Nine Ways to Care for Laminate Flooring in Your Home
If you are searching for home builders in Utah County, consider working with a company that offers a variety of design options, especially if you prefer the benefits of laminate flooring. These tips on how to care for laminate flooring can ensure the beauty and longevity of your high-traffic surfaces.
Be Proactive With Spills
Spills can be part of everyday life if you have a busy household. The best way to deal with them is to soak up the liquid immediately so that it doesn’t have a chance to seep between the tiny cracks between floorboards. While cleaning, this can be done with non-abrasive, absorbent materials such as paper towels, a washcloth or a dry mop.
Sweep The Floors First
Before cleaning your laminate floors, it is vital first to sweep up particles such as dirt, dust, pet hair and other small fragments and granules. These can scratch the surface when you do the actual cleaning, which will dull the natural shine of the flooring planks.
Skip the Heat When Cleaning
Steam cleaning and hot mop water are not necessary for maintaining your laminate floors. The resin that binds together the materials the planks are made of can be weakened by high temperatures. Keeping the floors at room temperature can ensure that the wood particles and synthetic fibers in each piece of flooring remain tightly bound.
Don’t Use Harsh Cleaning Materials
Your floor’s natural shine can last a very long time if you skip cleaning with abrasive materials such as steel wool, stiff-bristled brushes, plastic scrubbing pads, vacuum cleaner brushes and powdered cleaners. These items can scratch the surface and diminish the polished look. Additionally, avoid oil- or ammonia-based cleaners and dish soap, which can leave behind a dull-looking film residue.
Use A Soft Material to Clean
A damp microfiber material to clean your floor after sweeping ensures that it maintains its original glow. Concentrated chemical cleaning products are unnecessary unless you encounter a stubborn scuff stain or scuff mark. In this case, glass cleaners such as Windex can be used sparingly on tough spots.
Use the Freeze Trick for Sticky Things
Floor blemishes caused by chewing gum and candle wax can be easily removed. The best way to do this is to first rub an ice cube on the area to “freeze” the gum or wax. Then, you can use a credit card or thin plastic spatula to scrape up the material with just a few strokes. Finally, you can polish the area with a microfiber cloth or towel and a few dabs of glass cleaner. This is an excellent trick for caring for your laminate flooring.
Make a Cleaning Solution That Works
You can quickly put together a homemade cleaning solution for tough spots and scuff marks. Simply combine one tablespoon of baking soda with water and mix thoroughly. Then, you can use this mixture to dampen a microfiber cloth or towels and scrub away the stains. Also, you can use a clean tennis ball, soaked with the baking soda solution first, to rub away most marks left behind by shoes and boots.
Mop Sparingly
Slightly warm water with approximately one teaspoon of dish soap per gallon or one cup of vinegar per bucket makes a perfect mopping solution. Routine, thorough cleanings like this are only necessary every couple of weeks, depending on how much traffic the area sees daily. When mopping, it is crucial to thoroughly wring out the mop before applying it to the surface to avoid excess water from accumulating and seeping through the tiny spaces between flooring planks.
Protect the Entrances
Laminate flooring areas adjacent to front and back doors can be maintained by placing welcome mats on the outside surface by the door and small area rugs on the inside landing. These simple steps can remove a large amount of dirt and dust from the bottom of shoes, preventing scratching up the shiny floor planks.
We hope you found these tips on how to care for laminate flooring helpful. If you have any other questions about flooring care or are interested in learning more about our new homes in Utah County, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Our team would be happy to help you choose the perfect flooring for your home and give you all the information you need to keep it looking beautiful for years to come. Thanks for reading!
Categorized in: DIY Project, Home Maintenance Tips, New Homes in Utah County
This post was written by Paige Giles
