Laminate 
flooring is a popular choice for those seeking the look of hardwood, but also wishing to avoid the higher level of maintenance. It is much easier to maintain than real wood.
General Cleaning
For everyday maintenance, laminate flooring only needs to be swept. This can be done with a soft broom, a dust mop, or even a vacuum.
If there are any messes on the floor, such as dog drool, spray a small amount of cleaner onto the spot, then wipe it up with a soft cloth. You always want to use a minimal amount of liquid, so only spray on as much cleaner as you need; do not soak the area and be sure to immediately wipe up all liquid. Here is a list of some cleaners you can use for this:
- A mix of one part white vinegar in two parts (preferably distilled) water
- A mix of equal parts isopropyl alcohol and (preferably distilled preferably) water
- Window cleaner, preferably ammonia-free
- Commercial Laminate Spray Cleaners (Earth Friendly Products, Zep, Dream Home, etc.)
- Swiffer Wet Jet
The best way to choose a cleaner is to test it in a small hidden area first. Every laminate is unique and the cleaner that will be safest for your floor can only be determined by testing. Some things to look for when testing are damage/removal of the sealant and residue. The vinegar and water mixture is widely recommended by laminate manufacturers, so that is a good place to start. Some people in the comments below recommend using Windex or a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. If you choose to use those products, do not overuse them because they contain ammonia, which can remove the sealant on your floor.
Mopping
Mopping is the trickiest part of cleaning laminate. Laminate is a wood product, and like wood, it can warp and swell with exposure to too much water. One commenter (Thanks Jodie!) had the great idea to get a sample of her flooring and soak it in water to determine if and after how long the water would damage her specific laminate. Also, the main complaint people have commented about on this article is that after mopping, their floors are streaky, hazy, or dull. Here is how to safely mop your laminate without streaking. (Updated April 2017).
For general mopping, it is easiest to use a spray mop, such as a Swiffer Wet Jet or similar product. Some of these products, such as the Great Value brand, have washable microfiber pads so buying replacement pads is not a necessary expense. You can use a bucket of cleaner and sponge mop instead, but it is much easier to slosh or spread excess water onto the floor, as well as cause streaking. An alternative to a sponge mop is a terry cloth mop with removable (reusable) covers. Streaking is caused by residue that has not been removed from the floor. This residue can be from a cleaning product, hard water, or leftover dirt or oils (footprints) on the floor that you were trying to mop away. By using a spray mop or terry cloth mop, you can change the pad/cover several times when cleaning a large room, which will allow you to better absorb the dirt and oils on the floor than with a sponge mop.
You Will Need:
- A mop: spray mop, terry cloth mop, or sponge mop
- A bucket (depending on the mop)
- A cleaner (choose one):
- A mix of one cup white vinegar in 1 gallon of distilled water
- A mixture of one part isopropyl alcohol, one part white vinegar, and two parts distilled water
- A mix of equal parts isopropyl alcohol and and distilled water (if your floor already has streaks or haze)
- Commercial laminate floor cleaner, following instructions on the label
- A towel
Steps to Mop the Floor:
- Work in small sections, about 5’ by 5’. Doing this will lower the amount of time that liquid sits on your floor.
- If using a sponge mop, be sure to wring it out thoroughly after each dip in the bucket.
- Run the mop over the area of floor going with the grain of the wood with smooth, even strokes.
- After you have mopped a section, buff it dry with a towel. Doing this will also help to prevent streaking, as it will further absorb the excess water, cleaner, or dirt that may still be on the floor. It will also remove the remaining liquid from your floor as fast as possible, preventing water damage.
- If using a sponge mop, rinse it out thoroughly between each section to prevent streaking. If using microfiber pads, inspect the pad after each section to determine if it needs to be changed.
- If your floor already had a haze on it, you may need to mop it several times to fully remove all of the residue.
- If there are any spots that remain after cleaning, such as footprints, it means that the floor was not fully cleaned. (Footprints are caused by oils on our feet. If using a mix of vinegar and water, increase the amount of vinegar to better cut through the oil.)
Laminate Floor Stain Removal
Although laminate floors are generally stain resistant, some stubborn stains may require special treatment. Here are some of the more common trouble makers:
- Blood: Spray stain with window cleaner and wipe with a damp cloth.
- Liquor: Dampen a cloth with warm water and detergent and rub spot. If that fails, try using a cloth dampened with denatured alcohol.
- Grease: Apply an ice pack (a package of frozen vegetables will do in a pinch) until grease hardens, then gently scrape with plastic spoon or butter knife. Remaining residue should wipe away with a couple of squirts of window cleaner.
- Crayon marks: Rub with a soft cloth dampened with mineral spirits. If that doesn’t work, apply toothpaste and rub with a dry cloth.
- Nail polish: Use a small amount of scouring powder, warm water, and a plastic mesh pad. Work the scouring powder into a paste and apply, be careful no to rub too aggressively as it may scratch the finish.
- Ink: Wet a rag with warm water and detergent and rub. If that doesn’t work, try a commercial ink remover.
- Heel Marks and Scuffs: Rub the marks with a pencil eraser. Mr. Clean magic erasers are great for this.
- Chewing gum: Remove excess gum with plastic knife and rub residue with soft clothe dampened with mineral spirits.
Keep Your Laminate Floors Looking New
Although laminate floors are low maintenance and scratch resistant, that doesn’t mean they are indestructible or scratch proof. Taking these simple precautions will keep your floors looking new and scratch-free.
- There are laminate floor polishes you can buy to increase the shine on your floor. Be sure to read the label carefully though, as these products should only be used sparingly, such as every few months. Using the polish more often than that results in build-up that leaves floors looking hazy. To be more specific, you should not use these products every time you mop. You need to mop several times between applications to be sure the first application is removed (to prevent build-up).
- Use caution if using a laminate floor polish product as they can make the floor very slippery. It is best to test one in a small area first.
- Laminate floors DO NOT require waxing and applying floor wax of any kind can result in a dull build-up. This includes commercial cleaners that contain wax.
- Regular floor cleaners, such as the pine scented kind, are not recommended for use on laminate as they can leave a dull, soapy residue.
- Murphy’s Oil Soap is not recommended for use on laminate as it can leave it looking streaky.
- Do NOT overuse window cleaners that contain ammonia to spot clean laminate as excess ammonia can strip away the protective sealant on laminate floors.
- Wipe up water and other spills promptly as excess water or other liquid can damage floors and cause warping.
