How and what is better to wash the laminate without streaks so that it shines at home
The appearance of the house depends on the condition of the floor, its cleanliness and maintenance. Simple wooden floors are a thing of the past. Now they offer modern coatings that are more difficult to maintain. And you can't do with water and a rag. If you always want to have a beautiful floor, you need to know how to wash laminate and with what, with which detergents.
Characteristics of laminate flooring
One of the most popular coatings is laminate. The floor is assembled from chipboard boards. Together they are fixed with a special lock, which reduces the space between the slats to a minimum. The connection between the parts of the laminate is the weak point of the coating. If moisture gets inside, the chip material will swell and the floor will drag or it will swell in bumps.
In expensive types of coatings, the gaps are sealed with a special wax, and the strips are impregnated with a water-repellent compound to protect them from damage.
How to wash properly
There are rules for cleaning the premises. Every day they sweep the floor, removing small debris, and wet surface treatment is required to clean the rooms from dust. And here you need to have special skills to perform the procedure neatly, without traces. It is important to choose special detergents and a cloth.
Pre-cleaning
Wet cleaning begins with cleaning laminate surfaces from coarse and fine debris accumulated in the corners of the room:
- Pieces of plastic, glass, plasticine, scattered by children, are collected with their hands.
- Free the floor from rugs, chairs.
- Brush dust from wallpaper, cobwebs from the ceiling.
- Vacuum upholstered furniture or go over fabrics with a steam cleaner.
- The laminate floor is swept or vacuumed.
It is only after cleaning the dust and debris that they begin to wash the floor.
Basic washing rules
Laminate floors do not wash like regular wooden floors. Yes, you need a bucket of water and a cloth, but the difference is in the amount of water and the quality of the cloth. Not all detergents can be used to moisten laminate floors.
Minimum amount of water
You can wash your laminate with minimal liquid. Enough up to 3-4 liters of clean water. Too hot can not be used, only slightly cooled. You will have to change the water several times because it gets dirty.
soft cloth
The amount of water that falls on the floor depends on the cloth. She needs to do push-ups well and not have a lot of moisture in her.Liquids dripping onto the laminate will cause the boards to become very wet and damaged. It is best to choose a microfiber cloth. Old t-shirts or parts of a sweatshirt will not work as they will leave marks on the surface.
Open the windows
After wet cleaning, it is important that the liquid evaporates more quickly from the surface of the laminate flooring. Therefore, it is necessary to open the windows in the warm season. In low season and rainy weather, you can turn on the fan for 15-20 minutes.
Special detergents
With the addition of detergents to the water, the condition of the floor, its appearance, improves. The release of special concentrates for washing laminate will not damage the surface, but will make it smooth and shiny.
Organic Mellerud
The tool easily withstands heavy soiling and grease stains. The surfaces are treated with a biological product after repair so that the laminate shines. The advantage of the product is considered to be the possession of water-repellent properties. With regular use, it creates a film on the coating that prevents the penetration of dust and dirt particles.
Emsal laminate
Product benefits include:
- high quality;
- safety, environmental friendliness;
- profitability.
Suitable for removing all types of dirt, acts gently on the surface of the laminate.
Pronto
It contains tall oil fatty acids and mild detergents that will make the laminate shine. Suitable for all types of floors. It can also wash the wooden surfaces of windows and doors.
H.G.
Recommend remedy for dirt, stains on laminate. Perfectly cleans the coating liquid.Stains should be rubbed with undiluted concentrate and then rinsed with clear water.
Laminol
If the floor is very dirty, wash it with a liquid alkaline concentrate. The use of the concentrate allows:
- soften the water;
- prevent the growth of bacteria;
- give shine to the floor;
- clean the coating without further washing with clear water.
The product is diluted in a ratio of 1:80, for general cleaning - 1:40. It is best to use the liquid with gloves or wash your hands thoroughly after using the solution.
Household detergents for floors
Conventional detergents are also used in the wet cleaning of laminate floors. You just need to choose those that act gently.
Mr.Clean
One of the popular universal cleaners used by housewives. After washing with it, a pleasant fresh smell remains, a clean floor without streaks, without streaks. The liquid is harmless, economical, although expensive.
