Installing laminate floors in the kitchen is not what everyone prefers doing. Laminate, though, looks similar to plastic but is formulated from melamine resin and fiberboard. 80% of these materials are natural, so they are not very good at tackling water.
Reason Laminate Flooring Is Unusual in Kitchen
Laminate flooring at least the standard, affordable and common ones are not waterproof. And the kitchen is that space where there will be water, moisture, humidity, vapor, grease, and all that jazz. So, it is rather wise for people to skip installing laminate floors in the kitchen area.
The laminate floors absorb water pretty quickly within and start getting affected due to the water. As a result, the edges start warping up, the sheen soon dulls down and makes the whole kitchen an ugly mess, filthy looking and unhygienic.
Make The Unusual Usual
Most people not being in favor of something doesn’t mean some cannot be different. Those who have laminate flooring in their kitchen must have got the concept of maintaining the flooring well. There are ways to preserve a laminate floor well amidst all the moisture, steam, and humidity in the kitchen.
We are here for you to share those ways, that too, with an elaborate discussion. How to clean kitchen laminate floors, ways to keep it clean, and much more, we have to offer. Following these tips, you can easily maintain your laminate floor, and you are not going to regret the day you decided to have it in your kitchen.
Never Skip Dusting
With daily dusting, you can keep your laminate flooring as new as when you fast entered your recently built house. Daily dusting is so effective that you can skip the mopping for up to two months. A kitchen laminate flooring might not provide you that privilege, but even a kitchen could be swept once a month if you continue daily dusting. Dust once in the morning and once in the evening. Then, ensure a quick dusting after the guests leave. These are a few steps that work the best in keeping the dust layers away from forming on the surface. No dust layers mean no scratches from the dirt particles. Also, you have no stuck-on dirt.
How to Clean Kitchen Laminate Floors?
Clean The Spills at Once
Just like the diligent dusting, you need to make sure to wipe and dry the spilled drink and food mess at once. Drinks have all types of ingredients to stain the floor and its moisture, after all. So wipe it the moment it touches the floor. Do the same thing when you have ended up dropping food on your laminate floor. The spices, the turmeric, the food color, everything is enough to stain a surface. Simply bring a terry cloth and wipe the mess. Then get the floor cleaner, DIY or shop-bought one, and apply the cleaner and wipe and dry the area. Cleaning that mess will take five minutes when it’s not dried yet. Once it dries, you are in a real mess, actually. So take prompt steps.
Cleaning Machine for Grease
Use a Laminate Floor Cleaning Machine to clean the surface, especially the grease. You will find such greasy areas in abundance in a kitchen. These machines are designed to clean the kitchen cabinets and floor without damaging the materials. Neither these will allow you to mop the laminate flooring with too much water or cleaning formula. So you are in full control of not using excess chemicals or water to sweep. Also, these machines have gentle microfiber pads and brushes, designed in such a way that no matter how vigorously you pass the cleaning machine over the grease, it will have zero scratches on it. Mopping once in a month with such a cleaning machine will be enough for the kitchen laminate floor to stay fresh and breathe for the next two months or at least till the following deep cleaning session with the ultra-effective cleaning machine.
Wet Mopping
We know wet mopping cannot be avoided totally. And our suggestion of not damp mopping the laminate flooring more than once in two months will not stop you from cleaning the dirt and grease from the kitchen. So, we proposed the cleaning machine because it works the best. Just like the cleaning machine, you have cleaning formulas available for sweeping your laminate floors as well. So, rather than wet mopping with plain water, mix a full cap of those laminate floor cleaning formulas in the water and sweep it clean from dirt and grease.
White Vinegar
If the cleaning machine is not for you, which we do not agree with, or a cleaning formula, just get regular white vinegar. This natural cleaning ingredient will safely clean the laminate floor. A full cap in one gallon of warm water, you have your own effective cleaning solution. Now let’s see how you can clean the laminate flooring with it.
Steps to Clean Laminate Floor
The first step is to be well aware. Stop roaming around with dirty shoes. Never walk on the kitchen laminate floor as well as in other rooms wearing wet shoes.
The next step is the ultimate, start with dusting. Take a broom or use a vacuum cleaner. Here we will plug for using a wet-dry vacuum cleaning machine. Save time investing in one.
When you are done dusting, get a bucket of warm water and mix a full cap of white vinegar in it. Now, get a mop and sink it in the bucket. You have to squeeze all the water from the mop.
It is not easy. But for a shiny, long-lasting laminate flooring, you need an almost dry mop. Now just sweep the floor with it. Every time you dampen the mop, make sure to wring the mop well.
You can pour the cleaning solution on the tough stains or stuck dirt and let it sit and work on it for 10-15 minutes. Scrub it with a microfiber-like scrubby pad or soft brush with nylon bristles.
Again, we will remind you it is not a powerful cleaning machine, cleaning formula, or once in a while deep cleaning that keeps a laminate floor clean and fresh. It’s the effort you put daily to keep it clean, and the proper steps you follow that conserve the laminate floors. We will always suggest you invest in a cleaning machine designed to clean laminate floors. That very machine will make all the tedious work easier, and you can always be sure of cleaning it the right way.