If you own a laminate floor, there is no way you are not familiar with the hassle of cleaning it in a traditional way. Although not as harmless as other impurities, footprints do have their disadvantages, especially on laminate floors. The reason for this is the presence of small grooves on its surface, which enhances the difficulty level for cleaning. However, this article offers a detailed guide on how to prevent footprints on laminate floors through mineral spirits and water followed by dry cleaning or vinegar solution.
How to Prevent Footprints on Laminate Floor
There are a variety of methods that you can follow on a regular basis to prevent footprints on a laminate floor, including cleaning on a regular basis using a vacuum cleaner followed by mopping using the finest mop for laminate floors, mineral spirits, and water. The use of these techniques can reduce the problem to a great extent and offer remarkable output.
Tip 1: Cleaning on Regular Basis using Vacuum Cleaner
The first tip involves the cleaning of your laminate floor. Most of us often neglect the importance of regular maintenance and end up creating a hassle for ourselves in the long term. If it seems difficult to clean regularly, you must clean it on a weekly basis to prevent dust build-up that might be challenging to remove. We prefer using a vacuum cleaner for the process due to its user-friendliness and time-efficiency.
Furthermore, it will help you loosen the dirt build-up on the floor while preventing scratches, which is a concern for the majority of users. You just need to use the vacuum once on the floor to get the job done without the use of any chemicals in the process. However, there are exceptions to this rule as well. Never use a vacuum on wet or oily floors, or you will have to deal with the negative consequences of this as well. Remember to always vacuum the dry debris and dust from the laminate floor.
Tip 2: Mopping the Floors Using Mineral Spirit and Water
The second technique involves regularly mopping the floor. Do not underestimate the advantages of mopping. It can rapidly remove and prevent the daily footprints from forming a laminate floor. You have a variety of options when it comes to mopping, including wet and dry mop. A wet mop is essential for a wet floor that cannot be cleaned with a vacuum cleaner. In contrast, for daily dust, it is advised to go for a dry mop.
You can also use a combination of a wet and dry mop in this regard to get the job done. Moreover, we recommend using warm water for this purpose as it will help in the better removal of oil and grease as compared to cold water. Another advantage of warm water is its ability to kill microscopic organisms such as bacteria. Besides this, more specialized cleaning solutions can be used or created at home for the prevention of footprint buildup.
It is recommended to create a mixture of mineral solution in a 1:1 ratio and use a mopping tool to mop the floor with it. Similarly, use a dry cleaning towel over the mopped region for extraordinary results. Keep repeating the process until the whole flooring surface is covered. It will dramatically reduce the formation of footprints on your newly polished floor – see more of amazing floor polish.
How to Clean the Footprints on the Laminate Floor?
Cleaning a floor is different from preventing the formation of footprints. Cleaning will remove the existing footprints, but it will not stop the future footprints from building up on the flooring surface. Contrarily, prevention helps prevent the potential formation and will relieve you from such worries for the whole day.
The methods discussed above are beneficial for the prevention of footprints and can clean the existing ones during the process. For more specific cleaning on a daily basis and for the removal of long-term build-up, below mentioned steps could be followed.
Step 1: Dry Cleaning and Sweeping
Dry cleaning is mostly carried out in areas where no liquid or greasy substance is present on the floor. Similarly, sweeping is ideal for prints that aren’t extremely old. You can carry out vacuuming and sweeping on a daily basis to clean the formation of newly built prints from a variety of flooring materials.
Sweeping can be carried out with both wet and dry mop and is a cost and performance-efficient solution to most of your problems. As mentioned earlier, warm water displays better efficiency in removing dirt and debris as compared to cold water and is highly recommended for use in this regard.
Step 2: Use of Vinegar Solution
The use of vinegar is perfect for stubborn footprints and dust buildup that has stayed on your floor for a while and is extremely difficult to clean. Such marks can be challenging to remove and do not come off with a regular mop or warm water. If the previous methods are not working for you, I advise following the below-mentioned technique to remove stubborn footprints from a variety of surfaces.
You would need vinegar, water, a cleaning cloth, a bucket, and a mop for this purpose. Afterward, add a cup of vinegar to a bucket of water and mix it well. Warm water is preferred for the formation of solutions due to its remarkable abilities. After the solution is prepared, dip the cleaning cloth in it and get rid of excess water by gently squeezing it. Rub the cloth on the floor gently to remove the dirt particles. Let the floor try and repeat the process until the marks have been successfully removed.
Additional Tips
Following are some additional tips that can be followed for incredible results.
- It is advised to use less water on a laminated floor as excess water might damage it to a great extent. Even when mopping the flooring surfaces, it is advised to properly squeeze the mopping cloth to get the excess water out of it.
- Then, gently rub the cloth on the marks to wipe them. Remember to never use water on unsealed hardwood floors. The use of water on such materials will damage them to a great extent.
- Similarly, avoid the use of oil-based ingredients on sealed floors and always dry the floor completely after cleaning it with water or other solution.
- Never leave a wet floor, especially those that have a polyurethane coating.
- Use a soft dry cloth for drying purposes to prevent the floor from scratching.
Related Laminate Floor Guides: How to clean waterproof laminate floors | How to shine Laminate floors
Frequently Asked Questions
Negligence in the regular maintenance of the laminated floor will lead to dirt build-up on the surface and will make it appear dirty. Furthermore, such substances have small grooves on their surface, which makes it difficult to clean them. In order to avoid that, it is recommended to regularly clean the surface and use the mineral spirit solution to prevent the formation of dirty footprints.
As mentioned earlier, it is advised to avoid the use of water on the laminate floor as it might damage the polish. However, a small amount of warm water can be used for mopping on a regular basis. It will not only clean daily dirt but will also help in the removal of microorganisms. But, make sure to dry the floor after mopping completely. Alternatively, you can also use vinegar solution for this purpose.
It is advised to use a dry cloth, preferably a microfiber cloth, to dry the floor. Buff in sections for better efficiency. This will help in better cleaning of the material and will leave a shiny surface behind. Buffing can help rejuvenate a laminate floor while adding extra shine and luster to it. Hence, it is highly recommended once in a while.
Both sweeping and vacuuming have their advantages and disadvantages. The performance of both depends on the requirement of consumers and the place of use. However, for hard floors, the use of a broom might contribute to excessive airborne dust. This is mostly not the case with vacuuming, which can trap all the dust inside the system and is highly useful for asthma and allergy sufferers.
Wrapping Up
The presence of grooves might make it difficult to clean your laminate floor. This, coupled with our own negligence, might contribute to the build-up of stubborn footprints on the flooring surface. In order to avoid such situations, it is recommended to mop the surface with a mineral spirit solution. Mineral spirit solution prevents the formation of footprints to a great extent.
For cleaning, it is advised to vacuum the floor and then mop it with a vinegar solution for effective results. Similarly, prevent the use of water on the hard floor, especially if they are unsealed, to avoid unwanted damage to its surface. Lastly, oil-based products must be avoided on sealed floors for extraordinary results and best performance outcomes on a daily basis.