- Consider using carpet runners or area rugs (being sure to use non skid pads under either) especially for high-traffic areas.
- Try to avoid wearing heavy-soled shoes or high heels on wood floors. In fact, barefoot is best!
- If you have a problem with footprints showing on the floors, wear socks or slippers. Footprints are caused by the oils on our feet.
- You can clean the floor while you walk by wearing Slipper Geanie shoes.
- NEVER drag furniture or other items across the hardwood floor.
- Use furniture pads on the bottoms and legs of furniture (available at any home improvement or supercenter stores).
- Another environmentally friendly option is to use a steam mop. To learn more about this idea, read our guide Is It Safe to Steam Clean Laminate Flooring.
When removing heel marks and scuffs from my laminated flooring, I use a knee-high nylon stocking. I put it on my foot and rub the marks away quickly.
My laminate floor always ended up with spots until I started using a steam mop. Fast, clean and no spots. My floors look new all the time.
Hey everyone, well they just installed laminate floor in my house about a month ago. I’m starting to regret getting it simply because it never stays clean! I’ll sweep, then mop, but as soon as I’m done, all of our footprint marks are there on the floor. Any tips on how I can maintain the floor clean and keep this from happening?
We have tried and love the results of a two step, easy to use system that deep cleans and restores laminate flooring. It is used by floor cleaning professionals around the country, but is easy enough and packaged for the homeowner to use. It’s called LamanatorPlus.
Don’t ever steam clean your laminate because within a year, it will begin to peak at the edges and you would have to replace boards at that time.
This LamanatorPlus product will help seal, protect and shine your laminate. It will conceal footprints, pet prints, etc. We also use their Buff Dry Cleaner to maintain our floors. Wow, incredibly good stuff.
We recommend it to everyone we know with great success. Our friends constantly thank us for the info…
Good luck, Bob
I have just put up a laminated floor and I do not know what my daughter spilled on the floor, but now the floor is stained with a white mark. Please explain to me how to removed the stain.
Dorman,
The white mark is probably a liquid stain. Use the guide How to Remove White Rings from Wood Furniture to remove it.
Whatever you do, do not use furniture polish!! 🙂 The people we bought our house from said to use this and when I did, it made the floor so slippery you couldn’t even walk on it barefoot without falling. It took it a while for the polish to wear down.
I work for a flooring store. You do not use a sponge mop on your laminate flooring and you should not be dunking the mop into water. You need laminate floor cleaner and a microfiber mop head. You spray directly onto the microfiber mop and clean the floor.
I don’t have a tip. I have a laminate floor problem. When furniture movers came, they dragged a rubber-tipped sofa wheel that was locked across the floor and there is a long streak there now. How can I remove it without having the floors redone? I tried toothpaste, Goo-B-Gone, erasers, and gentle cleaners. No luck. Help!
Maggi,
This is the article you need: How to Remove Scuff Marks from Flooring.
I use laundry detergent with hot water and then wring the mop out as much as I can so it is just damp… Leaves the floor streak-free every time!!
I put in laminated floors thinking they would be easier to keep clean than carpet. They are, but here my conclusions:
Use laminated floor cleaner only on specific spots/areas or eventually it will build up.
Use water/vinegar/splash of alcohol solution in a spray bottle – a light spray/quick mop of this is all that is necessary but once a month or two – use a steam mop with the same solution. Experience with steam mop: I recently purchased a steam mop thinking it would make it so much easier – but it left major streaks; footprints collected like never before. I was about to send the steam mop back but decided to keep trying. I am embarrassed to say the streaking was caused by all the dirt that the steam was loosening up. My floors were just installed about six months ago, have no kids, etc., so I was quite surprised. I think what it is that each board had a thin plastic covering when it was all packaged up by the manufacturer and probably this had a little bit of sticky residue even though I couldn’t see it. Over the past several months, I think dust just started collecting & adhering to that faint residue & my once a week/casual sweep/mop wasn’t getting it all. I have now thoroughly steamed sections of my floor – sometimes several times over & finally, I don’t have any streaks, footprints aren’t left, etc. I do my casual sweep/mop & I am really pleased with the results. Hope this helps someone.
Just want to share this with all of you that are suffering and ashamed of your Pergo floors. I went through the same problem; proud of them in the beginning, then ended up hating them, but now I love them again even more. I cleaned them with the water & vinegar solution, which just left them dull and streaky. Bought the Bruce’s floor care cleaner and restorer that worked once and only once. Got work done to my house and the work crew had to travel through my kitchen to get to the area of the home that work was getting done so I put down a runner to avoid them coming in contact (boots & dust) with my floor, which worked. After the work was completed, I felt I couldn’t neglect cleaning the Pergo floors any longer so I did what I had done before and that was not working so I kept trying to find solutions to the horrible Pergo floors I came to dislike quickly. I cleaned with the water & vinegar solution and did the Bruce’s routine a couple of times and still all I got was a very, very dull floor and prints everywhere. I came to hate the floors, so I was searching for something that I already had in my cabinet and ran across Orange Glo. I tried it with one of those microfiber mops and it looked as if it wanted to work, but just didn’t do it enough for me. I needed to see that shine I had when I first purchased them so I tried a Viva paper towel and what do you know – it was a shine in that one area. So I got six or seven sheets and saturated it in the Orange Glo and did a nice big area in a circular motion and the shine kept coming through so I thought I’d let it dry and see what happens. Let it dry and left the kitchen for a few moments to see if I could find the spot I had just did and when I returned, oh what a beautiful site. So I got on my hands and knees and did the complete kitchen and I just love my floors now. They look even better than when I first purchased them. I get so many compliments on how beautiful they look. I really can’t say if the Viva paper towels helped, but I didn’t use anything else to find out if it did or not. So here is what I did: cleaned the floor with the water & vinegar solution (sprayed on), let dry and then applied the Orange Glow Floor Refinisher with Viva paper towels (several times). Good Luck to anyone who is going to try this. I hope I helped someone out.
Everyone here is wasting their time with special cleaners, ideas, and guessing games.
This is how you keep your laminate or Pergo floors spotless:
Wipe them with a DRY Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Your floors will be absolutely beautiful.
I am a cleaning expert and was called just yesterday to inspect a Pergo floor that had “Mysterious spots” that the weekly housekeepers could not get off.
They used the traditional mop methods.
Upon arrival I saw the only mystery was why they still had a job because those floors were nothing more than filthy from build up.
