You must be wondering why your laminate floor feels sticky despite all the vigorous and sincere cleaning processes you regularly carry out to keep it tidy and functional, right? Well, you are not the only one experiencing this problem. It’s pretty common to end up with a sticky laminate floor after it dries up following mopping and cleaning.
There are a few reasons behind such post-cleaning stickiness. If you acquire the necessary information about these causes, dealing with the problem becomes very easy. In addition, getting an insight into the proper know-how regarding the possible solution will make you a pro in handling this situation.
In this article, I’m going to give you an in-depth analysis of all the major causes pertinent to sticky laminate floors after cleaning. Plus, I’ll be spilling out the most effective and comprehensive solutions to deal with this problem. Let’s get started.
4 Reasons Behind Sticky Laminate Floor After Cleaning: Find Out Why
From improper cleaning methods to the usage of unsuitable cleaning agents and many more, the potential reasons behind the stickiness of laminate are diverse. You may be experiencing one particular factor at a time or quite a few of them altogether.
Let’s have a look at why exactly laminate floor becomes sticky after cleaning:
Reason-1: Too Much Or Too Strong Cleaner Than Necessary
One of the most common reasons for this stickiness is using a higher amount of cleaning agent than required for laminate floors. In this scenario, there are leftover residues of those chemical agents present on the floor surface. Over time, these residues turn into a sticky film on laminate. Thus, you end up with a claggy floor despite regular clean-up.
This scenario is particularly prevalent for spray mop users. While using spray mops, it becomes pretty frequent that you are possibly under-diluting the cleaning solution. You might not notice that an appropriate proportion isn’t maintained.
Therefore, any highly-concentrated cleaning solution gets built on a laminate floor after multiple applications.
This under-dilution of cleaning agents is also very frequent with the all-in-one mopping systems like the Swiffer WetJet. Such mopping systems typically lead to a convenient overuse of the cleaning solution. On top of that, your floor can get even stickier if you spray an area big enough to get dried before you could reach everywhere to mop it up thoroughly.
Bear in mind that this situation isn’t entirely exclusive to spray mops or the Swiffer WetJet system. Heavy and inappropriate use of cleaning substances can happen anytime through any procedure if you put in more agents than necessary.
To avoid this situation, pay a little attention to diluting the cleaning solution properly in an appropriate ratio.
Reason-2: Using The Wrong/Inappropriate Type Of Cleaner
The fact is that different flooring materials require different types of cleaning agents specific to each of them. A cleaner that works best for porcelain tiles or concrete might not be as good for laminate floor and vice-versa.
Stickiness on laminate floors can occur very frequently after mopping with a soap-based cleaner. And it happens even if you are using the right amount of cleaner for laminate floors. If this stickiness is persistent after every mopping and you are sure that you aren’t overusing the cleaning material, you need to switch to a different product.
Reason-3: Not Cleaning Up A Spill Properly:
Floors of different areas in your house are prone to frequent spills. Usually, a spill comes to your notice, and you are prompted to clean it up. But there are times when a spill might go unnoticed. Such circumstances may lead to a sticky laminate floor.
You must be thinking that your flooring is unlikely to get stickiness from spills since you always carry out general cleaning procedures like mopping. Now let me remind you that typical regular cleaning methods do not work for various spills. Especially if a concentrated liquid containing strong stimuli gets splattered, it will need some extra care apart from general procedures.
While laminate flooring is resistant to moisture, it is not waterproof like some other materials are. It usually absorbs liquids very quickly. Therefore, if a significant amount of stimulative liquid or even plain water gets spilled on such floors and dries without proper cleaning, the substances from the spill can get caught up in the layer of laminate. These substances further go through the reaction process and eventually build up sticky films on the laminate surface.
If you figure out that your laminate floor is only sticky in certain spots, it is likely to be from a spill or residue that somehow escaped your notice previously.
In this case, you need to treat this stickiness with a moderately acidic cleaner. Treating only the affected areas will suffice. To prevent laminate floors from such troubles in the future, regularly keep a sharp eye on whether something gets spilled on it.
