Home Made Laminate Floor Cleaner and Polish
Last Updated on September 11, 2023 by admin
Laminate flooring is formulated by using fusing technology together with a lamination process on sleek layers of resin and fiberboard material.
Its second name is floating wood tile. This type of flooring imitates the appearance of wood or stone in some cases. Customers who want their floor to look like wood or stone without actually having these as flooring materials have a decent and functional alternate ready to be installed in their homes.
Ways of maintenance and care
For regular maintenance and care, laminate flooring must be kept free from dust, dirt, and sand particles, making scratches on its surface. Much consideration is needed for flooring areas with high traffic and movement.
Similarly, laminate floorings can be prone to swelling and damage due to excessive moist on the surface. Planks can be damaged by water. One should simply avoid any spillage of water or moisture and if it happens, simply mop it dry when required. Some manufacturers and brands have come up with water-resistant coatings, which can also be applied on laminate floorings to avoid any damage to the floors.
If you have not used any adhesive underneath your laminate floorings, small gaps may appear in between flooring sheets, with time. With adequate tools, these can be fixed together again by tapping the sheets periodically.
Cleaning of laminate floors
For cleaning laminate floorings, never use steam mops or wet mops, which could cause permanent damage, causing flooring sheets to swell. If any liquid is spilt on the laminate floor, use a dry cloth first for the spilled liquid to be absorbed in it and afterwards, mop it with a damp cloth. Make it a general rule that if you want your laminate floorings to last longer, never allow liquids to be spilt and remain on the laminate floorings.
If you notice any tough spots such as oil, ink, paint or tar, you can use acetone on a clean cloth and wipe the tough spots with this cloth to the extent of clearing all residue.
A simple tip for long-lasting maintenance of your laminate flooring is cleaning it daily. Simply sweep your floor with a good dust cleaner or a dry mop to ensure that no dust particles or grit accumulates on the surface. If dirt is gathered, it makes the surface quite dull and ultimately damaging the floor.
Never wash your laminate flooring with water or sweep it with a wet mop or cleaning detergent. Water and moisture is the death of laminate flooring as it causes permanent damage. You may end up with damaged flooring because of your fault and avoid warranty claim. Never use abrasive cleaners or cleaners with steel wool.
If your laminate floorings have candle wax or gum spots, an easy way to remove these is by applying ice to it, which will harden the wax or gum, and it can be removed afterwards using a scraper or an atm card. After that, a damp cloth can remove any residue left behind.
Homemade cleaning / shinning agents
Water and vinegar
The best homemade cleaner by far for shine and streak-free surface. You can use a spray bottle for this cleaning agent. Make a mixture of half spray bottles filled with mild hot water and the other half with vinegar. You can also use a bucket for this purpose, but it could be more than what is needed. Spray this mixture on your laminate flooring and use a clean, dry cloth for sweeping off the stains or blots. Be amazed at the results afterward.
Vinegar acts as a disinfectant as well, which is an added advantage of this homemade cleaning solution.
Rubbing alcohol
Rubbing alcohol is the master when we talk about cleaning laminate flooring. While too much moisture is damaging for laminate floorings, rubbing alcohol is perfect for this job. It evaporates quickly and leaves very less moisture behind on the surface. Therefore, it is a very safe homemade cleaning solution. Rubbing alcohol works best when added with vinegar to make a cleaning agent.
Add a half-cup each of white vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and water. Add in it, five drops of sweet orange essential oil. Using a spray bottle will be perfect for this job. A mixture of these ingredients can be sprayed lightly on your laminate floorings and afterwards mopped up to dry instantly. Within a few touches, you will notice a new life in your laminate flooring.
Soap
Castile soap can be an effective remedy for cleaning your laminate floorings. Take two cups of lukewarm water, and two drops pf castile soap, three drops of lemon or orange essential oil, and two drops of tea tree oil, which could be optional in this case. Make a mixture of these items and use a spray bottle. Spray and later on, sweep the floor with a dry clean cloth and notice the changes it brought to your laminate flooring.
Polish
laminate floorings can be Polished at home with easily available ingredients. Such as two tablespoons of vegetable oil, one tablespoon of distilled white vinegar, five drops of lemon or orange essential oil, and two cups of warm water. Before applying this polish to your floor, make sure it is perfectly clean. Apply this mixture to your floor and mop it with a clean, dry mop.
Why Laminate flooring?
Laminate floorings have been quite popular among customers due to many valid reasons. As compared to other flooring methods, the installation of laminate flooring is a relatively easy task.
With proper guidance, one can install laminate floorings without a professional hired from the market, which could be a costly job; therefore, you can save valuable money. And make this flooring method more suitable for customers who are focused on cost-saving and effectiveness at the same time. Installation of laminate flooring can be considered a “do it yourself” job with a little learning curve.
Most brands come up with packaging like sheets with tongues and grooves on the sides, therefore, making it quite simple to just click into each other to form the flooring. Usually, a foam type layer is spread underneath the laminate floorings for the flooring to absorb any moisture or noise. Glue can also be used where required to support the flooring base.
Also, it requires less maintenance as compared to other flooring materials. Most brands of laminate floorings contain an antimicrobial resin, which improves its hygienic nature. Laminate flooring is a reasonably reliable method and needs less maintenance.
Conclusion
In this article, we have tried to explain comprehensively to our readers the importance of maintaining your laminate flooring clean and shiny. Some very practical and do it yourself methods were illustrated briefly for better understanding.
Everything is subjected to wear and tear over time and with rough or excessive usage. One can only try to maintain it as much as one can and avoid things that hinder its long-lasting factor. We hope that these homemade cleaning agents can be beneficial to you in many ways.
Go, make your laminate floorings shine.
Happy Cleaning!