I hand cleaned the entire floor with the dry magic eraser and it shined.
You can also get the Magic Eraser mop. But keep it DRY!
Just used the dry Magic Eraser on some dried dog saliva spots on my Pergo floors – it worked great (still had to give it a little elbow grease). Thanks Chrissy! One question – will the Magic Eraser strip off the protective finish on the floors? I know that the Magic Eraser can remove paint if used vigorously (found out the hard way).
Hey! I did an entire Pergo floor that had build up. I never got the impression it would strip the finish. I hope it doesn’t! It works so well. I am actually going to order some melamine, which is what a Magic Eraser is minus the formaldehyde.
It may be gentler. Will let you know!
I have tried everything on my 1000 sq. ft. of flooring and nothing does it like Melaleuca Sol-U-Mel.
Clean and shiny like no other product, smells good too.
I had read to use a little baby shampoo with a very slightly damp mop and then dry, as needed. It seems to work for me. I use a broom and dry Swiffer for daily use.
We installed a high end laminate floor in our living room in July 2009 and have had no problems with it. We have hard wood floors in our bedrooms, and to me they are basically the same as far as keeping them clean. We purchased the Bona cleaning system when we purchased the flooring, which consists of a microfiber cleaning pad, a polyester dusting mop, and a spray bottle of Bona floor cleaner. Just spray and clean. Takes five minutes. No footprints, no problems with stains, just a happy customer. You can purchase this stuff online or at dept. stores like Kohl’s. Good luck.
I’d tried everything – the special cleaners for the Mannington brand, Bruce, Bona, vinegar and water, various other mixtures, Windex, a dampened with plain water, etc. ALL leave a hazy film that shows tracks and streaks. It’s necessary to vigorously buff off the film (regardless of what you use to clean with) and you can’t really do that with any mop, but on your hands and knees. This was working me to death in our new 1750 sq. ft. retirement home that I made the huge mistake in believing “low maintenance” laminate flooring. I had to go on Prozac. (Well, almost.) But I finally figured it out. I put a microfiber cloth (from the dollar store) on my Swiffer. I filled a micro-mister bottle (the one that formerly contained $12 worth of Bona) with 70% rubbing alcohol. Lightly spray a small area and with a few swipes, your floor is clean. The alcohol evaporates quickly, so you can get a clean shine without a film. If you have stubborn spots like something sticky or dog slobber, you may need to saturate the stain a little more and wait briefly before buffing with the mop. This absolutely does not leave any dull film and will not build up. I figured if you can put nail polish remover and other strong chemicals on these floors, alcohol shouldn’t damage them. I also use alcohol on my ceramic tile floor in the bathroom because it dissolves sticky hairspray residue better than anything else. In the past, I’ve used alcohol on vinyl floors in the bathroom as well. Our dealer and installer both said do not use steam mops – you don’t know if too much moisture is getting in the unsealed seams until it’s too late. Do not use Orange Glo. It will make the floors dangerously slick and over time, you’ll get a waxy build-up. And I can’t imagine trying to clean my whole house (muddy dog tracks and kitchen spatters) with a dry Magic Eraser, although they’re great for spot cleaning. Now, if anyone says don’t use alcohol, I’m not going to pay any attention. It’s the ONLY thing that works.
I just had my entire first floor done with high-gloss laminate flooring. Love it, but is there anything you can do about the footprints? You can only see them at an angle, but ugh. I have a dry erase mop – will try it on these floors.
I am so tired of scrubbing floors and seeing no reward an hour later. I have a two-year-old, a five-year-old and a lab, oh and a husband. So you can guess my laminate floors have high traffic. I tried with laminate floor cleaner and water and vinegar, but same result, dull floors. Thanks to all the helpful hints, but the one that worked best for me was the water and alcohol. My beautiful floors that we installed ourselves are back!
There are a lot of opinions on laminates. I find Mr. Clean heavily diluted in very warm water is the only thing that works – the hot water and the alcohol-based cleaner with just a little bit of grease make for a gorgeous floor. The only times I have had a problem is if the dilution isn’t enough.
I need the water for movement on those floors. If the traffic areas are heavy, I go over them with a warm (very wrung out) mop first, then do a final clean after that.
Buffing dry works, too.
I had Columbia laminate at my old house, which I absolutely loved. It cleaned up beautifully with the Bruce laminate floor cleaner. At our new house, we installed SPI laminate flooring. I hate it. If I could afford to take it out and re-do it I would. I’ve tried every concoction to clean it and nothing seems to work. It’s always dull and streaky looking. I’ve even contacted SPI to ask them how to clean the floor. They told me to use vinegar and water, which is what I’m using. They also told me the color I chose is a known problem and has recently been discontinued. Great. I’d would definitely by laminate again, but only the Columbia brand.
Wow…similar story here. Looked great at first, but as the weeks went on, the footprints drove me nuts. The store sold us Bona WOOD cleaner and my mom, who cleans homes, insisted that’s why – we needed the Bona for Laminate, because duh, it’s a laminate floor. So I went back to the store and the guy acted like I didn’t know what kind of floor I had. I said we just bought it from you three months ago…it’s not hardwood…it’s laminate, you know, 1/4 of the price of hardwood. He then says maybe I’m wrong and it’s engineered wood…um, no sir, it’s laminate…please give me the laminate cleaner (it was behind the counter). Then he insisted I needed to try the vinegar and water treatment once a month to cut grime and that I need the WOOD cleaner…have mercy. Tried the water and vinegar, now it’s footprints and streaky. Moving to alcohol next. We only did one room and the entry, before deciding on doing the whole first floor; it’s not looking promising.
I finally threw in the towel and hired someone to help me keep my house clean. She tried Bona on my Mannington laminate, which was OK the first few times. The last time, it was like an ice rink in my dining room and kitchen. My son wiped out too many times. I asked her to use something else – too slippery. This time, the vinegar and water combo was even worse! She also tried my Pergo spray cleaner and the Mannington spray cleaner, neither of which helped. She is stumped! It’s like the finish is slick now that the floors are wet-cleaned regularly, whereas for the past three years, I have been using a Swiffer vac and Mannington spray as needed. Maybe we just aren’t used to clean floors at our house…
I just had a new floor put in yesterday. It looked great until they cleaned it with Bona. All it did was streak and leave footprints. My husband is using a walker and every move he made left a mark. I got out the old vinegar water, a damp cloth and started scrubbing in the direction of the grain and doing a section about 3-feet wide from one end to the other. I’d wipe it off with a paper towel again in the direction of the grain as I was working my way from one end to the other. Now my floor has its natural sheen and no streaks or marks. My husband’s shoes and walker do not leave any marks and I’m walking barefoot with no prints. I love my new floor now. Yeah for old fashion vinegar!
