One of the most popular todayfloor coverings - laminate. It is more durable and aesthetically pleasing than linoleum, more modern and practical than parquet. That is why laminate is preferred when choosing floor coverings. And its price is quite reasonable. But unlike the same linoleum and parquet, known to us since Soviet times, laminate causes some concerns among housewives in the matter of caring for this floor covering that is still unfamiliar to us. However, everything is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. Caring for laminate is surprisingly simple, although it requires certain knowledge. One of the advantages of this covering can safely be called ease of cleaning, but mistakes in care affect its service life. Let's try to figure out how to care for a floor covered with laminate so that it lasts a long time and does not start to creak a few months after installation. To do this, you only need:
- clean every day;
- clean contamination correctly;
- use special detergents.
It is these aspects of laminate flooring care that we will consider.
What is a laminate?
Laminate is a floor covering that has a layered structure.structure. Its most vulnerable part is the top layer. This is a thin film that protects the wood panel from mechanical damage, ultraviolet rays and moisture. This is, in fact, the laminating layer, which is made of acrylic resin or melamine. In addition to protecting the laminate from external influences, this film has a dust-repellent property. Therefore, daily cleaning of the laminate floor is limited to using a vacuum cleaner. There is no need to wet clean every day due to the ambiguous water-repellent properties of the laminate. The fact is that for different rooms, manufacturers offer laminate with different degrees of water resistance. However, for example, in the bathroom or kitchen, it is advisable to lay laminate, where a wax coating is applied to the locking joint. This will help prevent water from getting into the seams between the laminated boards. And for rooms with a normal level of humidity, a less water-resistant coating is suitable, which should be wet cleaned no more than three times a week. However, you also need to wash the laminate correctly.
Washing and cleaning of laminate
How to care for your hardwood floorlaminated board, doing wet cleaning? Firstly, you can use only special household chemicals to wash the laminate. But this is only in cases where it is necessary to remove heavy dirt, such as, for example, traces of markers, lipstick or shoe polish, greasy and sweet food stains, glue, wax, chewing gum. Special products for washing laminate are marked accordingly, but in an emergency you can use any detergent with a neutral PH ratio and even acetone (only in small quantities!). How to remove different stains from laminate flooring? To do this, you must first apply the detergent to the stain and leave it for a few minutes. When the stain dissolves, clean it with a soft cloth moistened with clean water. Then wipe the cleaned surface dry. If there is a need to remove complex dirt, then use special or alternative products.
- For organic stains (juice, blood, fat, wine) use special or neutral cleaners.
- To remove synthetic or combined contaminants (ink, markers, shoe cream, lipstick), use acetone, methyl alcohol or Laminatclear or Loba.
- To clean the laminate from wax, glue orThe chewing gum is used by the scraper, but only after the drying or hardening of the cake is completely dry. After this, the laminate is treated with a restoring paste.
During routine cleaning, the laminate is wiped downwith a damp soft cloth without adding detergents, and then wipe it dry. The most important thing when washing laminate is to wring out the cloth well so that water does not flow into the seams between the boards. And for safe washing or cleaning of the laminate, in no case should you use abrasive, alkaline and acidic cleaning and washing agents, as well as very hard brushes or metal sponges. If scratches appear on the laminate, you must use special restorative (repair) compounds or a special paste. Such mini-repairs will allow you not only to disguise scratches, but actually restore the laminated coating. Therefore, in a house where there are small children, pets, heavy furniture or furniture on wheels, you must have a restorative paste that matches the color of the laminate.
Elimination of deformations
Laminate flooring is typically usedlong. But even such a modern and durable coating is subject to deformation. The first sign of deformation of a laminated board is a creaking sound when walking. Most often, the cause of the creaking sound is flaws in the installation of the laminate. And no one is immune from this. Laminate can soon after installation begin to creak and walk underfoot in new buildings, in houses with uneven floors, in case of violations of the installation technology and when choosing a low-quality or simply unsuitable underlay. But even in the absence of all these reasons, deformation of the laminate can be provoked by moisture getting into the joints between the boards and simply high humidity in the room. In addition to the creaking sound when walking on the laminate, it may develop swelling or dents from heavy furniture or impacts. Moreover, such deformation can occur both on a completely new coating and on one that has been in use for a long time. Most modern laminated coatings are installed using a locking connection. This makes it possible to eliminate the creaking by replacing the deformed boards. Laminate is simply dismantled in the place where the deformation occurred and replaced with new elements. Note that such a procedure can be carried out several times. If, after repairs, swelling appears in other places of the flooring, then in this case it is necessary to completely re-lay the laminate, having previously leveled the floor, replaced the underlay and deformed boards. For laminate with an adhesive joint, such a procedure is, in principle, possible, but more labor-intensive. Therefore, in order to avoid such incidents, it is necessary to properly care for the laminate and follow the technology when laying it.
Helpful Tips
- If a dent appeared on the laminate, which onlybreaks the aesthetic appearance of the coating. In this case, the damaged bar can be replaced by the whole, changing them by places. For example, take a board from an invisible site (under the sofa or under the bed).
- If a wax coating appeared on the laminate, thatpossibly due to the reaction of the protective film with some detergents. In this case, the laminate is wiped with water, diluted with a bite (for four liters of water - a glass of bite bite). The old plaque is pre-softened with a conventional hair dryer.
- Old dirt from scratches and texturehelp remove baking soda. It is diluted with water to a paste, applied to a contaminated area, and then wiped with a damp, clean cloth.
- To make the laminate shine use a composition made from one glass of water, one glass of vinegar, half a glass of lemon juice and a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid.
- Matte strips on the laminate are easy to remove with the help of a regular stationery eraser. The eraser just erases such strips and stains from the laminate.
- In rooms where the floor gets dirty very quickly (kitchen, hallway), for daily cleaning use a mixture of two tablespoons of baby shampoo and four liters of water.
Use these tips when cleaning andthen your laminate floor will always look neat, and the laminate will serve long and faithfully. Any housewife can take care of the laminate. Everything is in your hands! Good luck! We recommend reading:
