A lot of people don’t like mopping floors as they find it a tedious and difficult chore to do. This is especially true in the winters when we have to mop our floors several times. However, what if there was a better way to mop the floor without the hard work and without making the floors too wet. Steam mops are a popular choice for cleaning your floors. There is no doubt that they are effective, but are they worthwhile? Steam mops are a great way to clean floors. They can kill germs, remove dirt, and sanitize. However, there is a question of whether steam mops are safe to use on laminate floors or any other hard floor? People are worried that steam is harsh on laminate floors and can damage them. To answer this question, we will take a look at this blog regarding can I use steam mop on laminate floor?
What is laminate Laminate floor?
Laminate flooring is made up of materials that create a hard plastic intertwined with soft vinyl. The topmost layer has an HDF core that provides warmth, the photographic image (if applicable) brings it to life and finally a clear wear layer which is durable. These materials are bound together with heat fused into the topcoats creating an artwork-like finish and material set to protect your investment for years to come. The design concept behind laminate flooring is part of its durability feature. Other innovative features include the moisture barriers as well as core support layers comprised of natural wood or synthetic wood fibers which ensures easy assembly and undamaged floors without sacrificing structural integrity. Laminates, the composite floors that is mass-produced from the natural fibers, needs to be treated with the utmost care so as to not warp out of shape, loosen or get it start peeling away already before reaching what would be considered its expected lifetime. We advise against exposing laminates to extreme heat and moisture. Steam mops are also bad for laminates because they negatively affect their durability as well as voids their warranty when used on them.
Why using steam mop on laminate floor?
1) Steam mop uses less moisture
Steam powered mops put less moisture on the floor than wet mops and sticky, soapy water. With a wet mop, there’s often too much water left to wring out of it. The result? Water puddles, which can soak your laminate flooring for many hours at a time. Longer exposure to moisture creates the perfect conditions for damaging your floor: mold and rots surface layers; peeling and warping results in buckling or cracking; smells develop from bacteria that thrives when it has water to grow. Steam mops may seem like a great idea, but in most situations, they leave behind just as much water on your carpet or floor as the traditional sponge mop. Sponges and towels like those used with Steam Machines tend to work better for cleaning surfaces and will allow you to use less soap each time around.
2) Steam clean sanitize floor
The high temperatures into making create steam also provide flooring a ton of perks such as a deeper clean and the destruction of germs and other harmful bacteria. So, what is essentially happening here is that you stand up to something that cleans and sanitizes your healthy at one time. The amazing thing about this process is that unlike many traditional ways to clean floors, steaming usually calls for less amount of water or detergent in most cases. However, are the claims made by manufacturers of floating laminate floors accurate? The answer is not really. Even waterproof laminate flooring runs the risk of being damaged by the steam mop if not used cautiously resulting in serious burns or even a fire if the steam mop generates too much heat because there is no temperature control mechanism on most devices. Manufacturers like Armstrong Floors and Mohawk Floors who produce these laminate floors as well as many others claim that professional cleaning and maintenance should only be done with an industrial grade wet vacuum designed specifically for hardwood, vinyl and laminate floors. Flooring companies warn against using a steam device to clean or maintain their products because they see no need for it. To understand why they call it nonsense, we have to know how a steam mop works and what happens when you create steam with it.
FAQs
1) What is the best way to clean laminate flooring?
If you don’t have laminate floor cleaner, you can use a teaspoon of unscented clear dish soap in a gallon of water. This can either be done in a bucket or sprayed with a spray bottle. If using soapy water instead of store-bought cleaning products to protect the lamination, consider using less water than is normally recommended in case it starts leaking through the floors and into your house! A teaspoon of baby shampoo in a gallon of water will also work separately or together with your regular and altogether toxic detergent-based house cleaning products. Be careful not to soak laminate flooring because once it’s too wet, most possibly it shall start absorbing wetness because its nature is to absorb moisture and then begin crumbling below your own feet.
2) Can you use Bissell steam mop on laminate floors?
Yes, you can use this steam mop to clean laminate floors. They use the power of steam to kill germs and other harmful bacteria on surfaces that might otherwise be affected or damaged when it comes to other type of cleaners. It’s not just the natural cleaning power of steam that’s safe for sealed hard floors though, our steam mops also feature microfiber pads that are gentle on laminate and other hard-surface floors as well.
3) Why is my floor sticky after I steam mop?
The reason you’re getting stuck to your floor after mopping it is because you’re using too much of an abrasive cleaning solution. This will cause the floor itself to be a little sticky and leave an unwanted residue behind even when it’s been properly washed or wiped down.
CONCLUSION
Laminate is a popular flooring choice due to its low cost and relatively inexpensive installation. But there are limitations to laminate flooring. And it may not be a good choice for long-term use. Laminate flooring is a floor type that can be used for a number of commercial and residential applications. It is designed to replicate the look and feel of natural stone and wood flooring, but is more durable. This type of flooring is fast and easy to install, and requires almost no maintenance. Laminate floors are one of the most popular flooring options in modern homes. They’re versatile, look great with most interior designs and can be an affordable flooring option. However, despite these benefits, they’re prone to picking up scuffs and scratches. You can use steam mop to some extent on laminate floor but you can’t use frequently steam mop on this floor because it can’t resist so much water.
I hope after reading this article you will understand about can I use steam mop on laminate floor.
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