don’ts Of Cleaning Laminate Flooring

How do you clean laminate floors? Well, there are a few dos and don’ts to consider. Here are some of the most important floor cleaning tips.

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Laminate flooring is a very good choice in flooring for new homes or when updating floors in older homes. While laminate flooring is not ideal for bathrooms due to its incompatibility with water in any significant amount, it is a great choice for kitchens, entryways and even living rooms and the rest of the home.

Laminate flooring is quite durable and provides a surface that does not damage easily. This type of flooring is ideal for homes with children and high traffic areas. As long as regular spot cleaning and basic maintenance is kept up, laminate flooring will retain beauty and last a long time. This longevity coupled with its beauty makes laminate flooring a great investment for the home.

It’s an investment

Since laminate flooring is an investment, most people want to learn how to best take care of them. Keeping the floors looking new and to do what you can to make sure that they last a long time is the key to protecting your laminate flooring investment.

To achieve the great looks and impressive longevity that laminate flooring is known for, one must keep up with several basic dos and don’ts once a laminate floor has been installed. Here they are.

Dos of Cleaning Laminate Flooring:

• Do use a broom or a dust mop to sweep up dirt on a regular basis. This can also be achieved by using vacuum cleaner attachments that can reach into corners and get rid of the dirt. This regular maintenance is important to the laminate flooring because dirt can be abrasive, rubbing the finish off the floor. Abrasive dirt robs the laminate flooring of its shine.
• Do run a damp mop over the floors now and then. Not a wet mop, but simply a damp mop to get any spills, stuck on dirt and the like off the floor. Remember this flooring does not like water in very big amounts, so the mop should only be damp.
• Do take particular care when moving furniture around on the laminate flooring. The legs of furniture can easily scratch and damage. When moving furniture from one place to the next on the flooring, use pieces of carpet turned upside down with the carpet side on the floor. This will enable the furniture to glide across the floor while at the same time protecting the floor with the carpet.
• Do place mats or rugs at each entryway into the room where the laminate flooring has been installed. By doing so, people can wipe their shoes on the rugs and dislodge a significant amount of dirt. The less dirt on the floor, the less damage.

Don’ts of Cleaning Laminate Flooring:

• Don’t sand the laminate floor or try to refinish the flooring—ever.
• Don’t use abrasive cleaners or cleaning cloths such as scouring pads on the flooring. These will scratch and damage, and there is no easy way to repair such damages.
• Don’t allow furniture to be moved without proper protection such as upside down carpet pieces.
• Don’t polish or wax laminate flooring. These floors already have been finished and wax or polish can damage them.
• Don’t use soap based detergents
• Don’t flood the floor with water or any types of cleaners. Significant wetness is not a good idea for laminate flooring.

An attractive, long-lasting choice

Laminate flooring is an attractive and durable choice for home flooring. Despite the long list of dos and don’ts, this type of flooring is not difficult to take care of.  A regular sweeping, occasional damp mopping with a drying after and the floors will remain in good shape for a long time.

Do you have any questions? We’d be happy to address them at flooring@builddirect.com, and at 1-877-631-2845.

[This post was updated December 2015]

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