Sticky Laminate Flooring? Let’s Fix That!

Laminate flooring resists stains and is easy to clean up quickly - this is why it’s a great choice for your home. However, improper cleaning methods and products can create a sticky film on your floors, leaving you with a bigger mess than you started with.

Even though floor cleaners are supposed to make your floors clean, they can leave behind a sticky residue and even make them look cloudy. Most floor cleaners contain solvents to cut through dirt, and surfactants to suspend dirt and make it easier to wipe away, but they can actually be the culprit in leaving a sticky residue behind. If you’re not diluting your floor cleaner properly, it can lead to very sticky floors.

Let’s break down the proper cleaning - and drying - technique to help you cut through the film and leave your laminate shiny as new!

1. Sweep the floor thoroughly and remove all traces of dirt. One of our favourite tips for doing this is by moistening the dust pan so it can pick up all the little dust bunnies.
2. Fill a fresh bucket with clean water. It’s important to never mop with dirty water - even during mopping be sure to check on the water and refresh it.
3. Combine 1 cup of white vinegar with 1 gallon of water. Never use undiluted vinegar on your flooring.
4. Dip in your mop and then wring it out! This is very important. If you are mopping with a soaking wet mop it can actually create damage to the floors. Be sure to wring it out often as you go and dip your mop to clean it.
5. This part is important - dry the floor! You can use a bath towel, but a microfibre cloth does a really great job.

If after this you find your floors are still sticky, repeat all these steps over again. You could have a build up of residue and may even find your floors having bubbles on them as you mop - that’s left over surfactant!