Glorix
After adding liquid to water, no foam is formed. Thanks to its disinfectant effect, the washing concentrate makes the laminate shiny and perfectly clean. The downside is the pungent smell given off by the liquid. But it disappears quickly. Rubber gloves are used to work with the solution.
meine liebe
The tool is distinguished by its versatility. Gently cleans laminate and parquet surfaces. The product has a pleasant fragrance, as it contains sandalwood essential oil. It does not contain aggressive components such as chlorine, phosphates.
Luxus
Suitable for quick and efficient cleaning of laminate floors without damaging the coating structure. If you regularly wash your laminate with this product, you can prevent surface wear.
Grass
The safe formula of the concentrate is particularly suitable for laminate floors.The cleaning solution cleans the floor, leaving it shiny, smooth and plaque-free. The tool has a polishing effect.
Sarma
The liquid is released in order not only to make the floor clean, sparkling, but also to disinfect it 100%. In addition, the advantage of the product is its pleasant smell, delicacy of action.
vinegar solution
If it is not possible to buy an expensive chemical concentrate, you can wash the laminated strips with a damp cloth soaked in a solution of white vinegar. It is important here not to overdo it with acid. The composition should be increased to 3-9%. This is enough for 10 liters of water, only 200 milliliters. If you take 70% vinegar essence, you need to take 20 milliliters.
Double pass
Walking with a damp cloth on the floor will not suffice. First, wash with a detergent solution. After changing the water, wipe it with a clean cloth.
It is necessary to squeeze the fabric in order to leave a minimum of liquid on it. Wipe floor surfaces dry.
Hot water
For laminate floors, it is better to take water with a temperature of 40-50 degrees. It can be slightly warmer, so the laminate dries faster. Also, hot water won't appear on the floor, cold water certainly will.
Road
It is necessary to start cleaning the floor from the corners, the wall opposite the door. Carefully mop the floor, wipe the baseboards with your hands. End with a section before leaving the room.
Parallel to the boards
It is necessary to wipe the strips along, and not across, with a damp cloth. This will prevent white stripes from appearing on the floor.
Dry polishing
When the floor dries out a little, you need to polish it with a dry cloth.Thus, moisture will not penetrate into the gaps between the boards and the coating will remain intact. 1-2 times a year, the surfaces of the laminate are treated with polish.
Choose a cloth
The best cloth for laminate floors would be:
- soft, woolly;
- without buttons;
- hard wires.
It is worth allocating funds for the purchase of a special microfiber cloth. It is versatile and will not damage the floor. It can be worn over a mop. If the area of \u200b\u200bthe dwelling is large, then it is easier to clean with a special mop. It comes with a matching cloth.
Washing machine vacuum cleaner and steam cleaner
Vacuum cleaners have many benefits in addition to wet cleaning. But they rarely need to wash laminate floors, because moisture can get inside and spoil the appearance of the floor.
Wet cleaning with a steam cleaner is more effective because dirt can be removed better without damaging the laminate floor. The requirements for using the device are that the coating must be:
- no damage or large gaps between boards;
- oiled with special wax at the joints;
- under a protective layer of class 33 or 34.
When using household appliances, you must use them in accordance with the instructions.
What not to use
There are a number of prohibitions that are observed when wet washing laminate floors. You should know that some substances will damage the surface of the floor, and then it will be completely damaged.
Chlorine
The boards on the top floor are coated with acrylic lacquer, light or dark. If you add a lot of "Whiteness" containing chlorine to the water, you can ruin the coating.
acid and alkali
A high concentration of acetic acid acts aggressively on laminate floors.If you like to wash the floor with laundry soap, you need to add a little. The alkali in the soap can corrode the top film of the laminate.
Ammonia
Use ammonia to remove stains from wood floors. But for laminate floors it is better not to use this solution. It will be replaced by a modern detergent.
Polish
It is necessary to use polishing liquid rarely, no more than 2 times a year. If used frequently, more dust will accumulate on the floor.
Abrasive powders
Scratches will appear on the laminate floor when dirt or stains are cleaned with Pemolux powders. Cleaning pastes will damage the surfaces so the boards will need to be resharpened.