Reason- 4: Not Using Clean-Enough Water
It ironically becomes a comedy of error if the water you’re using to clean up your floor isn’t clean itself! All your intricate processes using effective cleaners go in vain then. Although it is not very frequent for someone to use dirty water for cleaning purposes, it’s still a valid reason which leads to sticky films. People sometimes happen to do so.
After mopping with the right cleaner in a proper ratio, your floor may remain pretty clean until that point. Following that, it can end up sticky if you don’t wash the laminate floor with clean water. Well, I know that you start the mopping process with a bucket containing clean and sterile water. But as you go, mopping the floor and continuously wringing the mop in the container gets the water dirtier every time. After a point, the water isn’t even a tad bit clean anymore despite having enough cleaning product.
To avoid problems caused by such dirty water, keep emptying the bucket whenever it gets visibly dirty. In addition to that, do not let your mop drip while cleaning. Remember that this kind of dripping also can cause sticky residues to build up in the laminate.
How To Remove Sticky Laminate Floors After Cleaning? [5 Solutions]
It must be very irritating to find any laminate floor sticky after every time you clean it. It may cause inconvenience in frequent movement in the house. It may as well end up damaging the laminate floor to a significant extent. Now that you know the probable reasons for this post-clean stickiness, you would certainly want to avoid those causes becoming prevalent.
And if you are caught up in a persistent, recurring stickiness problem already, all you want now is an effective solution to get rid of it. Let’s get right into the sight-after remedies then.
Remedy -1: Treat Your Sticky Laminate Floor With Vinegar:
Regardless of whether your problem is minor or pretty severe, it’s understandable that you want a safe process to deal with it without causing further damage to your floor. Treating the issue with vinegar is one of the pro-things to do in this regard.
A homemade cleaner using white vinegar is quite efficient to clean off sticky films of the laminate floor safely and thoroughly. The process is as follow:
Step-1: Make a cleaning solution by mixing 1/2 cup white vinegar with 1-gallon warm water in your cleaning bucket.
Step-2: Dip your mop in the bucket of solution and squeeze it out. To avoid oversaturating in laminate floors, squeeze the mop very well to run out as much liquid of it as possible. Keep in mind that oversaturation can cause cracking and swelling of the laminate.
Step-3: Start removing all the residues by wiping the mop over the sticky floor areas. Continue until all the sticky films get scrapped off.
Step-4: Leave the floor to dry, and check by rubbing with your hand if all the residues are gone. If anything remains, repeat the procedure to clean it off.
Remedy-2: Treatment Using Regular Cleaning Product For Laminate:
The process to treat sticky laminate floor with regular cleaning products is as follow:
Step-1: Get a cleaning product that is appropriate for laminate floors from the store. Then make a solution of water and the product in a 10:1 ratio. Keep in mind that there should be 10 parts of water and 1 part of the cleaning product in the mixture. You can use warm water if the stickiness is too severe or if the floor is too dirty.
Step-2: Dip your rag into the container containing the solution and wring it well.
Step-3: Start cleaning the sticky area of your floor. The best way to conduct a cleaning procedure is by moving backward while mopping a particular floor area from one end to the other. It will prevent you from stepping on the area you’ve just cleaned up. Also, remember to wring your mop several times along the way. By doing this, you can avoid dragging the dirt from one part of the floor to the other.
Step-4: After mopping up the cleaner, rinse it well with clean and fresh water. Remember that rinsing laminate with water is always crucial. It ensures that your cleaning product doesn’t leave any residue behind.
Rinsing should always be done in regular cleaning as well, even if your floor hasn’t got too sticky yet. Otherwise, your flooring will likely become sticky within a short time. To avoid all these present and future troubles, mop your floor well with plain water.
Step-5: After rinsing with plain water, let it dry well. Remember that no one must step on the floor as long as it is wet. If unable to wait until the floor dries on its own, you can dry the floor yourself by mopping it with a dry cloth or by using the floor dryer machine.
Step-6 (If necessary): If there’s still any residue on your floor, repeat the process. Start from step 2 all over again and follow from there till the end.
Remedy-3: Treat Sticky Laminate Floor With Steam Mop:
If you want a comparatively less-time consuming treatment method, the steam mop is the way to go. Even though it might be a little expensive as compared to other methods, steam mops are pretty efficient in eliminating any residue.
