Cleaning laminate flooring

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Jennifer_J

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We just installed laminate flooring (and can I say 17 year old carpet is just GROSS to remove!!) and I’m trying to figure out the best way to keep it swept up and clean. I’ve been sweeping with a broom, but I can do that about a million times a day and there’s still “stuff” on the floor, it seems to just push it around. What about the swiffer stye cleaners? I hate having to buy refills. Our carpet vaccum doesn’t work well on hard floors–it throws the hard stuff out toward the back. I’m stuck coming up with other options? 🤷 Ideas? 😃
 
Best thing for us has been a regular old dustmop. Swiffers didn’t work too well either, and the broom, like you said, just blows stuff around.

We don’t have laminate but hardwoods, and I sweep, oh, about six times a day. That’s the only thing I hate about hardwoods/laminates. They don’t hide dirt / fuzzballs / dustbunnies at all.

Otherwise, I love them. I bet the transformation at your house is lovely with that old carpet gone!
 
I have laminate and I use a swiffer. I buy my refills at Sam’s, much cheaper there.

Follow your manufacturer’s instructions regarding damp mopping. I use the swiffer wet pads on my floor or a sponge mop. Don’t use a regular mop.
 
Ahh, dust mop, hadn’t thought of that for some reason :doh2:

Yes, the wood doesn’t hide much, which is good because our youngest has been diagnosed with asthma. After seeing what was under that carpet, it’s no wonder!! I wish we could have afforded hardwood, but that was out of the budget at this point.

The transformation has been wonderful, though. We just have a few last strips to get in (dh misfigured by one box, lol) and the trim back up and we’re all done–at least with this project 😛

Thanks for your help!
 
I generally use a Clorox wetmop, but instead of buying the cleaner, I make my own using vinegar and water. It leaves the floor nice and shiny.

A word of advice though–laminate is slippery when wet! I have laminate in my kitchen and in my bedrooms and I can’t count the number of times I’ve stepped in a wet spot and gone flying!
 
sarita said:
I generally use a Clorox wetmop, but instead of buying the cleaner, I make my own using vinegar and water. It leaves the floor nice and shiny.

A word of advice though–laminate is slippery when wet! I have laminate in my kitchen and in my bedrooms and I can’t count the number of times I’ve stepped in a wet spot and gone flying!
Click to expand...
Almost our entire first story is laminate. I use two tools- an extra-wide dust mop (janitor-style) and a microfiber pad mop. I bought an extra pad for the microfiber mop and so when I’m done with the floors, the dirty one goes in the laundry pile and if it’s not clean by the next time I want to do the floors, I have a backup. The first mop I bought was probably only 18" wide and it took too long to cover the whole floor. So I got the 30" one and it gets the job done QUICK. I just drop the pile in front of the utility closet, plug in the vaccum cleaner, and suck up the dirt! It’s so easy. I dust mop every day and mop about twice a week.

First I go around with the dust mop (takes all of a minute or two to get up all the loose dirt), then I wet my microfiber pad with water only and wet-mop which takes me about 5 minutes. I heard that once you start using much more than vinegar and water on laminate, it can be hard to maintain the brand new shiny look. Plus, I don’t spend any money on cleaners this way and my floor looks shiny and new every time!👍
 
Laminate floors do get buildup on them if you use cleaners. Usually some vinegar and water will cut through the buildup and restore the shine.

I have pets, so I also will use the hose on the vacuum to get the cat-hair bunnies from under the beds and dressers.
 
I recommend two things:
A dust mop and a Method O-Mop. The All-Floor cleaner is the best. And I keep 2 of the microfiber heads on hand. Because one is usually in the wash when I need to mop.
 
Thanks for all the advice 🙂 For those who use wet mops and such, my flooring says this in the instructions:
<<Do not wash or wet mop the floor with soap, water, oil-soap detergent, or any other liquid cleaning material. This could cause swelling, warping, delamination, and joint-line separation, and void the warranty.>>
I assume this means no wet mops, but the cleaners designed for laminate are okay? I’m so scared of ruining this flooring, :eek:

Now I’ll take the opportunity to turn this into a shameless picture thread of my floors, 😃
Before:
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

and After:
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

Dh did a great job!
 
