Laminate Floors

I don't know what you were told but I have had laminate floors for 15 years throughout my house. I mop them regularly with my non-toxic cleaner and they look great!

We have had laminate floors for over 1 year now, and this is what I do: I vacuum crumbs and dog hair with a Bissell stick vac. Then I have a Rubbermaid thing that I bought in the mop aisle at Target, kind of like the swiffer wet jet, but it has a microfiber pad and you use whatever cleaning solution you want. I use vinegar and water. It's easy and does a beautiful job on the floors, not streaky or anything. It sprays such a light mist and it gets wiped up right away, so I don't think it could damage the floors. I can't imagine getting the floor clean with no liquid.

I have laminate floors and a 3 year old. We spill stuff more than we don't. We just wipe it up then use pine-sol with a mop to get the sticky off.... I don't know if you have a special kind of floor but I would think if you cleaned it up ASAP & didn't let the liquid sit on it, it should be fine. Call the company that did the installing. Maybe Grandma heard it wrong... Maybe it was that you can't get it wet for the first 24 hours or something and she just forgot to mention that part. Good luck!

you can not let excess water sit on it or it will warp (like ours are now). you can wash it by hand though. Just use a damp sponge instead, just make sure there is no water just sitting on it when its done.

We spot-clean our laminate floors with water-dampened paper towels all the time. And we use the Bissell Steam Mop to do larger cleanings. We have never had any problem with the floors; no warping or softening or anything weird. I think ours are Armstrong Brand but I'm not sure, I would think most brands would be pretty much the same. I think you're just not supposed to soak down the laminate and then come back around and mop it up like you might do with a vinyl floor. If no water could get on the floor, everyone in America with laminate would be in bad shape because who doesn't spill some water once in a while?

You cannot use a WET mop because the stuff under the top layer is still wood. If any liquid got into that through the seams, it would ruin your floor! You can use a damp mop, but nothing where you actually pour water or have any dripping water on the floor. Steam is still forcing moisture into the floor. The floor cleaners are liquid, but are usually thicker than water and not as likely to seep into the seams and absorb into the wood. If you have any kind of warranty, you may void the terms if you clean it with any kind of water. Wipe up any spills as quickly as you can, and then clean it with a damp (not wet) cloth or wipe. Maintain by sweeping as often as you can.

We vacuum our floors and then clean with glass cleaner.

I've never heard the no water, that just doesn't make sense, especially for a floor. I would be careful when buying cleaners from the store. Laminate floors cannot have certain cleaners or they will develop a waxy buildup and leave a film on your floors.

I used to clean homes, and I would use a steaming hot wash rag- very well wrung so that the moisture would immediately steam off when cleaning the floors that were laminate. I wouldn't recommend the steamer as you r forcing moisture into the floor boards.

It's not that you can't use water on it... just don't pour water on it to "mop it". We have wood floors (not laminate), but my father owns a floor covering company. So... you can "spot clea" with a damp cloth, but you should really do "heavy cleaning" with a product that is safe for the flooring product. Most manufactureres sell the mop and cleaner as a combo.

** Be very careful using anything "steam related" b/c you do not want to force moisture under the flooring. Not only will you risk warping, but you will also increase the chances of mold growing under your floors!**

to my knowledge they are ok to use. we have laminate in our kitchen, dining, and living rooms and we were going to get one. it won't hurt for them to be wet you just don't want to leave them wet for a really long time...

vinegar and water works best to clean them...and cheap!

I have wood laminate flooring in my kitchen. Its not a good idea to clean the floors with a bucket of water and a mop because too much water can warp the floor. I use a swiffer mop on my floors and they always look clean and they are easy to clean too.

We just got our wood floors also and was told the same thing. I think this is because they want us to purchase the product to clean them from them. I have been using a diluted Pine Sol mixture and recently bought some Orange Glow to see how that works. It's not like I am soaking the floors with these products, i'm just damp mopping them.

I have laminate flooring in both of the spare rooms which my children occupy. NO water whatsoever on the flooring but what you can use is the laminate floor cleaner, which was recommended at the store. Is it liquid? Yes, but it is in a spray bottle, which you mist lightly over a small section at a time and use a soft cloth by hand or floor cleaner apparatus on a pole. You can use a wet swiffer cloth but it tends to dry out before the whole room is done, even when it's a small room. The spray I have is from Home Depot and it lasts a long time. Yes, it's a liquid, but you are not saturating the floor like you would if you were using a traditional mop with a bucket of water. I have also cleaned my laminate flooring with a small basin of water with a capful of Mr. Clean but I squeeze out the rag very well so there is NO dripping water (I do this by hand, sometimes for the closets because I can get into the smaller space that way). I honestly do not know if the steam is okay to use. Perhaps you should call the manufacturer of the floor that was installed.