Cleaning laminate floors isn't a tough task and learning how to clean Pergo floors properly will ensure years of beautiful wear. To make sure your floors stay fresh, get tips and tricks for using natural and commercial cleaners that will keep your flooring streak- and dust-free. You'll also learn what not do to when it comes to Pergo flooring.
The Best Way to Clean Pergo Floors Naturally
To prevent heavy-duty cleaning all the time, make an effort to do minor cleanups as needed. This may be once a week to several times a week, depending on whether you have pets or a large family parading through the house. Cleaning Pergo floors can be done wet or dry. But first, you'll need some cleaning tools.
Materials You'll Need
For natural cleaning, you'll need:
- Dust mop
- Broom
- Vacuum with soft brush attachment
- Mop
- Vinegar
- Water
- Bucket
- Soft drying cloth
- Swiffer dust mop
Sweeping and Dusting Pergo Floors
Cleaning your Pergo floor without water is relatively simple. This will help to pick up any pet hairs and dust on a regular basis.
- You can either sweep with a regular brush broom, Swiffer or use a dusting mop using consistent strokes along the floor.
- Vacuum using a soft brush attachment that won't scratch the finish of the flooring.
It's a good idea to get into the habit of dry cleaning your floors routinely. This helps prevent a buildup of dust and dirt that may then require a more intense cleaning job.
How to Clean Pergo Floors: Wet Method
Sometimes your floors are going to need more than a good sweeping. For the wet method, you'll need the bucket, vinegar and mop.
- Mix one cup vinegar with one gallon of warm water in a bucket. Alternately, use only warm or hot water.
- Wet your mop in the water mixture and then wring it thoroughly. You don't want to saturate the floor; you only want it dampened.
- Mop the entire floor.
- If you find any particularly wet spots or puddles afterward, soak them up with a soft cloth.
Commercial Pergo Cleaner
While you can easily use water and/or vinegar to clean your Pergo floors, you may want to try some commercial cleaners like Meyer's Clean Day and Bona Multipurpose Cleaner. Look for them in your local home improvement stores. In many cases, these will only be necessary for hard-to-clean stains. Another popular laminate cleaner is the Swiffer WetJet.
Cleaning Pergo Floors With Swiffer WetJet
Swiffer WetJet doesn't offer a laminate-only floor cleaner. However, they do offer a multi-purpose cleaner that includes laminate floors. To use a Swiffer WetJet, you will insert the cartridge. You'll then spray and wipe the floor, paying special attention to soiled areas. Per Pergo's instructions, you'll want to make sure you simply mist rather than saturating the flooring. Having saturated areas is not good for the life of the flooring.
Tips for Cleaning Stubborn Stains
If you find that you're having trouble removing stubborn stains, give some of these tricks a try.
- Non-abrasive cleaners like ammonia may also be combined with water for cleaning up grease, juice, chocolate or wine.
- Acetone nail polish remover can help remove nail polish, cigarette burns, tar or markers.
- Gum and candle wax can be scraped off with a firm, plastic scraper.
- Soak a cloth in the vinegar mixture to scrub off scuffs.
- Remove streaks with a light mop of equal parts vinegar and water.
Cleaning Pergo With a Steam Mop
Many manufacturers of laminate flooring, such as Pergo, do not recommend using a steam mop to clean the flooring. According to Armstrong Flooring, heat and moisture can harm the flooring material. However, they did note that it hasn't been tested so you might want to contact your specific flooring distributor. If in doubt, it is better to use vinegar and warm water to clean.
Cleaning Techniques to Avoid
To maintain your Pergo floor's beauty, avoid the following:
- Waxing
- Sanding
- Refinishing
- Soaps
- Detergents
Not only will some of these cleaning products and methods leave a film on your floor, but they may also damage the surface.
Keeping Your Floor Beautiful
Taking care of Pergo floors is very similar to cleaning other types of laminate floors. Getting into a regular cleaning routine now will help keep your floors looking great for years to come.
