Cleaning and care of laminate
Dust and woolly mice thrive on laminate magnificently. However, the popular flooring is water-shy and sensitive to scratches, so for cleaning and care a few tips should be heeded.
What is laminate?
Laminating means that several layers are glued together. The floor covering laminate consists in the underground usually of fiberboard from residual wood, which are pressed. A decoration is applied at the top. It may look like a wooden floor or comes with tile look therefore. The decorative paper is provided with a protective layer of synthetic resin. Care should be taken when cleaning, as too much moisture will swell the floor.
Suck or sweep?
Laminate with its electrostatic charge attracts dust magically, as is the case with monitors or stereos. The impression that laminate is more susceptible to dust than other floor coverings does not deceive. Therefore, sweeping is not so cheap, because a lot of dust is whirled up, which then settles elsewhere. If you just want to remove coarser dirt on a smaller area, you should pay attention to a soft broom. When vacuuming it is important to use the bristle nozzle and not the normal nozzle. It causes scratches, especially when rubbing stones or even smaller dirt particles such as sandpaper between the nozzle and the floor.
What is meant by foggy wiping?
Mist moisture meets you after extensive showering in the small room or with the door closed. The moisture then settles on the tiles or mirror. Mist wiping means that the cleaning cloth is only slightly moist.
Here on the portal, it is already recommended to wring a wet cloth to wipe it off, then wring it in a dry cloth and wring the two together again. Alternatively, a spray bottle can be taken for moistening. This actually uses little water. If you are not sure, the result waits: after three minutes, the soil should look dry again.
Which cleaning agents are suitable for laminate?
For light soiling, lukewarm water is sufficient without further addition of cleaners. If the floor is more heavily polluted or has spots, then there are laminate cleaners. They not only provide shine, but also seal the joints. In the dosage you can be economical, otherwise there are stripes and streaks. Incidentally, this also happens if you use special parquet agent for laminate, which forms a protective film or if you generally wipe with too hot water.
Treat laminate stains in a targeted manner
If all your precautions did not work? Do the new sneakers cause black streaks or does the toddler visit leave a mark on the laminate? The Association of European Producers of Laminates, EPLF for short, gives tips on how to deal with stains:
| Rubber abrasion, heel marks, road dirt, crayons, oil pastels | Brush dry, z. With white nylon sponge (pad) |
| Fruit, berries, milk, beer, wine, tea, lemonade | Immediately absorb with absorbent cloth. Wipe off dried with laminate or neutral detergent, rub dry. |
| Urine, blood | Immediately wipe with a damp cloth. Dry dry brush dry, wipe off adhesive with laminate or neutral detergent, rub dry. |
| Felt-tip pens, ink, ink, lipstick, carbon paper, nail varnish, shoe polish, varnish, oil, tar, dope | Carefully wipe with solvent-soaked cloth (low acetone, vinegar essence, universal thinner), only in the stained area. Observe safety regulations! |
| Chocolate, fat films, cooking oil | Laminate or neutral cleaner |
Source: EPLF, European Producers of Laminates
