Is It Safe To Steam Clean Laminate Flooring?

Installing laminate flooring is easy and, while maintaining it is usually equally simple, there are some instances where dirt becomes ingrained or tough to remove.

We all want our floors to stay clean and free from dirt as they can easily become one of the dirtiest areas of your home if not looked after properly, but there are certain methods of cleaning that work better than others.

Steam Cleaning Laminate

Your floor encounters large amounts of foot traffic from your family, guests and pets. Sometimes when a spill goes left unnoticed, they can harden, and it becomes more difficult to remove them.

Due to this, you may consider using a steam mop to clean your floor, but is your laminate floor steam friendly? The short answer is no.

None of the laminate flooring manufacturers recommend using a steam mop on laminate surfaces. The moisture released from the steam mop can loosen the layers of the laminate, making it tougher to use and potentially damaging your floor.

What Does Steam Do to Laminate Flooring?

Traditionally, steam cleaning is a really effective way of cleaning a floor as the heat and moisture loosen the dirt.

However, when you use a steam mop on laminate floors, the flooring absorbs the water. Because it’s usually made from a layer of fibre board, it swells and will eventually start to buckle. The primary problem, however, the moisture and heat damaging the adhesive that keeps all the layers of the laminate together.

There are options to choose a waterproof laminate floor in your home. These are more protected against steam cleaning, but it is still not recommended as the steam will often penetrate the material anyway and ultimately damage the floor – especially after repeated steam cleaning.

Laminate Cleaning Methods

Instead of a steam mop, you can make use of a lightly damp cloth or a special laminate floor solution to clean the floor. It is also recommended that you clean your laminate floor every day so that nothing hardens and gets stuck over time.

However, if using a steam mop is necessary, there are ways to do it. You should keep the mop moving and try not to press it down or let it settle in one place. Pressure or prolonged exposure allows the moisture to enter the flooring and loosen the grip between the layers. This can lead to damage to the inside of the laminate.

After using the steam mop, make sure that the area is completely dry to ensure there is no moisture remaining.

Laminate You Can Steam Clean

While we do not recommend using a steam mop on most of our laminate floors, the Quick-Step Impressive and Quick-Step Majestic floors are now rated for use with steam mops.

As an alternative to laminate, there are many Luxury Vinyl Tile flooring options that you can choose from. You will find them more durable and sturdier compared to laminate flooring when it comes to the use of water on the surface.

For more information on how to properly care for laminate flooring, or to find out what other flooring options are available, please get in touch today. You can contact us either by phone, email or by filling out the contact form on our site.