Scary! I just had laminate installed (over 1500 square feet) to help with allergies and make upkeep easier. I assumed I’d be using vinegar/water, as I use it for just about all my other cleaning, but the salesman said, “Oh, no! You’ve got to use our specialty cleaner; vinegar will strip the wear layer!” I read the label and that cleaner would be taking a step backwards in the allergy war! And it’s also not very Eco-friendly. The salesman also said not to use a steam cleaner, so I’ve just been using a damp microfiber mop, and my floors are getting dull and streaky. I’d like to try the vinegar/alcohol/water mixture, but what percentages should the mix be? Does anyone reading know this?
Also, I have a thought about why some folks posting have a worse time. It seems likely that the high gloss, darker colors are giving more trouble. I chose a low gloss, kind-of medium oak color with hopes it would be easier to clean. One other thought on laminate versus carpet: Our laminate floors aren’t any less dirty, the dirt just sits on top waiting for us to figure out how to get it out, whereas with carpet, what we can’t vacuum off the top gets buried forever in the carpet pad.
I’m going to go search the ‘net for information on the effects of vinegar on laminate, and if I find anything interesting, I will post it here. Thanks to all for the input!
We have only had our floor down one week and I’m cracking up already. We went for a high-end laminate floor with a moisture barrier and a 25 year guarantee! Not sure what to call these marks, I guess they’re like skid marks: clear, straight lines. We can’t get them off! I can’t see them everywhere, but in front of the TV, or where the light catches them, they are bad. I’m becoming obsessive about it now; I think I’m going to crack up, help please!
I cleaned my mom’s floor with the goal of putting a smile on her face. Ends up, she rushed to ask me what I used, and so I answered saying Mr. Clean soap product. She got mad and told me not to use such products on laminate floors since it can damage it. I would like to know if this is true?
Don’t use a steamer; you are simply injecting steam into the joints, which will cause them to swell, voiding the warranty.
Okay, I agree with all who say laminate floors are definitely not “easy maintenance.” We have laminate on the entire bottom floor, which is high traffic (due to kids): kitchen, family room, dining and living room, as well as the mudroom/bathroom. Everything is a gorgeous cherry color. I do believe that when you have tried a cleaning solution, and then vinegar (which I believe makes it dull), you are making a layer of build-up that might not come off the first time you try something new, like steam cleaning or alcohol.
The Magic Eraser trick works OK, but “elbow grease” doesn’t even cover it. I can’t imagine doing the entire floor like this. But when I do try that, I can literally see the vinegar/cleaner film come off, which is what I want! I don’t know, but the hot water with alcohol and microfiber cloth, then dry after, sounds like the best to me.
The reason why I had to comment on here is to ask all who insist you want your carpet back: Do you think the carpet isn’t dirty, or do you love not seeing the dirt? Americans are so fooled into thinking their heavy vacuums with rollers CLEAN carpet. It’s crazy. Everywhere else, people realize carpet is a wonderful haven for dirt, parasites, dust, and other awful bugs, etc., causing horrible air in our homes, possibly allergies, and trapping dirt or worse. It’s a wonder to me that people even compare carpet to laminate. Obviously, the laminate is going to show the dirt more, but that doesn’t mean it’s not there on the carpet. To compare laminate to linoleum, hardwood or even tile makes more sense. Don’t fool yourself and think it’s sanitary or healthy to have carpet in kitchens/dining areas/bathrooms or even high traffic living rooms. Especially with kids. YUCK.
-European living in the U.S.
I hated carpets and all the cleaning and vacuuming I had to do, not to mention all the germs and smells that hung in the carpets. So for my birthday, we did laminate flooring. Not only was it tougher than they said to install, but after, well, I just loved it. So sweeping every few days; no big deal, right? Wrong! Now my floors are dull. We live in low light, so no one sees the footprints or pug prints. I don’t want to wreck my floors, I just want them clean and shinny. Oh yeah, my floors are Shaw floors, and the customer service line was no help when I called them. Someone help!
I’ve read through all your comments and am seeing a common theme, one that has not been addressed.
Most complaints seem to center around ‘smears’ and cleaned floors that look instantly ‘dirty’ again minutes after a thorough clean. My experience is that laminate floors ‘reflect’ marks according to how much natural light comes into the room at any given time. How do your ‘dirty’ floors look at night in soft artificial lighting? My hunch is most of you will be saying they look really good.
I have laid good, quality laminate floors throughout the entire upstairs area of our house, and in our kitchen, and our large, high traffic mudroom. Upstairs (down for one and a half years) looks great until the afternoon sun comes flooding in the windows, then you see the footprints. Downstairs looks constantly great because both rooms are not as well lit by natural light.
I use nothing but water over a microfiber cloth to wash my floors once a week, and they look fine. Believe me when I say I am extremely anal about floors looking good so it is not as though I have low expectations for this flooring. We live in a rural, cold, northern climate with two dogs and two cats so my floors are subject to a real workout on a daily basis.
I understand that no floor is ‘no maintenance’ and I understand that dirt and gravel will damage any surface over time. I sweep on a daily basis to keep the floors free of dirt and gravel which will scratch the surface and eventually lay it open to accelerated wear. That’s another reason I don’t use vinegar; if the surface is scratched at all, I can’t imagine that vinegar, over time, wouldn’t be corrosive to some degree.
I love laminate flooring with a passion! I have hardwood in our living room and while it is a wonderful, ‘alive’-looking floor, I love the laminate for ease of maintenance. Don’t be put off by all the negative talk. With realistic expectations and regular cleaning (yes, all floors need constant cleaning – it’s part of being human and having feet that track dirt!), your laminate flooring will serve you well.
