There's a lot of misinformation out there on the World Wide Web
about how to care for and clean your laminate flooring,
and I know this is a pain point for you guys, especially that haze issue.
So I decided to take matters into my own hands
and get some answers directly from the source.
We're thorough here at Clean My Space,
so I am here in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in the heart
of Amish country at the Armstrong Flooring World Headquarters
to settle this cleaning quandary once and for all.
There are literally thousands of different styles and makes
of laminate flooring available on the market today.
But regardless of which type you have in your home, here are some tried
and tested tips and tricks to keep your laminate flooring in showroom shape.
Sweep and vacuum to remove debris.
The most valuable step is also the easiest.
Caring for your laminate floor starts with a regularly scheduled
sweeping or vacuuming. Debris left on the floor can get caught
underfoot or dragged around by a mop and cause scratches on the floor.
Remember to use a vacuum with a hard floor attachment and not the beater bar.
The frequency will depend on how messy the space gets
and how frequently it gets used.
But so long as you're mindful, your floors will look great.
Mop Properly.
Okay, my friends, here's where things get juicy.
First of all, using the right mop is crucial.
For laminate floors, they tell me a flathead microfiber mop is boss,
because it keeps moisture out and is the easiest way to use a spray product,
which brings me to my next point. Using a bucket filled with pine cleaners,
lemon cleaners, oil soap, bleach or ammonia-based cleaners
are not recommend for these floors because, you guessed it,
they don't leave a nice finish and can actually ruin the floor.
If you do want to clean your floor the way the manufacturer says to,
you have to use a properly formulated laminate floor cleaner
and those come in a spray bottle and are available at home centers
or flooring stores. When you do mop, make sure you mop
in the direction of the grain to avoid the appearance of streaks.
Hazy floor horrors!
Let's talk about one of the worst issues facing laminate floor owners --
the haze. It is the equivalent to a
cleaning horror movie. You clean and clean.
It just keeps reappearing, and it's practically impossible to get rid of.
So I corralled one of the top product people here at Armstrong
to help me with this very mysterious issue.
[Melissa] Marsha, hey. [Marsha] Hey.
Marketing Manager for Laminate Products here at Armstrong,
what is the cause of this haze?
[Marsha] You said it Melissa, it's the product.
You must use a laminate-approved product.
[Melissa] Okay. [Marsha] Nothing else. Those soaps,
the oils, the pine-based, you're going to get the haze.
That haze horror is just what's going to happen.
[Melissa] Interesting, guys. [Marsha] Yeah.
And so, is there anything we can do about the haze?
[Marsha] Not so much. Once you've got that haze,
it's going to be really hard to get off. What we would recommend is
that you use that laminate cleaner. [Melissa] Okay.
[Marsha] That's a spray. Use that microfiber mop.
[Melissa] Mm-hmm. [Marsha] And just keep working at it.
But unfortunately some damage may have been done by using those cleaners,
so it's important to do it right, right out of the gate.
[Melissa] Okay. That is really good advice.
[Marsha] Yes. Now about those mops, anything you want
to tell me about mops? [Marsha] Those mops, it's really important
to clean them very frequently. [Melissa] Mm-hmm.
[Marsha] But when you clean them, don't use fabric softener.
[Melissa] Ah. [Marsha] They don't need to smell pretty.
That fabric softener is just going to bring the haze back even if you're using
that laminate-approved product. [Melissa] Interesting.
[Marsha] So skip the fabric softener. [Melissa] And we know that about
microfiber cloths, because we don't wash them with fabric softener because that
fabric softener clogs the fibers and that totally screws up the
whole microfiber situation. Thanks, that was really helpful.
[Marsha] Thanks for asking.
Think ahead and protect your floor.
Protect your floor so that it will last and look gorgeous.
Dirt is brought into the house mostly by your shoes, so make sure you
have a good front doormat system. Now, we've covered this before,
but I'll quickly remind you, have one outdoor mat
and one indoor mat, and, of course, a no-shoes policy in the house is best
unless, of course, you're breaking in a new pair of shoes,
which I was doing a couple of videos ago.
I did see those comments guys, and that's why it happened.
Also, if you have furniture on the floor which needs to be moved
from time to time, use felt floor protectors.
Steer clear of waxes and polishes.
A laminate floor does not need to be waxed, polished, or refinished.
It was designed to be durable and look shiny, so long as you
take care of it properly. We'd like to thank the fine folks
at Armstrong Flooring for allowing us to crash their beautiful showroom
and film this video for you guys.
Our comment question this week is: What are your
flooring cleaning quandaries? Maybe you have tiles or hardwood or carpet
or vinyl or concrete or laminate. Whatever type of flooring you have, I want
to know what your floor cleaning questions are, so leave me a comment
in the comments section down below.
Show me your clean floor by tagging me or Chad
or all of us on Instagram. I'm @MelissaMaker.
He's @TheChadReynolds, and we are @CleanMySpace.
There's a button down there that let's me know you care.
So click it if you liked this video, and click this button right here
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on their journey to a cleaner life.
As always, thanks so much for watching, and we'll see you next time.
Well, here we are again at the end of another video.
This is the part of the video where I direct your attention
to a couple of other highly interesting and exciting cleaning videos
that I recommend you watch. Over to my left, your right,
you will find two such videos. The first one talks about a quick
and easy shower cleaning routine, and the second one talks about
how to rid your home of pet hair for good.
I hope you enjoy them, and we'll see you next week.