Jennifer_J said:
We just installed laminate flooring (and can I say 17 year old carpet is just GROSS to remove!!) and I’m trying to figure out the best way to keep it swept up and clean. I’ve been sweeping with a broom, but I can do that about a million times a day and there’s still “stuff” on the floor, it seems to just push it around. What about the swiffer stye cleaners? I hate having to buy refills. Our carpet vaccum doesn’t work well on hard floors–it throws the hard stuff out toward the back. I’m stuck coming up with other options? 🤷 Ideas? 😃
Click to expand...
If cost is not a big concern, get one of the Roomba robotic vacuums. They clean a hard surface floor better than a human can and you can program it to automatically start whenever you want. On hard surfaces, these things are simply amazing.

Cost is around 300$.
 
Jennifer_J said:
Thanks for all the advice 🙂 For those who use wet mops and such, my flooring says this in the instructions:
<<Do not wash or wet mop the floor with soap, water, oil-soap detergent, or any other liquid cleaning material. This could cause swelling, warping, delamination, and joint-line separation, and void the warranty.>>
I assume this means no wet mops, but the cleaners designed for laminate are okay? I’m so scared of ruining this flooring, :eek:

What the manufacturer is concerned about is standing liquid. With a wet mop the water/cleaner might pool behind the mop and the liquid will seep through the seams of the laminate. When you spill a liquid on the laminate floor, you usually have about 30 minutes to clean up the mess before it damages the floor.

Now I’ll take the opportunity to turn this into a shameless picture thread of my floors, 😃
Before:
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n19/jbmom25/newcouch.jpg

and After:
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n19/jbmom25/flooring.jpg

Dh did a great job!
Click to expand...
 
Jennifer_J said:
Thanks for all the advice 🙂 For those who use wet mops and such, my flooring says this in the instructions:
<<Do not wash or wet mop the floor with soap, water, oil-soap detergent, or any other liquid cleaning material. This could cause swelling, warping, delamination, and joint-line separation, and void the warranty.>>
I assume this means no wet mops, but the cleaners designed for laminate are okay? I’m so scared of ruining this flooring, :eek:
Click to expand...
My sister and mother both have laminate and both used to wet mop the floor - Mom with laminate floor cleaners, sis with water and vinegar - and both now have warped laminate floors. There was no standing water, it was just the constant washing that caused the water to eventually seep in, I guess. The places where the boards meet aren’t sealed.

Now they both just use dust mops and scrub with Swiffers when needed (which are a bit damp but not dripping like a bucket of water and mop would be).

And BEAUTIFUL PICS!!! He did wonderfully! Isn’t it neat how laminate makes the room seem bigger, too?
 
I think I may have the same laminate! It’s great and has held up very well so far (6 years and countless contractors, kids and dogs!)

What my floor installers told me to use was 1/4 windsheild washer fluid (nope, not kidding! streak free shine 😉 ) and 3/4 water in a spray bottle, with a microfiber pad mop (just like a pp said, have a couple pads so that if someone comes in dusty/grassy/you have pets, it’s no big deal to just whip another one on. The windex will clear up any bare feet/condensation drip spots you have AND work as an adhesive to pick up any stubborn dust bunnies.

and as a tip, if we do indeed have the same floor, it has a very subtle grain to it- go WITH the grain so that your static electricity cling stays strong!
 
A spray of water and vinegar would work very well on the floor.

I mentioned the O-Mop before. I like their cleaner because you squirt it on the floor before you mop. Very nice.

Word of advice, though- if you get the O-Mop, wet and wring out the pad before mopping, it gets things a lot cleaner (and when I say wring it out, wring it til it’s just damp)
 
No advice, but congratulations on your new floors 🙂 Your dh did do a great job! (lol, for a second there I was wondering where the child in the top pic had gone for the second pic :o duh… I’m sure he worked fast, but not thaat fast)
 
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