I was starting to get worried because the new floors I put in at my business were starting to build up streaks, marks, and a chalky dull haze. My solution for cleaning was water and Zep hardwood floor and laminate cleaner, until tonight when I decided to clean the floors using a wet Swiffer (24 pack). I cleaned the floor in smaller sections, let it dry and re-cleaned it about four times until the new Swiffer pads were staying clean. I went through 22 Swiffer pads in one 2-hour cleaning session and the floors look new again. This is a business, so everyone who comes in wears shoes. I’ve walked all over the new floors since the cleaning and they look very good. Just to let you know, my business is in Minnesota and we salt our roads when the snow comes. This year, the snow melted easily as it was warmer than usual, so when people came in my store, they usually had wet, salty feet, which is what I believe was causing the chalky haze leftover after cleaning. I’m going to go over the floors once daily with the Swiffer and I’m confident that they should stay nice from here on out. Daily maintenance, to me, is an easy trade-off for having a carpet that would have been permanently destroyed from these conditions. Anyway, I put in the hard work and it looks great. But if I ignore the floor, it looks terrible.
So glad I found these postings! We have dark brown laminate wood, and the streaks and footprints were killing me! I tried every cleaner out there: vinegar solutions, steam mop; all left bad streaks. 🙁 The Magic Eraser worked, but I decided quickly that it is impossible to clean 1000 square feet on your knees with a little Magic Eraser. So I tried the alcohol only and it worked the best out of all the suggestions.
I put some rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and misted the floor, then took a mop with a clean microfiber pad and mopped until it was all dry. For the size of our floor, I need two to three microfiber pads because it starts streaking as soon as the pad gets too damp. So, thank you Betty, you saved me from going nuts over this floor mess! 😉
Right or wrong, I have always used the Swiffer-type wet cloths on my three rooms of laminate wood flooring and NEVER had any problems. From the point of installation, I thought the recommendation to use only a product from the flooring manufacturer was to get you to purchase more from their companies. One room of Pergo is probably fifteen years old and looks as good as the day they installed it. Another room with our laminate flooring is a high traffic area, and also is the room where our dog eats and drinks. I think the answer is not to get the flooring excessively wet during the cleaning. I use the dry mop or vacuum first and then go over the floor with the wet mop. Looks great.
I thought I was told that it was okay to move furniture across my laminate floor, but I see marks (not scratches), which don’t come up with the recommended Bona cleaner. Any ideas?
I made the huge mistake of having dark laminate installed! It is always marked and streaked and dull. I have tried everything mentioned and absolutely hate them. Anyone have any answers for dark laminate?
I have a hallway about twelve feet long with light laminate and have only used the wet Swiffer pads and Swiffer mop on it. It looks fine. When I notice streaking while it is wet, I just go over the same area again. I do worry that the wet Swiffer pads will cause problems in the future though.
I use the same method to clean my laminate floor that I use for the marble floor in my kitchen. Microfiber to dust, microfiber with warm water only to clean, and microfiber to dry. I’ve had the marble floor a lot longer than the laminate, and I think the laminate is a breeze when comparing the two. Marble is porous, so you better get to spills quickly. Both of my floors are dark and, yes, show everything, especially dog’s drool. I guess I don’t mind staying on top of it because I hate carpet. I just find that warm water works the best. I dust it often and wipe it down thoroughly once a week. I have a really cheap laminate in a bedroom, and I’ve used everything on that floor, Pledge, ammonia, Pine Sol, whatever I have around, really. The spots always come clean, but it does get that film. I think you’re better off just maintaining with warm water. Save the cleaners for the tough spots. I also think this floor holds up well in the scratch department. I have a lot of light coming through, and while I’m careful with the floor in the living area, I’ve dragged a lot of stuff around that floor in the bedroom and it still looks great. Both of my floors are Pergo and I couldn’t be happier. Warm water!
If any of you are even considering laminate versus hardwood and can find a way to buy the hardwood, please do so. When you drop something on the laminate, the noise is horrible, even though I bought a sound proof liner. Big joke; it doesn’t work. Remember, it’s just plastic. I really made a mistake. A very big mistake.
Has anyone used a steam mop for a few years on their laminate floors? I’ve heard many people say they’ve used one and it’s not caused any damage, but I’m interested in long term use.
Thanks.
Thought I was the worlds worst house keeper – my laminate floors show everything! I am going home from work and trying the alcohol method to see if it will clean the footprints (which are driving me crazy). We are getting ready to move to a new house and I am going to try the engineered hardwood – anyone else tried this and how is it for keeping clean?
Thanks!
ALCOHOL FORMULA:
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup rubbing alcohol
1/3 cup white vinegar
3 drops liquid dish washing soap
5 -10 drops lemon essential oils (optional)
Directions:
1) Combine all ingredients in a clean spray bottle.
2) Spray sparingly on laminate floors and mop up.
3) The rubbing alcohol helps speed up the drying process.
Will the vinegar and water, then the Orange Glo work okay? I have used that on my hardwoods and it looks good.
Thanks.
Every laminate floor will probably respond differently to anything used. However, when we were pricing flooring, we took every sample home and left it in a tub of water to see which one lifted, swelled, or fell apart first. We tested all the major brands in addition to unbranded commercial products. Every high end product lifted, expanded and basically fell apart within an hour – some quicker than others. We left the commercial products in the tub for 48 hours and they came out looking the same-no lifting, swelling and still beautiful. We bought from a wholesaler and paid less than the expensive hardware department store brands. My point is that using a steamer or sloshing around a bunch of water may damage your floor worse than a chemical. You won’t notice it right away, but in 6 months to a year after weekly cleanings, you will. One thing I truly believe is that your laminate floors are cleaner than your carpet – I GUARANTEE IT! Unfortunately, feet prints and other marks are going to happen. I haven’t figured out how keep the feet prints off longer than a few days unless my kids wear socks; however, I do have a solution for marks. Lemon oil and elbow grease. Just make sure you use a vinegar/alcohol mist and one of those super absorbent cloths to remove the oil. Don’t use any cleaners that contain oil or you’ll get the build-up. For weekly cleaning, use a mister, clean with warm water and add a small amount of vinegar if you want to. Regular cleaners won’t keep it clean longer so why use all those chemicals? If you don’t feel vinegar is enough, add alcohol to the mixture. Start out with a tablespoon and add more until the floors meet your expectations – every floor is going to require a different amount because every floor and it’s environment is different. YOU FIND THE AMOUNT THAT WORKS FOR YOU! The key is to use those absorbent cloths and a spray bottle set on mist. And change out your wet cloths often! I’ve tried many products, including products meant for laminate floors. Not only do they invalidate your warranty, but they also leave buildup or do nothing that good ol’ naturals vinegar, water and alcohol can do. Also, we have large area rugs in the living room and dining room in addition to runners at every door. It cuts down on the amount of foot traffic.
