The Floor Room guide to looking after your laminate floor

One of the reasons we love laminate is because it’s so low maintenance, but can still look high end. Just a little extra care will let your keep your floor looking as on trend for longer.

Laminate really is an easy care floor. A daily sweep, or vacuum with a hard flood attachment, will see off dirt and dust. Wash your floor with a well-wrung mop every week to keep it looking fresh.
Spot clean small spills with a damp cloth and mop up any residue with a dry cloth afterwards.

Three easy tips for keeping your laminate looking great

1. Sweep often with a soft broom or dry microfibre mop to get to any dirt before it can be trodden into your floor and scratch your floor.
2. Use a well wrung or damp mop to wipe up spills. A little diluted white vinegar will bring back the shine if your floor looks dull.
3. Use doormats and consider leaving shoes at the door. The less dirt you bring inside, the less dirt you need to deal with on your fabulous new floor.

Do

• Vacuum often
• Sweep with a soft broom
• Rotate your furniture if you can
• Put mats and rugs at doors  
• Place pads under furniture legs

Don't

• Use too much water to clean
• Use abrasive cleaners
• Let puddles soak in
• Overexpose to direct sunlight
• Drag furniture around 

Always check the label of any cleaning products to make sure they’re safe to use on your laminate floor.

Otherwise, you can use a DIY solution of 250ml white vinegar in 4.5 litre bucket of water. Mop using this solution, always make sure you wring the mop out before you use it on your floor, laminate is not waterproof so getting it too wet could cause damage and discolouration  Let your floor dry before anyone walks on it.
We don’t recommend using a damp mop on floors with bevelled edges, as dirt can get pushed into the grooves between planks and build up over time.

When you need to clean your floor more thoroughly, you can use specialist cleaning fluids. Always check the label to make sure they are safe to use on your laminate floor.

How to remove food stains from laminate floor

1. Mix up s 1:10 ratio of washing up liquid and water, apply to the stain
2. Rub it in gently with a clean cloth
3. Leave to dry thoroughly
4. If it doesn’t lift, mix of 125ml ammonia with 5L of water and apply to the stain 
5. Leave for 10 minutes
6. Gently scrub with a soft-bristled brush, a toothbrush works well
7. Rinse with clean water and  wipe dry

If it still doesn’t lift, increase the ratio of ammonia to water by half and try again.

How to remove shoe scuffs from laminate floor

1. Wipe the scuff with a wet sponge
2. Use rubber eraser along the grain of the wood. Don’t use a plastic or gritty eraser as they could damage your wood floor
3. Repeat until the scuff is gone

If you need more power, you can buy specialist scuff erasers at a DIY shop

How to remove chewing gum from laminate floor

1. Step away! Let it harden first
2. Carefully scrape it off with a plastic scraper
3. Wipe clean with a damp cloth

These steps will deal with dropped candle wax too!

You know how to keep it clean and get rid of common stains and marks, now find out to maintain and protect the life of you laminate floor.

Protect from moisture

A laminate floor can handle a damp mop but it really doesn’t like getting wet. Never use too much water to clean your laminate floor and mop up spills quickly so they don’t soak in.

Protect from dents and scratches

Avoid abrasive cleaners, use doormats and consider leaving shoes at the door to avoid dragging any gravel or small stones onto your laminate floor.

Bring back the shine

Your laminate floor is bound to dull over time, but you can bring back its lustre with white vinegar diluted with water or a specialist floor shiner. Be careful, the floor could feel a bit slippery afterwards if you’ve got used to a duller floor!

Laminate is tough and can handle everyday life, but you might have to deal with a scratch on your laminate floor at some point.

First check how bad the damage is. Is it a light, surface scratch or is it deeper? You can deal with surface scratches with specialist pencils or markers. For deeper scratches and dents you need to use putty or wax.

Filling deep scratches on your laminate floor

1. Clean the floor with your usual broom or vacuum attachment, then give it an extra sweep with a microfibre broom or cloth to pick up any last trace of dust.
2. Apply the specialist product by following the instructions that come with it.
3. Buff the scratch with a soft cloth
4. Wipe clean

If you look after your laminate, it’ll stay looking good for a long time. However, nothing lasts forever. If the time has come for a new laminate floor, now’s your chance to give your room a lift!

Read our laminate buying guide, then start planning your dream floor with a look through our collection of next-level laminate.

Free laminate samples launching October 2023

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Our guide to buying laminate