How to wash laminate flooring to avoid streaks

Due to its affordable price and practicality, laminate is one of the most popular flooring options. However, to maintain an attractive appearance, it requires careful care. By following certain rules during cleaning, you can significantly extend the life of your flooring.

Features of laminated coating

A high-quality laminate combines the following properties:

• high strength;
• wear resistance;
• good sound insulation;
• long service life;
• variety of design solutions;
• ease of installation.

Due to its practical properties, this flooring is used in premises for various purposes - residential buildings, offices and even public places. A well-thought-out system allows you to quickly and effortlessly lay panels close to each other, creating a reliable structure.

IMPORTANT! Where the planks are connected to each other, joints are formed. If you regularly fill them with water, this can ruin the floor covering over time.

In more expensive versions, the grooves and ridges are additionally treated with a special water-repellent compound, which increases their stability. Relatively affordable copies, unfortunately, cannot boast of this. Therefore, laminate flooring requires special care.

Rules for washing laminate flooring at home

Following simple recommendations will help you avoid scratches, stains and other unpleasant consequences:

1. Large debris is usually first collected with a vacuum cleaner or broom, and then proceed to wet cleaning.
2. Do not wet the floor too much with water. It is necessary that moisture has time to evaporate in time and does not penetrate between the joints.
3. You should open the balcony or window; thanks to the fresh air, all the moisture will evaporate faster.
4. You need to purchase a suitable mop. Towels and old T-shirts should not be used - they leave streaks and make the surface duller.
5. At the end, it is advisable to wipe the floor with a flannel napkin. This will not only remove residual moisture, but also polish the surface to a shine.
6. Laminate does not tolerate daily water procedures well, so it is not recommended to carry them out too often.

Typically cleaning is done with warm or hot water. If necessary, add a little detergent.

How can I wash laminate flooring to avoid streaks?

As practice shows, traditional regular cleaning is enough to maintain cleanliness. In some difficult cases, non-aggressive stain removers and specialized gels with a neutral pH level, which can be purchased at almost any store, can come to the rescue.

ATTENTION! You should test the effect of the detergent in an inconspicuous area in advance. If this is not done, the floor covering may be seriously damaged.

As for available tools, it is recommended to use certain equipment for work:

• soft broom;
• an ordinary vacuum cleaner;
• mop with suitable attachments;
• bucket;
• set of textile napkins.

If the use of household chemicals is contraindicated or undesirable, a proven folk recipe comes to the rescue. Add 200 ml of table vinegar to 10 liters of water. Use the prepared solution to thoroughly wash the floor and ventilate the room to remove the characteristic odor. It is better to use hot water, then the moisture will evaporate faster.

What should you not wash laminate flooring with?

It is important to consider that laminate is a rather finicky material, and compositions with aggressive components are contraindicated for it. These include:

• products containing chlorine - bleach and some other solutions (they can greatly change the shade of the decorative coating);
• acetone can destroy the structure of panels;
• Various powders cause scratches.

It is also necessary to remember that regularly getting large amounts of water into the cracks will inevitably lead to damage to the floor covering.

How to remove stubborn stains on laminate flooring

Typically, many stains can be easily removed with a damp and then a dry cloth. Difficult to remove stains can be removed using specialized products or folk recipes:

1. Traces of green paint or markers can be removed with cologne or rubbing alcohol. You need to slightly moisten the cotton pad and carefully treat the dirty area with it.
2. Wine stains are also treated with alcohol.
3. Glass cleaning products can effectively remove greasy stains.
4. Dark marks from slippers can be easily removed with a regular office eraser.
5. It may be difficult to clean the laminate after repairs, so you should first cover it with plastic film.This will help protect the coating from construction materials. After removing the film, the trapped debris is simply removed with a soft broom.

REFERENCE! Chewing gum must first be frozen with an ice cube and then carefully removed from the surface.

Baking soda and vinegar essence will help remove dried dirt. The solution is applied to the stain and after a few minutes wiped with a damp cloth. Of course, the ideal option is to remove dirt in a timely manner so that it does not have time to dry out.

Features of caring for light and dark coatings

Experts emphasize that light and dark coatings have their own characteristics. The following factors need to be considered:

1. On any light background, all the dark particles are clearly visible, which is why you have to wash the floors more often. Sand and small pebbles from the street severely scratch the surface and leave dark marks on it. In addition, dust and dirt make any scratches or dents more visible. For this reason, it is important to avoid significant mechanical damage to the floor.
2. On the coating of noble dark shades, all the dust particles are even more visible. To ensure that there are no streaks left after cleaning, it is recommended to carry out the cleaning procedure twice. First, remove all dirt, and then thoroughly rinse the surface with clean water and polish to a characteristic shine.

Thus, laminate is a universal floor covering with excellent properties, but it must be carefully maintained. It is important to choose the right material for a particular situation and then use it carefully. Proper care can significantly extend the life of the finishing material.