P.P. If you MUST have a recipe, some people use 1/3 each of water, rubbing alcohol and vinegar in a mist bottle, but I strongly encourage you to make your own based on your environment. Good luck.
Bought a house with Pergo floors and I hate them. No matter how we clean, they always feel dirty to my bare feet. They look awful and the sound of dogs walking on it will drive you crazy. My husband used a Shark steam cleaner on them twice and now some of the pieces are curving up at the seams. Please, be sure you don’t use a steam cleaner! Also, think long and hard before you buy Pergo. Read as much about it as you can.
Have light oak laminate (three plank) in kitchen, and textured medium oak laminate (three plank) in living room. Love, Love, Love it! Hides dirt like you wouldn’t believe. Someone said don’t use ammonia; but when the floor was installed eight years ago in the kitchen, we had ceramic tile put in the bath and the installer said to use ONLY ammonia and water to clean them both. I have never had any build-up whatsoever on the laminate. I also only clean them about twice a month and hit them with a little Dirt Devil vac every other day or so. I have three cats and four people living in the house. I will say, before we did the living room, we brought home a sample of some cherry high gloss laminate and it showed fingerprints/footprints just from the sample box we loosely laid. Wrapped it up and took it back – too much work! Our floors are low gloss and lightly textured and are just beautiful. Wish I had them throughout. I hate carpet. Whoever came up with the idea of laying yarn on the floor is a nut.
Just cleaned my laminate flooring with the vinegar and water solution and they shine like new. I used a steam mop without the steam. Meaning, I just used the microfiber cloth and I mopped! The shine on my floor is stunning, thanks to all the comments given. I am so happy!
Relax, they are not so bad. I’ve had mine installed now for over five years and they look the same as the day they went in. I have a dog and two kids. Yes they do show marks, streaks, etc., especially with sunlight hitting them. I have shutters in my windows to divert the light during the day. Plus we are in Texas, so I don’t like sun coming straight in. I use a dust mop daily to quickly sweep up. It literally takes me about 10 minutes for the whole house. I only clean the floors once a month (on my hands and knees). I have about 2000 sq. ft. Usually a mist of a little Simple Green diluted with water and a microfiber cloth to immediately wipe it up does the trick, though I’d like to try the alcohol method, too. I have really dark, high gloss floors and I always get great comments about how my floor looks so nice. I’ve lived in houses with tile everywhere (too hard on the legs/feet, and lots of mopping, grout never feels cleaned), carpet – vacuum for hours and still feels dingy. Yes, my engineered laminate floors have echoes when walking, footprints when the dog comes in wet from outside, scratches/dents from dropping stuff (I use a furniture marker to repair), but overall I feel the floor is very clean compared to other options. If you are thinking about laminate, go for it, and live in your house. I think the longer wear and tear on the floors the easier they get to keep clean.
I bought a 1750 sq ft home in May that had laminate floors already throughout the entire home. I sweep the creases first, next to the wall out to the middle. Then I use the Mr clean mircofiber wet/dry mop. I go along to get up all the dust and dirt. Then I do the foot test; walk along the floor, sliding to feel for dirt you may have missed, then use a Swiffer Wet Jet (they have one for wood that is sold at Walmart). I use the multipurpose one with Febreze. The fragrance smells great! I put a widow fan down so it dries well and if there are any streaks, I take a towel and wipe them up. They go away; my floors always look good. I have three children all under the age of nine and I live in the country where we also have horses that I ride, and a husband who is a mechanic, so lots of messes I am always cleaning up behind.
Mine are cherry and streak and leave footprints all over. I have tried everything but the alcohol. I hate them!
OK, here is what I did. After reading all of your comments I did the following: 1 cup water, 1 cup white vinegar, and 1/2 bottle of alcohol. Spray it on the floor and use the steam mop without being plugged in, as I did. I use the Swiffer dust mop with a microfiber rag. They are beautiful, streak free and spots that have been there in the hall going into the kitchen for nine months now are gone. Believe me, I just cancelled an appointment with a carpet store to measure for carpeting! I could not stand looking at these floors one more day, but I found the trick to make them look and smell beautiful! P.S., I also used it on my ceramic tile in the bathroom and kitchen, and they came out beautiful as well.
I was told not to use a sweeper with a brush on my floor, but I find the Swiffer vacuum doesn’t pick up crumbs very well. Is there an electric sweeper that is recommended for laminate floors? I use just plain hot water on my floor and with the ceiling fans going, they dry pretty quick. Just want to know what type of sweeper to use.
I agree with other comments about comparing laminate to carpet; not even the same. Carpet is dirty, especially if you have pets. Comparing laminate to hard surface floors is best. I’ve had both. In my new house, I’m opting for laminate over hardwood because of the dogs. My dogs ruined my hardwood in the last house despite me keeping their nails nice and trim. They run back and forth when they see something in the window, can’t get their footing, and run in place for a second. A year or so of that caused horrible scratches in the wood surface – a problem you don’t get with laminate.
As for foot prints showing up; this happens with hardwood also. The darker the wood, the more your foot oils will show up. If you have a lot of pets and people in the house, opt for a lighter color wood so you don’t see the marks. No cleaner will make a difference on stains from the natural oils on you and your pets’ bare feet that show up after walking on it.
I typically alternate on my cleaners, but the one most frequently used is water and vinegar. Vinegar is acidic and can dull the shine though, so I’ll occasionally go over the floor with a protectant to give it the shine back.
One last comment on those of you considering using water only. Please use *something* to sanitize your floors. Never using anything to clean the floors except water is really gross. Feet step in all kinds of disgusting things. Water does not clean things like fecal matter that you stepped in from the public restroom, or dog poop matter from the back yard, etc. That’s just gross. Please use something like vinegar or alcohol to sterilize that.
I’m almost decided on using Pergo laminates for my apartment, which currently has vitrified tiles that are quite popular here in India, but the comments in this forum sound very alarming indeed. One thing though; I find a lot of comments on footprints and pug marks, but none of the samples that I saw at the showroom were glossy and therefore I wonder how one could notice them? Are the laminates given some coating to make them shiny? Appreciate feedback on this.
I would never buy laminate again, ever, especially in the kitchen. I’ve tried all of the above and haven’t been able to get a shine back on mine. I’ve always used just warm water on a DAMP microfiber mop. However, one day I used the sponge with dish soap to wipe up a spill and was amazed how much dirt was there. So I used a 1/2 cup of vinegar to a gallon of water, which did a good job with the dirt, but no shine. I’ve used the Pergo cleaner, still no shine.