The perk of a steam mop is that you can use it to steam-clean your floors as well as your carpets. It also works as a great disinfectant since hot steam can kill up to 99% of bacteria. Due to all these factors, steam mops are widely considered an excellent replacement for your regular mops.
There are various kinds of steam mops specifically built using laminate-friendly technology. These systems will not let moisture swell or crack the laminate floor, so these are pretty safe.
11 Effective Tips To Avoid Stickiness On Laminate Flooring:
As the saying goes – prevention is better than cure. You might never need to follow any process to treat your sticky laminate floor if it never gets sticky in the first place. Laminate floors consist of delicate layers of wood-based compositions. These floorings are more prone to stickiness than other kinds of materials.
No matter what, if you know the correct maintenance guidelines and follow them sincerely, then your laminate floor will never catch residue or become sticky.
Here are some of the most effective measures that will prevent laminate flooring from being sticky:
Tip-1: Vacuum your floor before you start cleaning with solution and mop. Thoroughly vacuuming will ensure that no loose residue like dust, hair, fiber remains on the floor. It will reduce leftover residues on the floor after cleaning and keep it from potential stickiness.
Tip-2: Always rinse flooring with plain water after cleaning with your cleanser product. Make sure to use fresh and clean water for rinsing.
Tip-3: Avoid stepping on a wet floor after cleaning. Dry it well.
Tip-4: Keep the amount of your cleaning product appropriate for the laminate floor. Don’t use too much product and don’t under-dilute it.
Tip-5: Use a mop for cleaning. A dirty mop won’t clean your floor despite having enough cleaning product.
Tip-6: Try using warm water sometimes. It will help better cleaning by effectively removing residues.
Tip-7: Make sure to use the right cleaning product for laminate flooring. Switch to a more suitable product if necessary.
Tip-8: Opt for a steam mop instead of a regular one if you need to.
Tip-9: Try using white vinegar once in a while. It will provide a deep and thorough cleaning that you may require some time even if your floor is not sticky.
Tip-10: Always remember to check for spills regularly. Make sure that no spill on the floor escapes your notice. As soon as you happen to find one, clean it properly.
Tip-11: Wring your mop very well while cleaning to avoid dripping on the floor. Dripping can cause additional residue from the cleanser you dip your mop in.
FAQs Regarding Sticky Laminate Floor After Cleaning:
Why Is the Floor Sticky After Washing It?
Sticky floor post-washing results from any residue on the floor. There are quite a few reasons why your flooring may get sticky residues.
Some frequent factors are – the wrong type of cleaner, an improper ratio in the cleaning mixture, dirty water, dirty mop, not rinsing your floor with plain water after cleaning, not drying your floor well, loose residue from outside, unnoticed spills, etc. If you take care of these factors properly, you can keep your floor from being sticky after washing.
What Is the Best Way to Remove Sticky Residue From Laminate Floors?
There are multiple effective methods to remove sticky residue from laminate floors. You can use vinegar-based treatment, regular wood-cleaner or detergent-based cleaning treatment, or steam mop treatment.
Choose a method based on the severity of your problem. You can try more than one of these treatments until you find success. For minor issues, proper cleaning with regular cleaner or detergent may suffice.
If the problem is too persistent and your laminate floor is too sticky, vinegar treatment and steam mop are quintessential. A homemade cleaning solution of white vinegar and warm water works excellently in such scenarios. Steam mop cleaning systems are also great and diversely handy.
How To Stop Laminate Floor From Sticking?
The only way to prevent a laminate floor from becoming sticky is to ensure no residue is left behind. Pro-tips to avoid residue on laminate flooring include – rinsing laminate floors with plain water, not using too much cleaning product, drying the floor well, not stepping on a wet floor, using clean water and a mop, vacuuming the floor before cleaning to remove loose residue like fiber, dirt, etc.
You can clean any laminate floor with a solution of white vinegar and warm water once in a while. This acidic cleaner will further ensure no residue builds up on your flooring. Steam mops are yet another option for residue-free cleaning.
Will Swiffer Ruin Laminate Floors?
If you use Swiffer correctly, it will not ruin your laminate flooring. Swiffers are pretty popular in terms of cleaning various types of floorings. The wet Swiffers are best known for quickly cleaning up small areas. Swiffers containing a battery-operated spray and an onboard cleaning formula are suitable for cleaning larger spaces.
