If you want a timber look floor without the heavy cost of wood flooring, it’s hard to look past laminate flooring or floating floor boards. They’re so popular with the ever-increasing number of DIY enthusiasts as a low cost way to create a significant impact when doing a reno or flipping houses. But a word to the wise – if not cleaned properly, you will find yourself needing to pull them up, replace them and start all over again.
What are the DO’s and DON’Ts?
Understandably, people naturally use water when cleaning flooring surfaces, but the problem with laminate flooring is that water is its enemy! Moisture warps and weakens it.
Often the lamella is only 5mm thin and it has MDF backing. This is like chipboard so the slightest gap between planks, or unsealed edges, will cause it to swell, lift and buckle.
Even the innocent act of using a mop or squeegee can force moisture through the joins and is just asking for trouble! Like a Pantene commercial – it may not happen overnight, but it will happen! And sometimes it can go very wrong very quickly.
As professional floor cleaning specialists, we have attended a number of insurance claim jobs where home owners have found themselves in trouble from merely using a steam mop.
What can you do to care for your laminate flooring?
- Start by using a dust mop (think of a big, shaggy mop head, but rectangular in shape, with a long handle attached). Dust mops are made from microfibre material which attracts and holds on to dust particles.
- Once you’ve removed as much dry soiling as possible, apply a very light mist of floor cleaning product or metho.
- Dry mop the product to remove it, or if using metho, it will evaporate quickly.
- Be sure to attack small, manageable sections at a time.
Remember Rachel Hunter’s words of wisdom and don’t play cleaning roulette with your laminate floor – disaster may not happen overnight, but it WILL happen!
If you have any carpet cleaning or hard floor cleaning queries, or would just like some advice, feel free to contact our specialist team of technicians at Nice Threads Carpet Cleaning Townsville. We’re always happy to help!
