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"It’s best not to use them," Forte says. "The flooring manufacturers caution against them and it may even void your warranty." While the steam mop brands may claim they're safe, check what the care guidelines are for your floor first. Today’s laminates are more resistant to moisture and spills, but the steam can still cause warping and other damage.
Do not use steam cleaners or wet mops, which may cause irreparable damage to your floor. Use a damp cloth to blot up spills as soon as they happen. Never allow liquids to stand on your floor. For tough spots, such as oil, paint, markers, lipstick, ink or tar, use acetone/nail polish remover on a clean white cloth. Then wipe the area with a damp cloth to remove any remaining residue. Sweep, dust, or vacuum the floor regularly with the hard floor attachment (not the beater bar) to prevent accumulation of dirt and grit that can scratch or dull the floor finish. Periodically clean the floor with cleaning products made specifically for laminate floor care. Do not wash or wet mop the floor with soap, water, oil-soap detergent or any other liquid cleaning product. This could cause swelling, warping, delamination, and joint-line separation, and void the warranty. Avoid using steel wool, abrasive cleaners, or strong ammoniated or chlorinated type cleaners. Do not use any type of buffing or polishing machine on your laminate floors. For spots such as candle wax or chewing gum, harden the spot with ice and then gently scrape with a plastic scraper, such as a credit card. Be careful not to scratch the flooring surface. Wipe clean with a damp cloth. A more frequent dust-mopping or vacuuming schedule may be required in very sandy areas such as a beachside home.
Shaw Floors Hard Surface Cleaner is the best way to care for your laminate floor and will keep it looking great for years to come. Shaw Floors Hard Surface Cleaner should be sprayed onto the floor lightly and then wiped away with a soft cloth, terry cloth mop or microfiber mop. It is important to note that if you wash and re sue your mop heads, you'll want to avoid the use of any kind of fabric softener in the wash or in the dryer. Fabric softeners contain chemicals that can lead to a dulling build-up over time on your laminate floors. Another cleaning system that may seem like a good idea is the use of dry magnetic-types of pads that attract dirt and soil. These should be avoided as well. They can also cause a buildup over time that will cause your laminate floors to look dull. It is easier to keep your laminate looking beautiful using the correct products than it is to try and undo damage caused by a product that's not suited for your flooring type.
As appealing as it may seem, avoid using home-made cleaners composed of products around the house and remember, never wet mop! As we mentioned in the first bullet point, never, ever use a steam mop of any kind. Steam mops use heated water that forces steam onto the surface of your floor. The joints in between the laminate planks lock together nicely and we work to ensure that they lock together very well, but they are not waterproof. Steam can and will make its way into the joints and steam is water. This steam from a steam mop can cause damage to your floor in the form of peeling, bubbling and swelling. Damage caused by these types of cleaning systems are not covered under your flooring warranty.
There are many reasons to use organic, natural cleaning products in your home, and they can be healthier for children and those with allergies or asthma.
If you have young children or are sensitive to chemicals, you may not want to use a harsh product on your floors. Instead, you might want to look for an all-natural laminate floor cleaner that uses safe ingredients to get your floors shiny.
Laminate floor cleaners can be applied in a few ways. Some come in spray bottles, while others are applied with a traditional mop or put into a sprayer mop. The best option for you will depend on how large an area you’re cleaning and what equipment you have. You may also want to look at how many applications are recommended, as some products need multiple layers for optimal results.
The first tip is to clean from the top to the bottom, and from the left to the right. When I first started cleaning, I was going all over the place. I cleaned like the Tasmanian Devil, fast (sporadic) but not effective. It was kind of ludicrous. When I learned about the top to bottom, left to right technique and started implementing it, I really noticed a change.
The reason top to bottom works is because dust and dirt falls from the top to the bottom as you’re cleaning. So if you’re cleaning your kitchen, you wouldn’t want to clean your counter first only to clean your cupboard and then, have all the crumbs from the cupboard fall onto your clean counter. It’s what causes you to have to clean a surface twice. So always start at the top and work your way down.
Many suggest that an old fashioned mix of vinegar and water is a superior cleaner to brand-name products. To make a do it yourself laminate cleaner, just mix equal parts hot water and vinegar in a spray bottle. Use the bottle to spray the floor before you mop it with the microfiber, and you’re all set.
If you can’t stand the smell of vinegar, remember that first it will dissipate quickly. Also, remember that you can always add a few drops of essential oil in a scent you like (lemon, eucalyptus, etc.) or a few drops of good-smelling dish detergent to your spray bottle mix. Just be aware that these may dull the shine produced by the vinegar and your elbow grease.
This homemade cleaning solution is not only much, much cheaper than a retail brand (it costs only pennies per bottle), but it is much more environmentally sustainable, and does not bring extra chemicals into your home, which may help members of your family or guests who are sensitive.
If you follow the instructions above, you’ll be all set. We’d like to remind you though, of several things to avoid that can damage your floors. We’ve already mentioned not using abrasives like scrub pads or Comet, but here are some more tips:
Less water is better. Water can soak in and cause peeling and separation. Don’t soak your microfiber mop and don’t leave puddles.
Don’t use bleach. Since wood laminate is porous, the bleach will soak in, causing a range of problems. Bleach will often take the shiny finish off your floors and can also stain and change the color of your floor.
We recommend that you stay away from products that offer a “protected shine.” These products will offer to not only clean your floor but also fill in scratches and scuffs. They do this by adding a film, or filler into the product. While this may work, often these products will dull the shine on your floor by leaving that residue.
Start with the safest, most gentle product, and work your way up – only if you need to! This is especially prudent for people with children, pets, asthma or allergies. The truth is, your house is probably a lot less dirty than you think it is, and gentle products can often accomplish what you need. So, in many cases, you don’t need those super strong products. The Nifty House ] However, if you’re in a situation where, let’s say you have a really greasy surface or someone got sick on the bathroom floor, well, in that case, you probably do want to use the stronger more powerful product. However in most cases, the DIY recipes that we talk about or gentle, environmentally friendly products, are really efficient, effective and safe.
When you have a business, you always have these defining moments where little things happen to you that will forever affect the future of your business. In my case, it was a phone call from an unhappy customer (I had personally cleaned her home). She told me her kitchen counter had some staining on it, and I thought – Excuse me? I cleaned that kitchen counter myself for like 10 minutes. Visit What are you talking about? Now, of course I was polite on the phone, and went to her home to assess the problem. It turned out that the staining was occurring under her microwave, a place I had never thought to clean, but that you could see if you simply crouched down, and took a look at eye level. From that point on I implemented what I now call the “eye level test”.
After you clean a surface, crouch down to see it at eye level, and check to see if you missed anything – it allows you to see dirt much more easily! So, step up your cleaning game and implement the eye level test whenever you clean a horizontal surface!
When I first started my cleaning company, I didn’t follow this rule, and spent a lot of time going back and forth from the kitchen to where ever I was cleaning in order to grab different cleaning tools. This is an obvious waste of time. Taking a moment to strategize your cleaning can save you tons of time in the end.
This is a trick that I learned from home stagers many years ago. When I first started in the cleaning game, I wasn’t sure how to make things look neat, and let’s be honest – half of cleaning is making something look tidy. Even if you’ve spent an hour cleaning something, it can still look messy if items are scattered about willy-nilly.
Instead, find your items, pile them up, (declutter if you have to!) and then line everything up to the edge of the surface that the item is sitting on, either parallel or perpendicular to the edge. This way you’ll have straight, clean lines, that are very pleasing to the eye and your cleaning job will have that professional finish!