Laminate floors require very little effort on your part to shine. However, the little effort you’ll be putting into keeping the flooring’s natural allure and brightness needs to be deliberate and done often to prevent dirt from accumulating and dulling up the surface. One key to retaining your laminate floor’s shine is the type of cleaner that you use – not brand, just the type. The less chemicals used in cleaning, the more shiny and long lasting the floor will be. Below are some simple tips you can use to keep your laminate shining with a homemade laminate floor shiner.
Homemade Laminate Floor Shiner
Step 1. Vacuum
You want to get all of the dirt and dust off the floor before using a liquid cleaner. Remember that laminate floors are wooden and their shiny surfaces can make them get scratched easily – so be careful with the type of vacuum cleaner you use. Get a hard floor attachment, so you can clean scratch free. If you don’t have that attachment, you can always use a broom to get the dirt off.
Step 2. Choose Your Cleaner
Most commercial cleaners are either soap or oil based – bases that will cause product build up and ruin the shine on your laminate floor. Of course if you search diligently, you’ll probably find something made specifically for laminate floors, but they definitely won’t be as cheap as something you’d make yourself at home. Plus, you probably already have the ingredients at home to make this cleaner, so you may not have to spend a thing.
Ingredients
- Water – 1/2 cup
- White vinegar – 1/2 cup
- Rubbing alcohol – 1/2 cup
Mix all of them in a spray bottle. Check that the spray nozzle works, and voila! Your laminate floor cleaner is ready for use.
Step 3. Don’t Pour, Spray
Don’t forget that your floor is essentially wood – which hates water. Once you have your spray bottle filled with your homemade cleaning solution, you want to spray it lightly on one section of the floor (not all at once).
To determine the size of area to spray, just see how far you can reach with your mop, and spray that area. You want to spray just enough surface and mop it up immediately before the cleaner dries up. Also, try not to spray a surface you might get boxed in – if dried cleaners looks terrible, footprints look even worse.
Type Of Mop
You want to use a microfiber mop that has a flat head. Don’t use mops or sponges with harsh materials as they will either leave streaks while you’re mopping or be too damp.
Note that the idea behind using a spray bottle for your cleaner, is so you don’t use a bucket and a mop – that will just leave your floor damp. Once you’re done mopping, let the floor air dry for at least 30 mins – during which no one should walk on it.
Step 4. Buff The Floor
After the floor is dry, use a dry microfiber cloth to go over the entire floor – looking out for dull spots.
Preventive Measures To Ensure Your Homemade Laminate Floor Shiner Lasts
- Use A Floor Mat: This will catch dirt before it gets into your home. The less dirt gets dragged in, the less time you’ll need to spend cleaning. Too much cleaning can also reduce the natural shine of your laminate floor.
- Clean All Accidental Spills Immediately: Don’t allow water seep into your floor – that will often leave a permanent stain.
- Don’t Wax Or Polish Your Floor: You want to avoid oils as much as possible, because they’ll all cause dirt to build up
Next Steps
Maintaining the shine and luster of your laminate floors is crucial. In order to do so, you should be sure to regularly clean your floors and apply a homemade solution that will not only save you money, but will also effectively make your floors shine. The less chemicals that you put on your floors, the more long lasting and shiny they’ll be. This article went over how to make your own homemade laminate floor shiner so that you can easily shine your floors at home. Good luck!
