Why Do Laminate Flooring Care & Maintenance?
Although laminate is durable and easy to care for, a little routine maintenance is still necessary to keep it looking new and performing its best for many years to come. Be sure to reference your laminate floor warranty and manufacturer guidelines for specific care requirements.
Preventative Maintenance for Laminate Flooring
Be sure to place doormats at the entry to the rooms to capture any dirt or debris before it's tracked onto your floor. Also, you can protect your floor form indentations by placing floor protectors under heavy furniture and appliances. Avoid dragging furniture across the floor, as this can scratch or damage the laminate.
Regular care should include sweeping, dry mopping, and vacuuming with a hard floor attachment as needed. For a deeper clean, use a manufacturer-approved cleaning product only.
Periodically clean the floor with cleaning products designed specifically for laminate floor care. Never 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 your warranty. You should also never use buffing or polishing machines, steel wool, abrasive cleaners, ammonia, or chlorine.
Dealing With Spills & Stains
Most messes on laminate floors can simply be blotted up with a damp cloth. Spills should be cleaned up quickly because your floor can be slippery when wet and standing water can cause swelling.
When it comes to difficult stains such as oil, paint, markers, lipstick, ink, tar, candle wax and chewing gum or oil-based stains like lipstick and olive oil, consult with your manufacturer’s guidelines for specific cleaning instructions.
