Laminate Flooring Care and Maintenance

Since the inception of laminate flooring, ease of maintenance has been one of its largest assets. Due to the composition and construction of the product, as well as the extremely hard Aluminum Oxide wear layer, laminate flooring is perhaps the easiest type of flooring to maintain.

General daily maintenance requires vacuuming, sweeping and dust mopping. Several generic cleaning solutions are also available to clean laminate floors. Most major laminate flooring manufacturers also have their own cleaning kits with instructions, with each kit containing a terry cloth mop and a cleaning solution. It is very important that you follow the maintenance schedule of the product you purchase. Ask your retailer or manufacturer on the specifics of maintaining your floor. Virtually all of the warranties require a specific maintenance schedule be followed.

Here are some standard preventive maintenance tips:

• Place mats in front of sinks, stoves, and at all room entrances Â- with one on each side of doorways connecting to the outside world
• Place area rugs in high traffic areas
• Place felt protector pads under furniture feet
• Make sure chair casters are in good working order and kept clean
• When moving furniture, lift it rather than pushing or pulling it
• Maintain suitable temperature and humidity levels within the room
  Note: many manufacturers recommend an average temperature of 72°F and an average humidity level of 55% to maximize the flooring's dimensional stability

The following is a list of generic cleaning steps and cautions to observe when maintaining laminate flooring:

• Regularly sweep, vacuum or damp mop
  Note: only use a vacuum cleaner with a hard-floor attachment; when mopping, only use a lightly dampened mop Â- never wet mop or saturate the floor with water or cleaning products
• Spot clean as necessary with a lightly dampened cloth or a manufacturer approved cleaning product
  Note: do not use soaps, one-step floor products, abrasives, polishes, or wax; dry the floor thoroughly after damp cleaning
• Wipe up spills immediately
• Remove tough stains, like shoe polish, tar, oil, ink, crayon, or glue with nail polish remover (acetone)
• Remove candle wax and chewing gun by applying an ice pack to harden the material then carefully loosen it with a plastic scraper

Again, the proceeding information is generic and presented only as a guide. It cannot be overstressed that the manufacturer is the primary source for information on floor care and maintenance. Any damage resulting from failure to follow recommendations will not be covered under warranty.