laminate flooring usually contains small grooves on its surface, making it quite challenging to clean the flooring and achieve a completely spotless surface.
Many homeowners struggle to clean laminate floors without streaks, and it’s no surprise why!
To get your laminate flooring completely spotless, you need a natural cleaning solution like vinegar solution or a tea-based cleaner, which should be applied to the floor and buffed in using a microfiber mop.
Your floor should be rid of any excess moisture and allowed to completely dry afterward; if you want to learn more about how to clean pergo, laminate or any type of floor without streaks, keep reading.
How to Clean Laminate Floors Without Streaks
Table of Contents
Choose a Streak-Free Cleaner
Using Vinegar Solution
Vinegar is a natural cleaner that creates fewer streaks and leaves no residue behind compared to commercial household cleaners.
Simply combine equal parts of white vinegar and distilled water mixture and transfer into a spray bottle.
You can apply a few drops of essential oil to the mix to mask the smell of vinegar, this solution can be stored for weeks, and it would still be effective; you only need to give the bottle a little shake before using.
Apple cider vinegar can be used as a substitute for distilled white vinegar, and it achieves a similar sanitizing effect.
Read: Homemade floor cleaner with olive oil
Using a Tea-Based Cleaner
Brew a single tea bag in a cup of water and allow the tea to cool down before transferring it into a spray bottle for application.
Give the mixture a little shake before applying it to the floor, and ensure to use up the entire solution immediately as it should not be stored.
Use Baby Shampoo
Fill up a spray bottle with warm water and one tablespoon of baby shampoo and give the bottle a good shake. Apply this solution lightly on the floor’s surface of your floor and allow to sit.
Use Baking Soda Paste
Certain stains like a food-based stain that is not properly cleaned up can also create streaks on your laminate floor.
So to address such specific stains or their residue you can use a paste made from baking soda and distilled water and apply it over the affected area. Allow it to sit for a few minutes before using a damp cloth to wipe it up.
Using Rubbing Alcohol
Use cotton ball to apply a bit of rubbing alcohol directly to a stain if you are dealing with a tough one. But avoid letting the alcohol sit for too long to prevent your coating from peeling up; this can cause your laminate floor to become dulled and create streaks.
An acetone-based nail polish remover can be used as a substitute for rubbing alcohol.
Related: How to clean floors with hydrogen peroxide
Spot Test the Cleaner of Choice
Before you go into your laminate floor with any cleaning solution whether natural or not, ensure to spot test the product on an inconspicuous area of the room.
Apply a small amount of your cleaning solution to a small area of the floor and look out for any reaction.
Check for dullness or any negative impact on the floor by the solution. If there isn’t any, you can proceed with using the solution.
Read: Easy homemade floor cleaner
Vacuum the Floor
Use your vacuum set to the bare floor setting; this ensures that the bender bar underneath the machine is not indirect contact with the floor’s surface.
Vacuum the floor along its grain and make a few passes over the room. You will need your vacuum attachments to enable you to clean any corner or crevice effectively.
Vacuuming thoroughly beforehand helps you to clean laminate floors without streaks as it minimizes the movement of dirt and grime on your floor, which creates streaks.
Apply the Cleaning Solution
Using a spray bottle or microfiber mop, start applying the cleaning solution from the farthest end of the room and have your back facing the rest of the room so that you walk backward while you spray the solution in front of you.
This prevents you from stepping on the freshly applied cleaning solution, which can leave footprints or other marks.
If using a microfiber mop to apply the cleaner, spray a bit of the cleaning solution onto the microfiber pads and work it into the floor or simply hold your spray bottle above the floor and mist the floor surface lightly.
Do not apply too much liquid on your floor; only make sure that it is damp but not soaking wet.
Mop the Floor
After applying the cleaner, use your mop to run through the floor using smooth, even movements and make straight strokes.
Use an even and controlled amount of pressure, so you do not scrub some areas harder than some, which could cause streaking.
Dry the Floor
After mopping the entire floor with the cleaning solution, go back into the floor with a microfiber cloth or mop pad and begin the drying process.
Ensure to clean up all the moisture left on the laminate, this minimizes the appearance of streaks, and you achieve a pristine surface when you properly buff your floor out after cleaning.
Read: How to fix laminate flooring that is lifting
Conclusion
Having discussed on how to clean laminate floors without streaks, Now you know you can clean laminate floors without streaks by using natural cleaners like vinegar or brewed tea. Whichever natural cleaner you opt for should be spot tested on an inconspicuous area of the floor before use.
Also, ensure to dry your floor thoroughly and give it a good buff with a microfiber cloth to achieve a pristine floor surface.
