Cleaning Wood Laminate Floors

**elphaba** · 08-11-2011, 03:31 PM

I've tried EVERYTHING!!!
Vinegar, water, ammonia, glass cleaner, Bona, special laminate floor cleaner....the list goes on!
Still I have streaky floors! It almost looks like an oily film. I had to give up my hardwood because we kept getting flooded and the laminate is much easier to uninstall/install should we need to. I love the look but trying to clean it is driving me crazy!!! It's a top-of-the-line laminate so you'd think it would be a snap to take care of. If I wash it and then painstakingly dry it with a towel, I can almost get it clean. Problem is, next day it's smeary again!! I sweep/vacuum every day and dust mop it regularly too! The smearing isn't just in the kitchen either; it's everywhere!!!

I have almost 2000 sq feet of this stuff to clean!!! Any advice???

**stinkbug** · 08-11-2011, 04:30 PM

Have you tried contacting the manufactorer? Maybe they would send a rep out to see if it's a flaw in the materials??

**elphaba** · 08-11-2011, 05:19 PM

Stink bug...Funny you should say that! This flooring is actually a replacement for a different laminate floor from the same manufacturer. The old floor was a wide, dark wood and showed ridiculous amounts of streaking and smearing no matter what I did. We had the company come and assess the situation and after a very long and not so pleasant ordeal, the company agreed to replace it. What I have now is actually the replacement floor. It's a lighter oak and much narrower boards but still streaky. This manufacturer is supposed to have awesome laminate but I'm starting to wonder!!

**lottaLove** · 08-11-2011, 06:15 PM

Have you tried a few squirts of dish detergent in warm water? That's what we use to clean ours, it stays streak free for a couple days then is full of fingerprints, footprints, animalprints, etc again. It looks terrible when the light from the window hits it at that point

Is the smearing things like fingerprints, or is it tracks from the mop?

**elphaba** · 08-11-2011, 06:54 PM

Originally Posted by lottaLove

Have you tried a few squirts of dish detergent in warm water? That's what we use to clean ours, it stays streak free for a couple days then is full of fingerprints, footprints, animalprints, etc again. It looks terrible when the light from the window hits it at that point

Is the smearing things like fingerprints, or is it tracks from the mop?

Both!! The smearing happens as soon as you walk on it...footprints etc. What kind of mop do you use?? I've tried about a dozen different kinds of mops...everything from a swiffer to chamois to special extra dry squeeze mops!! I think I have tried the dish soap solution to no avail. Worst part is my kitchen floor really needs to be cleaned, not just dusted. Plus with 2 kids at home, 2 dogs and 2 kitties I'd like to make sure the floors are kept as clean as possible. What I wouldn't give for my old Mannington kitchen floor. It always looked new!!

**NikoSan999** · 08-11-2011, 06:57 PM

I'm almost afraid to ask...do you mind saying who the manufacturer is?

**elphaba** · 08-11-2011, 07:05 PM

Berry. Suppose to be a good company. I've never seen any bad reviews. It's a European company and they're supposed to be the masters of laminate flooring.

**stinkbug** · 08-11-2011, 07:47 PM

I loved my Mannington floor too!!! I have hardwood now (maple) it's a PITA!

**wjcalderon** · 08-12-2011, 09:34 AM

Could it be that something you used in the past left a film of some sort on the floor?
I have hardwood floors.
I use Bruce Hardwood Floor Cleaner, but instead of spraying and mopping, I pour about a cup of the cleaner in a bucket of warm water (about a gallon). Then I mop with one of those Libman mops that has the strips of "fabric".
I've found that when I use the flat head mops that are made for hardwood floors, I get streaks and they don't get into the corners very well.
What I like best about the Libman mop is that you can easily rinse it in the bucket of water/cleaner periodically while you're cleaning and you can also remove the mop head and run it thru the washing machine when you're done.
That way I always start with a clean mop.

**Cricketlegs** · 08-12-2011, 11:05 AM

I have Pergo and they say water or vinegar water only and specify NO SWIFFER.

I mop mine with a damp washrag with water only and come back with a paper towel. Kind of a wash on wipe off karate kid technique.

Works great for me. Sure its a large area of kitchen dining and living and on my hands and knees but I think its fast and easy.

**Booklover** · 08-13-2011, 02:12 AM

I wash mine by hand (on hands and knees), with a solution of white vinegar, water, and a squirt of dish soap. I dry with an old towel or large rag immediately after I wash a patch of floor, because if you wait until you are done with the whole thing it is too late.

They are a lot of work, and they only look good for about 2 days before it all needs to be done again. However, those streaks in the sunlight make the rest of the house look bad, so I don't have a choice.

**elphaba** · 08-13-2011, 07:38 AM

Originally Posted by Booklover

I wash mine by hand (on hands and knees), with a solution of white vinegar, water, and a squirt of dish soap. I dry with an old towel or large rag immediately after I wash a patch of floor, because if you wait until you are done with the whole thing it is too late.

They are a lot of work, and they only look good for about 2 days before it all needs to be done again. However, those streaks in the sunlight make the rest of the house look bad, so I don't have a choice.

I was afraid this would be the answer!! I can get them fairly clean if I do this as well. It's just I have it in every room of my 2800 sq foot house!

**Booklover** · 08-13-2011, 08:26 AM

I feel for you-I really do. We only have 2000 sq. ft., and we have it in every room but the bathroom (which I still do by hand). My husband loved the look of it so much after he put it in one room that he just went through the whole house. It was a lot of work for him, but has been even more for me!

It is too much to do at once. I break it down and do some everyday so I am not having to do it all at once, because I am wiped out afterward. Of course, even with planning it doesn't always work, and I find I am getting resentful of these floors. But we invested too much into it, they DO make the house look nice and they are a good selling point. Sigh.

Here's the kicker-I went to my dermatologist last month to have an all over body scan (I have an area they are watching) and he said to me "It looks like you are developing eczema on your knees!" He was speechless for a moment went I told him it was from washing my floors by hand. I literally have washerwoman knees, and that's through jeans yet!

**NewLeaf** · 08-14-2011, 02:10 AM

I have Quickstep oak laminate floors in the entire house except my bathroom. About 1100 square feet of laminate. The only way they do not streak is if I use amonia in the water and then dry the floor w/ a towel afterwards. But, by the end of the day there are the streaks and footprints. Oh, well. I use a swiffer mop w/microfiber clothes or good old washclothes to mop with.
Like the flylady says "even imperfect housework blesses your family."

**mek42** · 08-16-2011, 11:10 PM

In case anyone reads this thread to make a purchase decision, we put in the DuPont brand with the built-in underlay and there is no streaking.

Do you have any scraps of the laminate you can play with various solvent systems to make sure the laminate won't get damaged? If so, if you have some sort of water-insoluble organic stuff as the problem, you might try acetone or hexanes. Both of these are very stinky and you don't want to breath in the fumes while using them in quantity. The good news is they're also very volatile, so leaving the house with windows open for a few hours after cleaning should allow the fumes to go away.

This probably isn't a practical answer, but I am a chemist and classes start next week, so I'm thinking chemically again.