Laminate Care Rules
Laminate flooring is wonderful in every respect. It is environmentally friendly, beautiful, practical, affordable, goes well with all types of design and decoration. Therefore, it has become incredibly popular in recent years..
One of the indisputable advantages of laminate flooring is ease of maintenance. By remembering a few simple rules, you can learn how to properly care for the floor from the laminate, thereby prolonging its life. These rules are not many, in addition, the modern market provides an abundance of the latest tools to care for this amazing coating..
Content
- Laminate and laminate floors
- Climate Dependence
- Preventive Protection Measures
- Daily Laminate Care
- Cleaning the laminate from dirt
Laminate and laminate floors
When choosing a laminate for the floor, it is important to consider the purpose of the room for which it is purchased, since the performance characteristics of the coating depend on the group and class of the laminate.
Laminate is chosen in accordance with the purpose of the room
So, the 1st group includes laminated floors used in residential premises. The 2nd group of laminate flooring is used in offices. The most inexpensive are light flooring (under the beech). They have, as a rule, a smooth surface that requires more thorough care, since there are more traces on it and more often stains appear.
Laminate of darker colors (for example, oak) is more expensive and has a relief surface that mimics the structure of a tree. Such a laminate is characterized by greater wear resistance and strength..
The most expensive are laminate flooring that mimics the valuable wood parquet. They have the best performance, are less susceptible to moisture and have a longer service life. But no matter how high-quality the laminate is, proper care of it is of great importance for its safety.
Climate Dependence
The laminate does not tolerate fluctuations in temperature, it is sensitive to excess moisture, therefore it is most suitable for laying in bedrooms, children’s rooms, living rooms
The safety of the floor largely depends on the climatic conditions in the room. In a room with a laminate floor, the temperature should be maintained between +18 – + 23ºС. Humidity should not exceed 50-60%, which is good for health. It is these conditions that are optimal for the operation of the laminated coating, since at higher humidity the wood-particle layer of the laminate is prone to swelling, in general, like other wood materials.
If, however, high temperatures are combined with too low humidity (if there is a system of underfloor heating and when the air conditioner is operating), this will lead to shrinkage of the floor. Therefore, including heating, it would be nice to use humidifiers.
Preventive Protection Measures
Laminate is not granite, it is not so resistant to shock loads, abrasion and mechanical damage. Therefore, you need to try to protect the coating as much as possible from such influences, observing some “simple wisdom”.
In order to protect the laminate from dirt from the street getting on it (small pebbles, sand), as well as prevent other damage, you need to take some measures for this:
- put at the front door a bristled rug that will hold up large dirt;
- put the mat also indoors to re-wipe the shoes;
- do not walk on the laminate in shoes with sharp heels (generally it is advisable not to walk in shoes, but in soft slippers);
- prevent heavy and sharp objects from falling to the floor.
In order not to scratch the floor when moving the furniture, it is advisable to equip the legs with rubber wheels, fabric mini-covers or at least lay a thick fabric under them. This will prevent dents and scratches..
If, however, over time, minor scratches appear on the surface of the laminate floor, they can be eliminated with tinted pastes. If the laminate was damaged in a visible place, and there is no spare board, this element can be replaced with another identical one from under the bed, for example, or from under the cabinet.
Daily Laminate Care
To protect the laminate from premature aging and wear, its surface must be protected from dust, dirt, various layers.
Daily care for the laminate is a “dry” cleaning, mopping the floor with a slightly damp cloth is not recommended more often than once a week
To do this, you need to clean it daily with a broom or vacuum cleaner, carry out wet cleaning 1-2 times a week, taking into account some rules:
- the rag should not be wet but wet;
- water should be warm and clean;
- after wet cleaning is finished, wipe the floor again with a dry cloth.
Important! Do not use steam cleaners to care for the laminate. As a result of their action, the floor covering is inflated and peeled off.
Cleaning the laminate from dirt
Sometimes, after a happy holiday, food stains remain on the floor in the kitchen. Or a spilled cup of coffee can cause unpleasant chores, especially if the laminate is light. What to wash it in this case?
It is necessary to apply a special cleaning composition or spray to the stain and leave for a while so that the contamination dissolves. After that, the residual composition with contamination is removed with a damp soft cloth. If necessary, the action can be repeated. Cleaning products are sold in building department stores. It is better to purchase them in advance, so that at the right time are at hand.
To care for the laminate floor, you will need to purchase a special tool and a special brush with a soft nozzle
Attention! Never use “poisonous” chemical cleaners and abrasive materials to remove stains from the laminate.!
Stains from drinks with dyes, chocolate, berries, vegetable fats, cosmetics are removed with a well-absorbing damp cloth. You can use any means to care for the laminate for this, then wipe the coating with a dry cloth.
If chewing gum or wax from candles has stuck to the laminate floor (a familiar situation!), You will have to wait until the pollution hardens, and only then carefully remove it with a scraper, and cover the scratches with restoration paste.
Contamination is removed with a scraper, and scratches are repaired with repair paste.
To clean traces of felt-tip pens, pencils, ink, cigarettes, lipstick or shoe polish, you can use methyl alcohol or a home solvent.
It’s important to know! It is strictly forbidden to polish the laminate floor with wax, mastic or varnish! Such a procedure is unacceptable, since these substances form unpleasant blurry spots, which will then have to be removed using degreasing agents..
The surface of a polished laminate is much more difficult to scratch and stain than the surface of a material without polishing.
So, everyone who has laid laminate floors in the house should know that proper laminate care, including preventative measures and regular cleaning, will keep the floor in excellent condition throughout its entire service life.