Very damp cloth
It is easy to spoil the coating if you wipe it with a cloth dampened with water. Excess water will seep under the laminate. Moisture will cause the wood chips to swell. It will be impossible to rectify the situation.
Recommendations
Professionals advise storing the laminate 1-2 times a week:
- washing with the addition of special detergents for floors;
- without the use of powders, pastes with abrasive particles, hard brushes;
- a cloth made of soft, absorbent fabrics;
- clean water without adding acid, high concentration alkali;
- twice, first with a damp cloth, then dry;
- manually or in rare cases with the connection of a vacuum cleaner and a steam cleaner.
Wet mop the floor as it gets dirty, but no less than once a week. Clean with a vacuum cleaner or broom every day. Dark coatings should be washed off so that there are no whitish spots and streaks, a cloudy coating on them.
Difficult cases
Floor stains appear in families with young children. And adults can drip green paint, iodine, wax from a candle on the floor. Then the damage must be repaired before washing the floor.
Zelenka
Try removing a fresh stain of brilliant green or iodine stain with a cloth soaked in an alcohol solution. Wipe thoroughly until completely removed. You can clean the stain with a 50/50 mixture of methyl alcohol and water.
Mold
Patches of mold cover the floor in damp areas such as baseboards. Carefully remove woolly greenish and whitish stains by wiping the floor dry. A mixture of 1 part salicylic acid and 4 parts wine vinegar will help. It is necessary to treat it with a solution of table salt (100 grams of salt per glass of water) in order to exclude the appearance of mold.
Dye
Wash stains with thinner or white spirit. Wipe gently, being careful not to touch the area next to the stain. Old dried paint can be gently wiped off with a scraper.
Glue
Treat glue droplets with a cloth soaked in gasoline or solvent. Place ice cubes on the spilled glue stain. The congealed mass will be easier to clean.
Candle wax, chewing gum
A bag of ice cubes is placed on the spots. Then the pieces of material are carefully scraped off.
Blood
The stains are immediately rubbed with cold water. After the procedure, it is carried out on the area with a dry cloth.
After renovation
Repair of the premises should be carried out with the protection of the laminate coating with film, newspapers. But particles of construction dust cover the laminate, no matter how hard they try to protect the floor from their penetration.It is necessary to immediately remove construction debris with a soft, dry brush. And wipe the laminate with a damp cloth, changing the water several times.
Fat
They fight grease stains with a mixture of washing powder, mixing it thoroughly with water. The oatmeal is stained, leaving it overnight. In the morning, rinse with lukewarm water. Dark laminate may leave a light stain that can be buffed out.
Old grease is removed with turpentine. They moisten the stain, then sprinkle with talc. Put blotting paper or a towel on top and iron it with a hot iron. If the stain does not disappear immediately, you must repeat the procedure.
Laminate maintenance
It is easy to maintain the natural surface. Necessary:
- Wipe daily with a dry cloth or sweep the surface of the floor with a soft brush.
- After wet cleaning, they pass again with a dry cloth along the slats.
- Refuse to walk on the floor in high heel shoes.
- Place a rug near the doors to prevent sand or dirt particles from scratching the floor. You can not lay carpets on a rubberized base, otherwise it will be difficult to remove the stains formed under them later.
- Immediately remove water and stains from the upholstery.
- Regularly check the condition of the central heating radiator valve to prevent possible leaks.
- Glue protective felt to the legs of the chair.
- Avoid painting the floor with varnish or paint.
If you follow the operation of the laminate, take care of the coating, then it will have to be changed less often.
Answers to questions
Many housewives ask questions related to the maintenance of laminate. The best thing to remember is:
- use detergents suitable for the surface to clean the floor;
- refuse to use “Belize” containing chlorine;
- dull plaque on the laminate can be removed by rubbing with a solution of water and vinegar;
- wipe the coating several times, first with a damp cloth, then with a dry cloth.
Do not use Domestos of household chemicals to wash the boards. This aggressive product will damage the floor covering. Heavily contaminated areas of the laminate should be washed several times with products specially designed for this type of floor.