A few things need to remember while cleaning with Swiffer without damaging your laminate floors – read the manufacturer guideline properly, make sure to use an appropriate amount of cleaner, and dry your floor well after cleaning and rinsing.
Sometimes it becomes too convenient for you to under-dilute the cleaner if you use Swiffer. But maintaining the proper ratio in the cleaning solution will ensure Swiffer is harmless for laminate floors.
What Is The Best Thing To Use To Clean Laminate Floors?
Using cleaning products made specifically for laminate floors is the best option. Laminate is an engineered wood-based product that contains thin and delicate layers. So, wood cleaners are typically quite great for such floorings.
Apart from that, an appropriate amount of detergent or dish soap works very well. Cleaning with a solution of warm water and vinegar is another great way to maintain any laminate floors from catching residue. Baby shampoo can also be an option as a cleaning agent for laminate.
No matter what kind of cleaning product and procedure you choose, always make sure that nothing soaks into the layers of your laminate. Rinse your floor thoroughly after cleaning to prevent any residue from the cleaner from staying behind. Dry your floor well to avoid swelling and cracks.
Can You Use Mop & Glo On Laminate Floors?
Not using Mop & Glo on laminate floors is a better decision. Let me tell you why.
While Mop & Glo is safe for use on multiple types of flooring, it doesn’t do very well in terms of laminate flooring. It is a multi-surface floor cleaner and conditioner that is especially good for hardwood flooring. But when it comes to laminate flooring, Mop & Glo can cause real problems.
This system has a high propensity of dulling your laminate. If your flooring contains a high-gloss coating, continuous use of Mop & Glo can cause buildup on your floor. It will eventually dull your surface after a point in time.
If you still choose to use Mop & Glo for laminate flooring, you’ll need to seal the flooring every year. In addition to that, your sealer should have a gloss finish rather than matte if you opt for Mop & Glo.
All in all, simultaneously taking care of all these factors may be pretty troublesome at times. While using Mop & Glo, you have to face these extra difficulties regularly to avoid tarnishing your laminate.
My flooring advice for you would thus be to refrain from using Mop & Glo on laminate. It’s wiser for you to avoid the excess baggage that comes with it. Better safe than sorry.
Does Vinegar Dull Laminate Floors?
Not at all! Vinegar does not dull laminate floors or cause any other kind of harm to it. There are a lot of floor cleaners in use that potentially dulls the shine of the waxy coating of the laminate. Fortunately, vinegar works excellently without causing any such damage, no matter what kind of polish your surface has got.
Contrary to your skepticism, white vinegar helps restore the shine of laminate by removing residues and stains efficiently. It does not leave residue on laminate, which many other cleaning products do. Vinegar is a natural cleaner and disinfectant devoid of harmful attributes. Feel free to use it whenever you need to.
Does Vinegar Leave A Residue On Laminate Floors?
Vinegar does not leave any residue on laminate floors. Many cleaning products can lead to stickiness of the floor surface from the residue they leave behind after cleaning. But vinegar is quite the opposite. It helps remove any such residue from the floor and kills most bacteria.
Vinegar can also restore the shine of your floor by eliminating stubborn stains. A vinegar-based solution is safe as a floor cleaner and more efficient than other choices. You can use white vinegar without having to worry about the well-being of your floor.
What Kind Of Vinegar Do You Use To Clean Laminate Floors?
White vinegar is widely in use as a cleaning agent for laminate floors. Regardless of whether your surface finish is glossy or matte, a white vinegar-based solution works great for cleaning laminate flooring without causing any damage.
Mix 1 cup of white vinegar and one gallon of warm water, and you can remove any stubborn sticky film from your laminate surface.
White vinegar is a natural disinfectant that can prevent any buildup of bacteria. Also, it doesn’t leave any residue and helps restore the shine of the laminate coating.
Final Remark:
Sticky laminate floors after cleaning can be a recurring problem. And you have probably been fighting this issue for quite some time now. Although it might appear as a never-ending battle for you sometimes, you will eventually come out victorious if you know how to tackle the issue properly.
I hope that this article has provided you with a comprehensive analysis and defense modules to help you avoid stickiness on laminate flooring.
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