Other problems: the NOISE. Every sound is amplified, especially silverware dropped – incredibly loud. Also, you have to be very careful with water because it will swell and you get peaks and valleys in the floor. Also, I would NOT USE ALCOHOL as these floors are plastic and alcohol attacks plastic – it will certainly dull it even more over time and eventually ruin the finish. Next time: linoleum!
My two-year-old daughter marked my laminate floor with crayon. So not thinking, I cleaned it with rubbing alcohol and now there is a white stain that won’t come off. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Wow!!!! I’ve read every one of your comments. Now, I’m really confused. My laminate just went in a week ago, and the first time I cleaned it on my hands and knees three times!!! Okay, so I too, am anal. My installer said to use the Bona, which I have used just once so far, but he also told me to buy lemon oil. I have to admit, I’m not sure how to use it on my flooring. It’s great on furniture. I have high-end laminate, which according to the the installer is just as good as the hardwood. I don’t know; I’m not an expert in this area. But in reading your comments, I think it has to be on an individual basis; brand, thickness, color, manufacturer and so on. Now, I’m trying to buy an area rug for on front of the TV and am more confused about that. Vinyl vs. rubber vs. latex backing. Every store has a different idea of what kind to install. I want to put the best in to ensure protection of my floor. Have any of you put area rugs down? What kind did you buy and mostly what kind of backing do you have? I’m exhausted just from running around trying to get the right area rug. Anyone have anything to share on that subject? Your comments are reallly good and for the most part, pretty valid. Thanks for all the info; it’s been an eye opener. Marilyn
Well, I just had cherry high-gloss laminate put down last week and I was about to shoot myself for it. I first used Method laminate cleaner with microfiber mop; streaked and dull. Then used the Bona cleaner; even more dull. Tried vinegar/water/soap mixture; still dull. So I spit on the floor and rubbed it in. Perfect. So then, I got a warm wash cloth and wrung it out. Washed floor and dried with a microfiber towel, like as in wax-on/wax-off method. It looks brand new. A damp towel and fiber towel to dry in small sections is all they need. Footprints, well, gonna have to live with them. Wearing socks makes a world of difference. I have a cleaning service clean house every other week and they cleaned my old hardwood floors on hands and knees so that will stay the same. Just no solvents or polishes with urethane in them, as Bona has. My girlfriend has satin laminate; wish I followed her advice, as hers never looks streaked or dirty. Oh a woman’s advice!
Have had laminate since 2007. I have an energetic Jack Russell who skids from one doggy door, through the house, to another doggy door that goes into garden all weather. Also, I am in a wheelchair or using a walker and leave lots of wheel tracks with sand, gravel, etc., but would not swap for dirty carpets. I do have a cleaner and when the floor looks really dull, she does a second wash with clean water only. Using clean hot water for a damp mop seems best and changing the water and mop-head frequently gets a streak-free result. Remember, it is your home and not a show house.
I am so regretful that I didn’t do more research before I replaced my two rooms with laminated floor (it was carpet). If I read this earlier, I would have spent more (double money) to install hardwood in the rooms. Beside the cleaning solution that the company provided, I will try to circulate the air in the room and see if there will be less dust. I hope it is the air flow problem. I have no problem cleaning the laminated floor, but I just wonder where did that dust came from? It looks like candy floss, but they are dust.
Regretful,
Laminate floors are known for their static electricity, which would attract dust. The actual dust could be from the installation process (construction). Some ideas for solutions: you could try vacuuming and/or washing the walls (these articles might help: How to Clean Painted Walls and How to Wash Walls) to remove the excess dust; you could even vacuum or wash the ceilings if you wanted (this article might help: How to Clean Ceilings). You could also try wrapping a dryer sheet over a floor sweeper or Swiffer and that might decrease the static electricity at least temporarily. Increasing the humidity might also help and so might your idea of improving the air circulation. Then again, at least your floor was nice enough to collect the dust into easy-to-clean-up dust bunnies for you. 🙂
Source: Kronotex – Static Electricity
Source: HowToCleanStuff.net – Removing Interior Construction Dust
I have had my laminate floors for over a year and simply LOVE them. I don’t have pets inside, but do have three grandchildren that are over all the time. I use the microfiber sweeper to sweep the dust weekly, but then use an additional light vacuum cleaner to vacuum up all dust right before I clean them, which is once a month. I just use the Bona cleaner for laminate floors and water. I use a rug in the middle of the living room and a runner in the hall; these help tremendously in keeping the floor cleaner for a longer period of time. In deciding if laminate flooring was for me, I did a lot of research and it depends on each household as to what and who all is living in it like dogs, children, heavy dirt, etc….Good Luck!
Help! I was pushing my daughter around my brother’s house in their Crazy Coupe and I scratched the floor around the corners where I turned. The wheels are black plastic. Has anyone had this happen? What is the best way to remove the scuffs? Thanks so much!
Lexi,
This is the article that you need: How to Remove Scuff Marks from Flooring.
I have used a steamer on my “marble” laminate floors in the kitchen for four years. When I changed brands of steamers, I noticed that the floor isn’t getting clean now. I will try the solution to see if it helps. The floor is still tight and intact. Whenever water drips on the floor, I immediately clean it up with a rag I keep on the floor for just that purpose. I am going to try a cleaner and see if that makes a difference.
Try 1/4 ammonia, 1 cup vinegar and then fill a 5 gallon bucket with hot water. It will clean anything. I use it on tile, laminate, etc.
We put in Mannington laminate two weeks ago (Diamond Bay Collection, Brazilian Cherry Natural – medium color, satin finish) just in our front hallway. We were going to do the entire downstairs, and decided to just do the hallway as a “test” first. Our concern was whether or not our two dogs would be able to walk safely on it, or slip and slide, and whether or not their nails would scratch the flooring up the way they did on the previous hardwood. Boy, am I glad we didn’t do the whole house. No slipping or scratching at all, but every footprint/pawprint shows. The recommended Mannington Ultra Clean cleaner and microfiber mop just kept making it worse. A hazy film was building up; I could write my name in it with my finger! Streaky, spotty, hazy, smeary, and awful! I tried everything I could think of, and after finding and reading this site, tried misting with rubbing alcohol, and immediately scrubbing with microfiber rags and my hands and knees. The hazy film is gone; the footprints/pawprints are gone. The streaks and spots are gone. OK – it has only been a couple hours, but so far, so good. I will give it a couple days and see how it holds up. We were ready to tear it out and try Bruce Park Avenue laminate in the Makore finish instead. It is lighter in color and a very high gloss. If anyone has either of these two laminates I mentioned, please comment on how you are cleaning it and how you like it. I will re-post in a couple days with more “long-term” results from my alcohol cleaning. I’m hoping now that I have the gook stripped off, maybe I can maintain the floor with a simple damp mopping without using alcohol or getting down on my hands and knees.
