I often hear from readers asking me how to clean laminate floors, and as usual, the best solution is much easier than you might think!
We installed laminate flooring in most of our main floor last spring and we’re still absolutely loving it. Definitely check out my posts on the how and the why of that whole process if you’re in the market for laminate floors, or if you currently have laminate floors and are thinking about switching them out for some new ones! Laminate is super durable and easy to live with, especially with pets and kids, but it can also be really finicky for some people, and it can seem downright inconvenient when it comes to keeping it clean in some situations. I get a lot of questions about how to clean laminate floors so I thought I’d better get to work and put together a little post on this subject. It really can be super simple to keep clean if you keep the whole cleaning process really, er, simple! 🙂
How to Clean Laminate Floors
Choose the Right Flooring
A lot of the issues that people come up against when they’re struggling to keep their laminate floors looking beautiful and clean come from having a type of laminate flooring in their home that isn’t really ideal for them. Laminate flooring has come a loooong way in the last 10 years or so and the new laminates are so much better than the ones that we used to see in houses 10 or 15 years ago. If you have older laminate, you can definitely still keep it clean and beautiful following the steps below, but if you’re in the market for new laminate, I would definitely recommend you look into getting something with a bit of a matte finish to it and something in a medium color. Our laminate really doesn’t show anything and that’s half the battle right there! Some of the darker, shinier flooring options look beautiful in the store but they require a lot of regular upkeep in a real-life home. So if you can go matte and medium, do it! For your sanity!
Remove Particles: Vacuum or Dust Mop
The first step in the actual cleaning process is to remove the dust and other particles, of course. Sweeping isn’t really ideal here because it will leave behind quite a bit that will just get smeared around later in the cleaning process. If you have dark floors, you’ll end up with a nightmare situation. A vacuum or a dust mop are really your best bets for getting a complete clean in this step. Or, better yet, a vacuum and then a dust mop if you’re really going for the gold here. {Vacuum available here}
I really love my dust mop. It picks up so much, I can toss it in the wash, and it only takes a few seconds of dust-mopping to make a big difference in the overall cleanliness of my floors.
Mop Sparingly
When it comes time to mop your floors and remove any spills or smudges that were left behind after your particle removing session, you want to keep it really really simple. You’re almost looking to mop as little as possible. When it comes to laminate flooring, you want to use as little liquid as possible, so stay away from soaking wet mops, steam cleaners, or power scrubbers of any type. This is pretty much exactly the opposite of what you want to do when you’re cleaning tile flooring. You always want to have a really light touch with cleaning solutions. Never apply a cleaning solution directly to the flooring as it may cause staining, always dilute your cleaning solution and then apply it to the mop first.
When it comes to a mop, I really love a mop that has a removable pad that you can wring out so it’s only very slightly wet. This kind of mop really grabs all the dirt, dust and spills and allows you to pick it up and rinse it away before making the next pass. You get the most mess removal with the smallest amount of water possible with this method and it works really well on a super-flat surface like laminate.
Honestly, you can get the same results using a sponge or a cloth, or even with the towel-on-the-floor-that-you-push-around-with-your-foot method but this particular mop that I use makes it really easy because it’s just freakishly easy to maneuver. I also like that it’s proven to remove almost all bacteria with just water, so that’s a little bonus with all of these little feet and paws running around here all the time. Use whichever works for you, just make sure you don’t over-water your floors! 🙂
Buff Them Dry if Necessary
This last step will only be necessary if you have the shinier floors, but definitely take a moment to buff/polish your floors so they’re completely dry once you’re done with all of your cleaning. This will remove any final visible streaks or smudges and will really make a difference. I’m lucky that my floors don’t show any of these streaks so I can really just mop and move on with my life, but if your floors are shiny, this will really make you feel like you’ve accomplished what you’re after with this whole cleaning process. {The cloth that I’m using in the photo is available here}
Have you discovered any little tricks that answer the question, how to clean laminate floors and help you keep your flooring extra clean? Definitely add them in to the comments below! We laminate flooring owners need to stick together on this! 🙂
If you found these tips on how to clean laminate floors helpful, check out my book The Cleaning Ninja for more helpful cleaning tricks, tips, and tactics!
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Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.