Flooring is an essential feature of every home. It’s part of your life as you walk through your days – barefoot, socked, and shod.

With so much daily activity, learning how to maintain your floors is key to a beautiful home. Most new homes come standard with laminate flooring. While it looks like hardwood, laminate is more cost effective, easier to install, and simpler to look after in the long run.

So, what does it take to ensure the cleanliness and longevity of laminate floors? Regular vacuuming each week is suggested by Good Housekeeping. Depending on the type of vacuum you own, make sure the rotating brush function is turned off so it doesn’t scratch the floor (if you have hardwood floors, this applies as well).

For a deep clean, use a damp mop once a month with specialty cleaning solutions designed for laminate flooring. As an alternative, more eco-friendly option, explore some homemade cleaning solutions.

Laminate Don’ts

Generally, when cleaning, our instincts say water and soap will do the job. But laminate floors don’t love a lot of water. Water seeps through cracks in the laminate pieces, which can cause water buildup and damage the bases beneath the floor.

Steam mops are also a big no. It can be tempting to use a steam mop for the extra floor conditioning, but steam can result in uneven colour tones of the floor boards.

Learn more about what’s not recommended when it comes to laminate floor cleaning.