Cleaning products make life easier by reducing the need to scrub as if your life depends on it. Not all cleaners work the same way because surfaces are different and require unique cleaning methods. Since Bona hardwood floor cleaner is efficient, do you think you can use it on laminate?
Using Bona hardwood floor cleaner on laminate is possible, but it’s best to use a laminate-specific cleaner. In addition, hardwood cleaners are usually weaker than regular floor cleaners, so they might not be satisfactory if you use them on non-wooden surfaces.
This article explores whether you can use Bona hardwood floor cleaner on laminate. I also discuss how often you should use Bona hardwood floor cleaner and how to remove wax buildup from laminate floors.
Can You Use Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner on Laminate?
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Laminate floors aren’t installed directly into the subfloor or substrate. Instead, you put them above (like floating floors) with interlocking tongue and groove pieces. They use an image layer to mimic wood; hence people call laminate flooring ‘imitation hardwood.’
Laminate flooring comprises a base, a particleboard core, a decorative layer, and a wear layer. The wear layer protects it from abrasions and is prone to damage caused by harsh floor cleaners.
Hardwood has a unique finish on its surface that traditional cleaners can destroy. As a result, all hardwood cleaning products are weaker than regular floor cleaners—they might not work well for other surfaces.
You can clean your laminate flooring with Bona hardwood floor cleaner. Most hardwood floor cleaners even specify on their labels that they’ll perform well on laminate. However, there is a better Bona cleaner for laminate.
Bona hard-surface floor cleaner is uniquely made for laminate surfaces, stone, and tile. So, even though the hardwood cleaner is sufficiently gentle, I advise you to use a cleaner specific to laminate floors.
Do You Have to Rinse off Bona Floor Cleaner?
Bona hardwood floor cleaner is versatile, with the added advantage of functioning alone. Unlike most floor cleaners, you don’t need to dilute it with any other product. Furthermore, there’s no need to rinse the surfaces with water after using the cleaner.
Hardwood floors and water don’t mix well, so it’s great to use the cleanser without rinsing. Unfortunately, the water-resistant wear layer of these floors is not enough to prevent damage over time from sitting water. However, you can wipe off the Bona cleaner with a microfiber mop.
Fortunately, Bona sells its mop and recommends using it with each cleaner for optimum results. Then, the only thing you need to rinse is the Bona cleaner – the tool that applies the cleaning agent. When cleaning, rinse the floor cleaner’s pad frequently to avoid transferring dirt from room to room.
How Frequent Should You Use Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner?
The correct use of a Bona hardwood floor cleaner is for hardwood surfaces. These surfaces require varying amounts of cleaning depending, and it depends on the following:
- The quality of protection of the surface layer
- Whether or not the hardwood is finished
- The amount of traffic on the hardwood floor
Most experts recommend using a hardwood cleaner once per month for finished floors. Unfinished floors are too delicate for hardwood floor cleaners, so avoid using them. In addition, regular cleaning methods like using a soap and water solution or mineral spirits can ruin unfinished wood.
Unnecessary moisture exposure will warp the wood and breed mold. Stick with the recommended special treatment for unfinished woods to maintain their form and beauty.
How Do You Remove Wax Buildup on Laminate Floors?
The decorative laminate flooring layer is usually a paper-like covering with a photographic image of flooring materials. The photos range from tile to wood and stone. Therefore, the wear layer must be hard to protect this thin decorative image.
A strong finish or wear layer doesn’t need wax on it for two reasons:
- Wax can make the floor slippery, causing dangerous falls.
- Wax collects dirt and debris over time, which makes the finish lackluster.
If you weren’t aware of these wax effects, you might have used a laminate floor cleaner containing wax or a coat of paste wax. Using an oil soap to clean laminate flooring is also wrong. Regardless of how the laminate got dull, you can clean it!
Cleaning wax off the floor is arduous, so you should prepare to kneel for a while. Since the cleaners that dissolve wax also damage the floor’s finish, you might be scraping and rubbing for some time.
It is essential to check if a cleaning method is safe for your type of laminate; try it on a hidden area first. Then, before you start removing the wax, gather your cleaning supplies as follows:
- A vacuum cleaner
- A plastic windshield scraper
- A Hairdryer
- A bucket or bowl
- Warm water
- White vinegar
- Clean, white towels or rags
- Knee pads to protect your knees
Once your cleaning supplies are ready, and you have fortified yourself with food, you can attack the wax buildup with these steps.
Remove surface dirt:
Attach a soft floor cleaning accessory to your vacuum and clean the floor. A vacuum cleaner without spinning rotors is best for laminate flooring. The highest suction setting will remove dirt from the joints between the flooring planks.
Scrape off the wax:
Use the plastic scraper to remove as much wax as possible. The scraper doesn’t have to be big—a 4-inch plastic drywall blade is good enough. Aim to remove the wax buildup without making streaks.
To make this easy, soften the wax before you begin scraping and scrape along the plank lengths, not across. You can also utilize a hairdryer on medium to soften the wax and make scraping easier. The planks may swell from water seeping into the joints if you use hot water or a steam mope.
Rub off the wax residue:
Scraping won’t remove all the wax buildup, so you need a cleaner to finish the job. You can use many commercial laminate floor cleaners, but a homemade cleaner is just as efficient. Make a solution using two cups of vinegar per gallon of hot water.
Put the white cloth in the solution, wring it properly, and rub along the plank in one direction. When the cleaning solution gets dirty, swap it for a fresh batch and continue rubbing the floor. Remember to rinse the cloth frequently and don’t rub back and forth.
Most wax should come off with this, but there may be tougher buildup areas. Using paint thinner or mineral spirits for these areas isn’t a bad practice. If you can’t use your hand for the cloth, wrap it around a mop head for ease.
When using mineral spirits or paint thinners, wear gloves and goggles, and maintain adequate ventilation. It would be best to clean in small sections to avoid leaving any moisture behind.
Some extra tips to keep in mind include:
- Never use ammonia on laminate flooring to remove wax because it’s harmful to the laminate’s sealant.
- If you wash the cleaning cloth in your washing machine, you may leave some wax residue in it.
After removing all the wax, maintain this clean state by mopping with a commercial laminate cleaner that has no wax. The vinegar solution can also be your mainstay cleaner: mix a batch when necessary. Vinegar will clean your laminate floor without damaging the finish.
