How to Clean Laminated Floors
Laminated floors offer beauty and style just like hardwood or stone floors, but with much easier maintenance. Made with dense fibers and wood particles, the flooring material is then given a laminated overlay to give it a look of wood or stone. The overlay also gives protection and durability. Laminated floors are inexpensive compared to hardwood or stone floors, making them increasingly popular.
There are many ways to clean laminated floors, and these include:
Water and Commercial Laminated Floor Cleaner
Maintaining clean laminated floors is fairly simple: sweep the floors often to remove loose debris. For a more thorough cleaning, use a vacuum cleaner with a soft brush attachment to clean all the corners and dirt stuck in between tiles. Apply a commercial laminated floor cleaner to a section of the floor, and spread with a sponge mop with a bit of warm water. Rinse if necessary and dry with an old towel.
Ready-to-Use Cleaners
You can make homemade cleaner especially for your laminated floors by combining equal parts of water, vinegar and alcohol with a few drops of detergent. The key is to dry up the area as soon as it is sufficiently clean with a dry sponge mop.
Another readily available cleaner is glass cleaner or Windex. Especially useful for small spots of dirt, you can simply squirt a few drops of glass cleaneron your laminated floors and wipe dry.
Removing Stains
Different stains on laminated floors may require different methods of removing them. Here are some ways to remove potentially problematic stains:
Tar, Asphalt, Paint or Oil. Use nail polish remover or acetone and rub until the stain is removed. Wipe clean with a damp cloth, and then wipe dry.
Blood or Ink. Rub water and detergent on the stain and wipe dry. If the ink does not go, you can use a commercial ink remover.
Grease. Put an ice pack or a frozen pack of vegetables on the grease stain. Once the grease solidifies, scrape off gently, to avoid damaging the floor. Remaining grease can be cleaned up using detergent.
Liquor. Use warm water and detergent and rub until the stain goes away. You can also use a cloth with a bit of denatured alcohol if the stain proves to be stubborn.
Nail Polish. Warm water and a bit of scouring powder, rub the stain off using a plastic mesh pad with the paste made from the powder and water. Do not scrub too hard as this may damage the floor.
Crayon Marks. Use toothpaste and rub the stain with a dry cloth. You can also use a soft cloth with mineral spirits.
Scuffs. Use a pencil eraser to remove scuffs caused by traffic or heel marks.
Chewing Gum. Remove as much of the chewing gum as you can with a plastic knife. Remove the rest with a soft cloth damp with mineral spirits.
While window or glass cleaner may feature prominently in different ways in removing stains, be careful that you do not use large amounts because ammonia in the window cleaner can cause damage on laminated floors.
Prevention is always the best way to keep your laminated floors clean and looking brand new. Place rugs in high-traffic areas, use furniture pads for your furniture and avoid using your heels while indoors. Clean up spills as soon as possible for easier removal, and you’re all set.