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Laminate cleaners can’t contain wax, polish, or other additives without risking damage to your floors. Because of this, it’s best to find a laminate-specific cleaner as opposed to using the all-purpose one you already have at home. To help you maintain your floors, the This Old House Reviews Team researched the best laminate floor cleaners on Amazon. Here are our top five recommendations.
Best Spray Mop: Bona Hard-Surface Floor Spray Mop
Convenient and efficient, this spray mop has a 16.5-inch mop head to cover a lot of flooring in one go. It’s paired with a 34-ounce bottle of stone, tile, and laminate floor cleaner. Once you run out of solution, you can buy another jug to refill the cartridge.
Key Features
- Comes with a spray mop, a 34-ounce refillable cartridge of cleaning solution, and a 16.5-inch reusable mop pad
- Has a water-based solution formula
- Cleans vinyl, laminate, stone, and other hard surfaces
What Customers Are Saying
Most customers were happy with how easy to maneuver and efficient this mop was. However, the solution left streaks on some users’ floors. For others, the solution leaked out of the cartridge.
Best Spray Bottle: Black Diamond Stoneworks Wood & Laminate Floor Cleaner
This spray cleaner uses a hypoallergenic formula to provide a streak-free clean to hardwood and laminate. Because it doesn’t have a sticky finish, dirt and other debris won’t adhere to your floors after using it.
Key Features
- Comes with a 32-ounce spray bottle of cleaning solution
- Has a biodegradable formula
- Cleans engineered wood, laminate, and other hard surfaces
What Customers Are Saying
Positive reviews highlighted how this spray was easy to apply and didn’t damage laminate floors. However, unhappy customers didn’t like its odor. They also said that it sometimes left a film on their floors.
Best Natural Cleaner: Better Life Naturally Dirt-Destroying Floor Cleaner
For those who want a pet-, human-, and environment-safe cleaner that doesn’t sacrifice performance, this product may be right for you. It uses plant-based ingredients as opposed to parabens, alcohol, sulfates, and other harmful chemicals to get its cleaning power and earthy smell.
Key Features
- Comes with two 32-ounce squirt bottles of cleaning solution
- Has a plant-based formula
- Cleans engineered tile, stone, laminate, and other hard surfaces
What Customers Are Saying
Customers with allergies or sensitivities liked this cleaner because it had a light scent and a non-toxic formula. However, some customers were unsatisfied when it left their floors sticky and leaked from the cap.
Best Vacuum: Shark Navigator Lift-Away Upright Vacuum
You may not immediately think of a vacuum as a laminate floor cleaner, but it’s useful for those who are already in the market for one of these machines. This model cleans your carpet with a brush head, but you can also switch to its hard floor mode that shuts off the brush roll to eliminate the risk of the harsh bristles scratching your laminate floors.
Key Features
- Comes with a 13.7-pound vacuum
- Has a 2.2-quart dust cup
- Cleans carpeted and hard floors
What Customers Are Saying
Those who left positive reviews for this machine said that it had a lot of suction, was durable, and cleaned multiple surfaces. Those who left negative reviews were disappointed that it didn’t come with a specific tool for hard floors. They also said that the attachments it did come with fell off frequently.
Best For Shine: Rejuvenate All-Floors Cleaner
A beaming shine is a sign of a clean floor. This residue-free cleaner removes grime from laminate flooring without dulling its shine. It even uses built-in Shine Booster to enhance the sparkle.
Key Features
- Comes with a 32-ounce spray bottle of cleaning solution
- Has a pH-balanced formula
- Cleans hardwood, laminate, and other hard surfaces
What Customers Are Saying
Reviewers said that this spray didn’t leave streaks or have an overpowering smell. However, displeased customers felt like the product built up in layers on their floor with repeated use. They also found the sprayer top to be difficult to remove and use.
Buyer’s Guide
When you’re deciding which cleaner is best for your laminate floors, consider the following factors.
Type
Sprays, liquids, mops, and vacuums are a few of the most common types of products that can clean laminate floors. You can apply spray or liquid cleaners directly to your floors. You can follow them up with a microfiber towel, paper towel, or mop. Vacuum cleaners usually have a scrubbing mode for carpet floors and a suction mode for hard floors.
Ingredients
For spray or liquid cleaners, check their ingredients list. Oil-based cleaners can leave streaks and residue on laminate floors, while cleaners with bleach or ammonia can cause damage. You should also avoid products with built-in wax or polish, as this could dull the laminate’s shine.
Concentration
Some laminate floor cleaners come in a ready-to-use bottle that you can apply directly to your floors. Others are concentrated, so they have to be diluted with water before you use them. While convenient, ready-to-use cleaners run out faster.
Other Surfaces
Most laminate floor cleaners also work on other hard surfaces around your home, such as hardwood, vinyl, and stone. Vacuums even work on carpet. This saves you money because you don’t have to purchase separate cleaners for every surface around your home.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I fix scratches on laminate floors?
You can purchase a repair kit that fills the scratches with a color that perfectly matches your laminate. You can also use DIY solutions, such as rubbing the scratch with a new tennis ball or pink eraser or filling it with putty or microwaved crayons.
Should I sweep laminate floors?
Yes. Start by sweeping your floors before using a liquid, spray, or mop cleaner. This gets rid of any debris particles that could scratch the laminate as you apply the cleaner.
Can I use a sponge to clean laminate floors?
No. Never use a sponge to clean laminate floors, as its abrasive surface can leave scratches. Other examples of what not to use on laminate floors include hard-bristle brooms and steam mops.
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This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms. The This Old House Reviews Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. The This Old House Reviews Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations.
We recommend products in each review using an intensive research process, spending hours combing through the best available models on Amazon. For a product to make our list of top picks, it must hold a solid sales record on Amazon, have consistently positive customer reviews, and offer unique features, among other factors. After narrowing down our list of recommendations, we conduct additional research and sometimes in-person testing to ensure that the products meet our standards. Once we conclude the research phase, we craft a well-rounded, user-friendly article that includes our recommended products and additional information to help homeowners like you make the right purchase.
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