Follow up – It has been 2 weeks since my previous post where I cleaned the entire floor with rubbing alcohol. The floor is holding up well. All the smeary haze is gone. I actually called Mannington customer service and they advised me to clean the entire floor with blue Windex until the haze was gone. They stated that this was build-up of cleaning product. I find this pretty incredible, since I had only had the flooring for 2 weeks. Just how much “build up” can one acquire in 2 weeks??? Anyway, her advice was to clean it with the blue Windex until the haze was gone, then to spot clean with Windex as needed. Apparently, even Mannington knows that their Mannington laminate cleaner is utter junk. Since then, I have had a few dog paw prints to clean up, but we have had an awful lot of rain, so wet paws are going to leave prints on any floor. The weather has dried up somewhat now, and the only spots I need to clean up now are where the dogs lay and drool. They love lying on the new laminae flooring, and they fall asleep and drool. No problem – just give a quick spray with Windex, and hit it with a microfiber mop, and it’s beautiful again. I do have to sweep daily with the Swiffer Vac, as every little piece of lint, etc., does show. But, I believe we will finish the downstairs with the same laminate now. I was ready to tear it all up and go with something else, but now that I have been able to get it clean and the smeary look gone, I think I can be happy with it. I tried vinegar and water, but even that doesn’t do nearly as good a job as the Windex. And since Mannington’s customer service rep instructed me to use the Windex, I feel it is safe.
When I attempted to pick up a small runner on the floor, I knew I had trouble: it was one of those “Princess” mats for kids, and had been on the floor for a few months in an un-used room. The rubber bottom had adhered to the laminate mobile home flooring, and I had to really yank on the runner to get it off the floor. Now, I have a dried-on mess that a damp cloth won’t even begin to clean up. I am wondering what to use. I am moving soon, and the landlord will have a fit if she sees what this runner did to the flooring. I tried dish detergent on a damp cloth, and if I really scrubbed and scrubbed, some of the mess loosened up, but it will be a long process involving tons of elbow grease. Any ideas out there? Thanks, Bob
Bob,
This is the article that you need: How to Remove Rubber Backing from Vinyl Flooring. According to the Goo Gone website, Goo Gone is safe to use on laminate.
So, the advice I am reading over and over is to live in the dark (put shutters on your windows, don’t let in natural light, don’t turn on the TV as sunlight/bright light will show how disgusting the floors are), get on your knees every day and scrub your whole house with a tiny Magic Eraser using unlimited elbow grease….(umm…NO, I have a life to live), or lay down runners and area rugs (what’s the point of the flooring, then…anyway I can’t because my sweet old cat thinks rugs are for peeing on). My landlord said to wash the floor JUST ONCE EVERY THREE MONTHS by lightly spraying a little warm water mixed with a capful of vinegar and then mopping dry. Apparently she believes that the residents levitate rather than walk, and that her laminate purchase came with the bonus package that included a force-field dirt/water barrier. I’ve tried vinegar/water/alcohol, floor cleaner, and even Pledge 99% natural multi-purpose cleaner that says it’s for laminate (that actually worked, until I forgot to levitate). I was so excited about the newly installed laminate when I moved in, thinking it would be beautiful and so easy to clean; instead it looks like I am a slob. I am too grossed out to even walk on the floor barefoot and dread that my guests might do so (unlikely since they can see how filthy the floor is with streaks and cloudiness and footprints, oh my). Thank you for letting me vent. I will check back here to see if anyone has any new solution. I’m off to mop the floor again, this time with vodka (which was also suggested): a splash for the floor, a splash for me. When I’m done mopping, I won’t care what it looks like.
I clean my laminate floors with a spray bottle filled with warm water and a few drops of Dawn dish soap. For spots, I use an old credit card to rub the edge across the spot. The floors are so slick, these spots come up easily. I also use just a soft micro cloth mop. Blue Windex is also good for a quick clean up of spills. If I get a scratch, I use a crayon of the same color to fill in the spot.
Here is what I have found. I have tried most everything to clean my glossy laminate floors and it all leaves streaks or a white film after cleaning. Do THIS: buy a nice microfiber mop where the microfiber cloth can be removed and cleaned. Use non-streaking Windex, lightly spray and mop with your microfiber mop and keep going till it’s dry; don’t stop. You don’t need to scrub, just buff it out. This works very good; the best thing I have found…
I have dark laminate floors and was frustrated for a while. I finally just used a damp regular mop to clean five rooms. Tracks rarely show &dust doesn’t show as much. I also have ceiling vents that I felt made the situation worse. So, no soap or cleansers, and a damp regular mop works well.
I have an area rug on fake wood. I didn’t realize it would leave a light haze, which I now believe it is dulling only in the area the rug covers. What can I use to bring back the true color to match the rest of floor? This is not real wood, not sure what brand it is; it was in the home before I moved in.
I see a lot of negative comments about laminate flooring. I got rid of carpeting and put laminated flooring in every room in the house. I will never have carpeting in my house again. I dust the floors everyday with a microfiber cloth and damp mop with a microfiber cloth. The upkeep on carpet is a lot harder than laminate flooring. If you walk barefooted in the house, the oils from your feet will leave footprints. We wear socks and don’t have a problem. When we have visitors, I have the shoe covers to put over their shoes.
My problem with my laminate floors is no matter what I use, vinegar, baby shampoo, when I walk on it with socks, my socks get disgustingly black. It’s very embarrassing when I have overnight guests. Any suggestions?
Hi Terry,
That situation indicates that not all of the dirt has been removed from the floor. After mopping (with soap), mop with plain water to rinse, then use an absorbent cloth to dry the floor. Work in small sections so you can dry the floor by hand before the water dries. This shouldn’t need to be done every time; just a good deep cleaning to remove the bulk of the dirt buildup you have currently. Good luck!