Best way to clean wood laminate floors?

[Dunkopf]

We have wood laminate. It's like a really dense fiber wood mixture with a printed film on it and a very very tough clear coating,. Not a urethane. Just like pergo in other words. Ruins a saw blade real well with the coating. They recommend to use a glue type sealer on the locking edges if used in a wet situation like kitchen or bathroom. We don't clean ours. Just sweep it. Vinegar left a film and the stuff made for it cost too much.

 

[Rammy]

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[Rammy]

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[georgialee]

After being completely disgusted with the film left on my floors from various cleaners I bought a shark steam n vac. I LOVE it. The floors no longer feel sticky after I mop and it gets them super clean. I highly recommend it.

 

[mercedes]

Quote:
Hmm, that's interesting. My ex husband did (does) hardwood flooring for a living also, has for many years, and he always suggested vinegar to his customers. I have always used it with no problems. Not straight of course, but very diluted in water and with a well wrung mop. Rammy, the only other thing I was going to suggest would be Murphy's Oil Soap, but it sounds like you've already tried that. Sorry, I got nothing then!

Ive done the Murphys also when out of vinegar. I like the smell. But I may start using it or the Dawn to wash them or even try getting that Swiffer stuff and see if that works. I did mop them this morning, although I did not use the Dawn but Palmalive<sorry, thats all I had> and the floors DO look a little better. I then took a towel and "walked" it over the floor to get up the excess water. Seems to look a a little better.

When I first got the floors put in and did the vinegar, they looked great. Maybe its the constant traffic of animals in and out< I have three dogs and two indoor/outdoor cats>, plus me. <yes, they let me live here>.

Im just tired of constantly cleaning and it looks like I did nothing. I vaccuum at least three times a week because of the debris they and I drag in. I dont want people complaining about how my house smells or looks when they come in. I am totally embarrassed if the house smells because I forgot to clean the cat litter box.


When you are doing it all yourself, its overwhelming sometimes. I knew if I asked on here how to keep these dern<yes I spelled it that way on purpose> floors, I would get lots of suggestions, some of which I hadnt thought of, and of course, the wonderful BYC'er's came to the rescue!! Im thinking of posting floor pics.

Rammy

Ok,let me clarify,I don't do installation ,I own a cleaning service,residential and commercial,and have done this since 1991.Rammy, murphy's oil SOAP is very good also,keyword being soap,it's a cleaner like dawn or palmolive,unlike vinegar which is an acid.The reason vinegar works when the floor is new is because you don't have a build-up of dirt on the floor.Also your mop should not be so wet that it leaves excess water on the floor.The ideal mop, IMO,is the o cedar microfiber cloth mop.Just squeeze it out well and it mops and dries without leaving the floor wet or streaky.Why make it harder on yourself than it has to be?

 

[HarlansHollowFarms]

I have laminate floors and have found the best solution for removing dirt build up is a bucket with a cup of ammonia filled with water, 20+ terry cloth cleaning towels, and a pair of knee pads! Use a clean cloth each time one gets dirty and make sure it is wrung out well. For quick touch ups I use the Shark steamer!

I have 5 dogs and a husband that are constantly tracking in something so just using the Shark is not enough, I have to do the hands and knee thing once a week to keep the floors looking nice.

Good Luck!

 

[ladyride]

we use a steam mop on ours and i works good no dull finish or streaks just some vinegar in mop to clean it out once a week at most

 

[GiddyMoon]

BONA Floor Cleaner. Vacuum wood floor first, don't sweep, then spray the floor with the spray bottle and they have a special terry type cover for the mop end, flat like swiffer.
Costco has it. I find it at Flooring Stores, or on line. Human, animal and house friendly. Google it and then see where you can get it locally. VERY EASY. Very popular with the guys who finish the floors and the pre-finished floors.

I have to agree with this mop..and Bona cleaners are good too but expensive. I cleaned ultra expensive homes for over 10 years and this Bona mop was and still is my ultimate favorite. Ocedar makes one too but it isn't as heavy and the terry cloth elastic wraps are not as dense.

If you did have a laminate type flooring, the vinegar water will etch over time into that top coating, which takes away the shine. If you have actual wood, I have used beeswax orange oil mixes that work fantastic and I also would try the Murphy's Oil Soap, but you have to buff it real good to get a shine back.​

 

[Rammy]

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[brownlikewoah]

steam mop! we have the same thing and the shark is the only thing I've found that doesn't leave streaks or a residue. It is wonderful! We have had ours for about 2 years now with no issues, it cleans very well, and I love that there aren't any crazy chemicals used to clean the floors.