Using Steam Cleaners on Wood & Laminate Floors It’s that time of year again. The newspaper’s filled with “Black Friday” sales and everyone is planning their shopping strategy – the holiday season is upon us. For many, this means gathering together with family and friends. If you’re hosting a get-together, making sure your home looks its best is likely one of your top priorities. For the hardwood or laminate owner, this often begs the question, “Is it okay for me to use a steam cleaner on my floor?” As a customer service technician, I get asked this question a lot. The short answer is no! Read on to find out why. First, let’s look specifically at laminate in relation to steam cleaner use. Armstrong does not recommend the use of any type of steam cleaner on our laminate floors. The concern with these types of cleaners is that they simply generate too much moisture. For example, in a laminate installation where glue has been used at the joints, the resulting moisture due to the use of a steam cleaner can be enough to break down the adhesive.

Also, in instances where no glue is used, we have seen both peaked and swelled edges occur in laminate. While it may be possible that a steam cleaner does a sufficient job in maintaining the laminate, the potential risks of its use are too great to allow us to give our recommendation. Next, we delve into steam cleaner use on hardwood. As with laminate, we don’t recommend the use of steam cleaners on hardwood either. The number one rule of hardwood maintenance is never to use water. The use of a steam cleaner would clearly violate that rule. Here’s why: over time, the moisture generated from the steam would be absorbed by the floor boards. Eventually, it would cause these boards to swell in place which results in buckling. Once the board swells, it has nowhere to go and will begin to “pop up” over time. Excessive moisture could also have a detrimental impact on the finish of your hardwood floor. Keep in mind that it makes no difference whether your hardwood is of a solid or engineered construction in relation to steam cleaner use.

Each structure would still be negatively impacted when excessive moisture is generated on its surface, especially after several uses. This is the most common time of the year for folks to focus on maintaining their floors. It is my hope that this post has provided a bit more understanding of our reasons for cautioning against the use of steam cleaners in relation to hardwood and laminate floors. For more information on the best practices for cleaning your floors, please visit the maintenance section of our website. 2012 is only a few shorts weeks away. Be sure to enter the New Year with your floor looking its best and performing at its peak. Joe Sumpman, a Technical Services Representative, has four years at Armstrong under his belt. Joe is the consumer’s “phone a friend.” He can talk with you about almost any flooring topic – from installation methods to flooring warranties to finding a local retailer and more. He blogs about these topics too! At heart, Joe is a music and sports lover.

And just for fun, he once decided to try skydiving! This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011 at 1:38 pm and is filed under Floor Care & Maintenance, Hardwood, Laminate.best combination vacuum and steam cleaner You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.best way to clean duct tape residue Both comments and pings are currently closed.robot vacuum cleaner best brandsBefore you can pick out the best steam cleaner for your home, you need to understand what exactly a steam cleaner machine is and the role that each feature plays.carpet cleaning service dallas tx

As the name suggests, these are cleaning machines that use steam to clean surfaces. A basic variant of this cleaner uses a mopping action to wipe up dirt, while a steam vacuum cleaner uses a combination of both steam and suction.best vacuum cleaner for dog hair 2011Cleaning with a steam cleaner involves boiling water to create steam, which is then released onto the surface. clean notebook cpu fanDirt, including tough grime, is loosened, and is then picked up by the suction force of the machine. There are also advanced variants of these machines that can release steam at high pressures to clean even tougher stains.An important fact to keep in mind is that an ideal cleaner should be able to make and use steam, which means they boil water at temperatures above 212 degrees Fahrenheit or 100 degrees Celsius (Centigrade).

Any machine that heats water to a lesser temperature will only make ‘hot air’. These work well on certain floor types, but, they are not ideal.Although there are many benefits of having one in your home, here are 2 of the main ones:In order to pick the best steam cleaner, you need to first make sure that it excels at creating/utilizing steam, and has an efficient vacuum with a powerful suction.Here are some questions to ask yourself before you buy one:There are a few things to keep in mind when looking for a steam cleaner for cleaning carpets. Using the wrong type of cleaner or technique can cause your carpets to re-soil a lot quicker and in some cases, it might even cause permanent damage.One of the big issues faced with carpets is over-wetting. Prolonged wetness not only encourages mold to grow, but it can also the backing to separate.For this reason, you want to pick one with a vacuum that’s strong enough to ideally remove enough water so that it completely dries within 12 hours.

This will also make sure the cleaning solution is completely removed, stopping the carpet from re-soiling easily.Ideally, you want to avoid using a steam cleaner for wood floors since most cleaners will generate too much moisture. Over time, this can break down the adhesive on laminate wood floors and cause the edges to swell. The same rule applies to most hardwood floors, as it will absorb the moisture from the steamer over time and causes it to buckle.There are however machines which are advertised as “safe for hardwood.”These are what’s known as “dry” steam cleaners. They produce lower amount of steam but at much higher temperatures in order to keep the moisture level as low as possible. The higher the temperature, the less the moisture gets left behind.If you choose to go down this route, make sure you read and re-read the manufaturer’s recommendations for use.You also want to make sure that your floors are sealed, and that you do not use it over any spot that looks worn out.

Steam cleaners are perfect for kitchen and bathroom tiles. It’s quick, efficient, ecological, and it disinfects the entire floor with ease.No cleaning solution is required. The hot steam and pressure alone is enough to reach deep down between tiles and remove built-up dirt and oil.Just make sure to pick a high quality steamer (like a BISSELL) that’s able to reach higher temperatures with a decent pressure, unless of course your tiles are painted. In this case, you want to aim for a lower pressure machine in order to avoid damaging the paint.A steam mop saves you the trouble of having to drag a bucket of water around with you as you clean your house.They are lighter, slimmer, and easier to maneuver around as well as to store.The biggest disadvantage is that there is no vacuum suction, dp you still need to sweep your floors with it in order to loosen the dirt and debris. Another disadvantage is that mop cloth gets dirty after using and needs to be changed every now and then.In the end, whatever you decide to go with should match your needs.