When it comes to cleaning a laminate floor, your options are just about as endless as the different varieties of dirts and stains that can attack that floor. If you're looking for a cheap way to get your floor sparkling and clean, here are some great home remedies that will save you some time and money.One reason laminate floors are so difficult to maintain, is because after you've cleaned them, you're left with ugly streaks. And sometimes even after you've invested in the fanciest products, nothing really works. In fact, you may find that the only way to get your floor into shape is to do it the hard way – by getting down on your hands and knees and scrubbing. If these problems sound familiar to you, maybe it's time to try something new?
First thing's first
Vacuum and sweep the laminate floor before you get to all that nitty-gritty grime.
When in doubt, use vinegar
Vinegar can successfully tackle almost every kind of muck that ends up on the floor. And with a mere fourth of a cup of it, mixed with some regular warm water, you will be equipped to get your laminate floor spotless. Mix the vinegar and water into a spray bottle or a bucket and then douse a mop with the powerful homemade solution. By mopping your floor with just vinegar and water, you can remove many stains and you won't even have to deal with pesky streaking afterward. Rubbing alcohol and liquid detergent can also come in handy and are easy-to-find combatants for tough-to-remove stains. Just as you would with vinegar, you can combine these ingredients with water and then apply it to the laminate floor. Many people find that the trio of vinegar, water, and rubbing alcohol work very well to clean your floor and also dry impressively fast, thus reducing track marks.
It's not just how you mop, it's what you mop with
Microfiber pads are a great addition to your mop if you're main goal is to clean a laminate floor, in particular. Microfiber is essentially an extremely lightweight polyester fiber. Microfiber combined with vinegar or other more sophisticated cleaning products just might do the trick. There are other fiber pads for your mop that you might want to look into.
A mop can make a really big difference. Thus it's probably be a good idea to put a little extra money toward a more expensive, well-made mop. But check out consumer reviews before you do this. Swiffer and Clorox mops have a pretty good reputation for getting the job done. (However, Swiffer mops are often better equipped for wood floors, rather than laminate.) The Swiffer WetJet mop, specifically, has been given heaps of praise by its users, who swear it does wonders for laminate floors! A bonus with a Swiffer WetJet mop is that the pads are recyclable. So if you're conscious of the environment, keep that in mind.
Windex?
Seems like we're always finding new and creative ways to use Windex, despite the fact that the product is designed to clean windows. But Windex can indeed help you clean your laminate floors too!
Some of these tips may work for you, others may not. No laminate floor is the exact same as the next one over. But likely the reason one piece of advice works for you and not for another person is because of how you clean your floor and how much there is to be cleaned, in the first place. Be careful to follow these steps precisely and don't give your floor a cursory glance. You might have to be a little aggressive.
Laminate floors have a lot of benefits, but they often cause their owners many a headache. But that's only if these owners are not informed about how to keep their floors clean. For example, they may use soap or wax – and that is a big no no and will cause more problems than they solve. All you really need to handle your laminate floor is a good mop and some atypical cleaning solutions that you probably have right under your nose – like vinegar.
There are some household cleaners that will work just as well, if not better, than vinegar, but you want to make sure you properly research them before you put them to work on your floors.
Laminate floors are typically installed in kitchens, which means they will be walked on a lot and littered with all kinds of crud! Fortunately, the answer to this problem is not as complicated and difficult as you probably once thought.
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