Maintenance your Laminate Flooring
Laminate floors, like other furnishings in your home, require proper care to keep them looking their best.
When you follow some easy cleaning and maintenance instructions, you'll find taking care of your laminate
floor a snap!
Regular Maintenance
The surface layer of laminate flooring is hard and compact, so dirt and dust do not stick to it easily. The
following simple steps are usually all it takes to keep your floor clean.
· For general cleaning, use a dust mop, vacuum with the hard-floor attachment of your vacuum cleaner or
wipe occasionally with a damp cotton or cloth mop.
· For heavier cleaning, use a laminate floor cleaner (available a hardware and household supply stores) or a
mixture of household vinegar and water (1-cup vinegar to 1-gallon warm water) or household ammonia and
water (1/2 cup ammonia to 1-gallon warm water). If an accident occurs and a stain remains, you can
remove the worst stains with acetone or denatured alcohol on a soft cloth without bleaching or damaging
the floor. In a pinch, nail polish remover containing acetone is a handy substitute. Do not use soap or
detergent-based cleaners, wax-based products or any type of polish on laminate floors, as they leave a dull,
filmy residue.
· There is never a need to wax or refinish your laminate floor.
Protect the Floor
While laminate is remarkably durable, there is no such thing as an indestructible flooring material. There are a
few simple protective measures that are important to keep your floor looking new.
· To protect your laminate floor from surface scratches, place walk-off area rugs or mats inside any exterior
doorway to collect small bits of gravel they may track in on shoes.
· Use felt floor protectors (available at laminate retailers) on the legs of chairs, sofas, TV stands, tables and
other easily movable furniture.
· Replace plastic casters on chairs with rubber wheels and lift rather than slide heavy objects across the floor.
· Minor damage to a laminate plank or tile can be easily repaired with laminate finishing putty. If the
damaged area is larger than 1/4 of an inch, replacing the plank may be recommended. Please call our CHF
BC’s flooring contractor to assess the damage.
Spot Removal
Laminate stain resistance means peace of mind for you and easy clean up. So, when the inevitable happens, use
the following guide for stain and spot removal:
· For chocolate, grease, juice, cordials and wine - use lukewarm water and a non-abrasive cleaner (such as,
ammonia and water) or a laminate cleaning product available where laminate flooring is sold.
· For tar, markers, crayon, lipstick, oil, shoe polish, ink, nail polish and cigarette burns - use acetone/nail
polish remover or denatured alcohol. Note : Do not use acetone on laminate wall base or quarter round.
· For candle wax and chewing gum - let harden and scrape carefully with a blunt plastic scraper.
It is easiest to remove glue haze as soon as possible using a warm damp cloth. After the floor sets for at least
12 hours, any residual haze or traces of glue missed by the initial cleaning can be removed by using a laminate
cleaner (available at laminate retail stores) or an ammonia and water mixture with a damp cloth or mop (1/2
cup ammonia to 1 gallon of water).
Laminate floors, like other furnishings in your home, require proper care to keep them looking their best.
When you follow some easy cleaning and maintenance instructions, you'll find taking care of your laminate
floor a snap!
Regular Maintenance
The surface layer of laminate flooring is hard and compact, so dirt and dust do not stick to it easily. The
following simple steps are usually all it takes to keep your floor clean.
· For general cleaning, use a dust mop, vacuum with the hard-floor attachment of your vacuum cleaner or
wipe occasionally with a damp cotton or cloth mop.
· For heavier cleaning, use a laminate floor cleaner (available a hardware and household supply stores) or a
mixture of household vinegar and water (1-cup vinegar to 1-gallon warm water) or household ammonia and
water (1/2 cup ammonia to 1-gallon warm water). If an accident occurs and a stain remains, you can
remove the worst stains with acetone or denatured alcohol on a soft cloth without bleaching or damaging
the floor. In a pinch, nail polish remover containing acetone is a handy substitute. Do not use soap or
detergent-based cleaners, wax-based products or any type of polish on laminate floors, as they leave a dull,
filmy residue.
· There is never a need to wax or refinish your laminate floor.
Protect the Floor
While laminate is remarkably durable, there is no such thing as an indestructible flooring material. There are a
few simple protective measures that are important to keep your floor looking new.
· To protect your laminate floor from surface scratches, place walk-off area rugs or mats inside any exterior
doorway to collect small bits of gravel they may track in on shoes.
· Use felt floor protectors (available at laminate retailers) on the legs of chairs, sofas, TV stands, tables and
other easily movable furniture.
· Replace plastic casters on chairs with rubber wheels and lift rather than slide heavy objects across the floor.
· Minor damage to a laminate plank or tile can be easily repaired with laminate finishing putty. If the
damaged area is larger than 1/4 of an inch, replacing the plank may be recommended. Please call our CHF
BC’s flooring contractor to assess the damage.
Spot Removal
Laminate stain resistance means peace of mind for you and easy clean up. So, when the inevitable happens, use
the following guide for stain and spot removal:
· For chocolate, grease, juice, cordials and wine - use lukewarm water and a non-abrasive cleaner (such as,
ammonia and water) or a laminate cleaning product available where laminate flooring is sold.
· For tar, markers, crayon, lipstick, oil, shoe polish, ink, nail polish and cigarette burns - use acetone/nail
polish remover or denatured alcohol. Note : Do not use acetone on laminate wall base or quarter round.
· For candle wax and chewing gum - let harden and scrape carefully with a blunt plastic scraper.
It is easiest to remove glue haze as soon as possible using a warm damp cloth. After the floor sets for at least
12 hours, any residual haze or traces of glue missed by the initial cleaning can be removed by using a laminate
cleaner (available at laminate retail stores) or an ammonia and water mixture with a damp cloth or mop (1/2
cup ammonia to 1 gallon of water).
