How to care for laminate flooring in an apartment

How to care for laminate flooring in an apartment? Carefully. The most difficult thing is to get rid of the ancient Soviet habit of scrubbing, pouring water and rubbing it. The top film of the laminate is durable, but will not withstand the constant pressure of aggressive chemicals and an iron brush. Therefore - more tender, more patient.

Daily care

In order for the laminate in the apartment to serve for many years, you do not need to disturb it once again. A simple vacuum cleaner with a soft nozzle is suitable for daily cleaning. A standard brush does not work, it can leave scratches on the surface. The steam nozzle is also not an option. A powerful jet of steam at constant pressure perfectly damages the acrylic film of the upper layer and penetrates remarkably into the technological gaps between the panels during cleaning.

There is no desire every day to pull out a vacuum cleaner and clean the floors in the whole apartment? Well, who canceled the good old broom? In order not to chase dust throughout the apartment with a whisk, you just need to wrap a damp cloth on a broom and carefully collect dust particles.

Tip. Do not use a washing vacuum cleaner to care for the laminate. It leaves behind a lot of water, which can damage the coating.

And if you can’t wait to wash the laminate

The Soviet habit with the effort to scrub surfaces during cleaning haunts? Hands itching to wash the laminate with a generous portion of water with washing powder? Then it’s easier to immediately remove everything and drag it to the trash.

Even a moisture resistant laminate must not be filled with water. But wipe twice a week with a well wrung out damp cloth or soft rags - you even need to. It is advisable to take either clean water or a special alcohol-containing product as recommended by the manufacturer.

By the way, the water should be at room temperature, maybe a little warmer. But by no means hot!

Tip. It is strictly forbidden to use any soap! It is an alkali, albeit soft. To spoil a covering - three rubbing with soapy water is enough. The same applies to cleaning powders. Abrasives scratch the acrylic film very well. Of course, the acid so beloved by many housewives should also be temporarily forgotten.

If scratches do appear ...

Sometimes, even with all the precautions, abrasions and scratches appear on the top coating of the laminate. Woe-craftsmen on the Internet strongly recommend trying to clean such places with an ordinary school eraser. And what does it give? Besides the fact that there will be even more teasing on the panels?

Other "masters" suggest using a flannel rag with olive oil. Say, smeared, rubbed thoroughly and ready!

Only here the laminate is not parquet at all, which is saved with oil. Who will clean the greasy oil stain from the panel?

Laminate manufacturers have long come up with methods for repairing it. Shallow teases are masked with wax pencils, then polished.

Large chips and deep scratches are restored with acrylic putty. After drying, a special colored paste is applied. Then carefully clean and apply acrylic varnish.

And further. No matter how spectacular this movie looks, you don’t have to walk on this floor in heels and in street shoes. Otherwise, you’ll have to crawl on your knees, covering up scratches. The same applies to wet legs after a shower or applying creams to the feet. Extra spots from bare feet - do you need it?

Tip. If the above funds are not at hand, and a chip on the floor catches the eye, then there is another method. True, for him you need to have at least some skills in laying laminate boards. A panel with a scratch is removed under the furniture, and an undamaged one is put in its place. Just swap places.

Than to wash a laminate

A cloth made of microfiber fabric is most optimal when caring for a laminate. When buying, you definitely need to touch it with your hands, because microfiber can be of different densities. Hard not to take!

It is strongly not recommended to use a sponge for washing dishes. The reverse side is always rough, and these are inevitable scratches. At first they will not be visible, then dust will accumulate in them more and more. As a result, an ugly matte coating will appear.

A metal washcloth, a brush with a hard pile, a rough household rag - forget forever when approaching the laminate! From such cleaning tools, the boards are compressed in horror, wrinkle and tear away the colored coating.

Tip. How to determine - is the fabric suitable for cleaning? Very simple: to draw her along the inner bend of the elbow. Unpleasant? So put off. Feeling soft? Arms and go!

Specific spots

How to care for laminate flooring in an apartment? Yes, no matter how you take care, ordinary people live in the apartment. Something happens and they spill something, drop it, children can accidentally paint it, guests come. Do not ask everyone to stop breathing towards the floor.

First of all, when any liquid is spilled on the flooring, it is necessary to collect this liquid as soon as possible so that the coating does not swell in the future. And then dance on the nature of the resulting spot:

1. For universal cleaning, a solution of ordinary white vinegar 9% in water is suitable. Proportion 1 to 5.
2. Traces of felt-tip pens, varnishes, lipstick, ink, markers are perfectly removed if the stain is gently wiped with a soft cloth with acetone.
3. Gum or candle wax stuck? First, cool the damage with a piece of ice, then carefully remove it. You can use a wooden spatula - so less harm. If, however, the coating is damaged, then there are special coloring pencils.
4. Drop the food, have a greasy stain left? You will have to look for a detergent with a neutral acid-base balance. Anyway, it is useful on the farm.
5. Cream, glue, chocolate, blood, juices practically do not leave spots on the laminate, if they are removed immediately when they appear. Older spots will require the intervention of only a special detergent and the patient's neat, patient hands.

An ordinary white spirit copes well with spots on the floor. Just do not leave it on the surface for more than five minutes. Gently rub quickly, wipe off the residue with a damp cloth, wipe it dry immediately with a soft cloth.

Tip. Before removing any stain, you need to try how the laminate reacts to the cleanser. It is advisable to do this in an inconspicuous place. Ideally - under the furniture. At least nobody will see the damage there.

The subtleties of care

1. Wipe boards with wet cleaning should be strictly longitudinal to the panels. So there will be less stains and scratches, if suddenly there is a grain of sand on a rag.
2. Speaking of sand. If you put a rug with a high pile at the entrance to the apartment, then dirt and sand will remain on it. So the laminate will be less scratched.
3. Do not polish floors with wax or rub to a shine. The topcoat itself is fairly smooth, even if matte. And after rubbing it will become simply traumatic.
4. Any detergents are undesirable to use often. Once a month is enough. On the remaining days, there will be enough clean water.
5. For an apartment, it is better to choose polished boards. Matte look more spectacular, but caring for them is much more difficult.
6. Sometimes, even if the floor is washed with plain water, stains remain in the panel drawing. So it was necessary to change the water to clean more often, and after washing it is recommended to wipe the boards dry. Naturally soft with a clean cloth.
7. Do not use ammonia when cleaning the panels. Instead of the expected gloss, ammonia will dissolve the protective acrylic coating.
8. When purchasing a new laminate care product, you should always try it on an inconspicuous area.If everything is normal, then you can wash the coating everywhere. You never know what manufacturers write there! What if this particular type of laminate is very moody?
9. Felt or cork glued to furniture legs will allow a laminate to decorate a house for more than a dozen years without abrasion.
10. To be sure that after cleaning the laminate will remain alive, it is better to play it safe and purchase a special tool. It costs a little more than ordinary cleaning fluid. But compared with the new overlap of chemical spoiled floors, this waste is mere pennies.

Tip. It is sometimes useful to read what is written on the packaging of the panels by the manufacturer. It happens that there are specifically indicated the necessary care products, useful recommendations and other important little things.

Laminate is a fairly durable coating, if properly looked after. Of course, you don’t need to be afraid to breathe on the floors, but hard brushing with an iron brush is also unnecessary.

Video: how to wash a laminate without streaks