How to clean an area rug on laminate floor
Area rugs can be a great way to add color and style to a room, but they can be a pain to clean. If you have an area rug on laminate floors, don’t worry – it’s not as difficult as it may seem. Just follow these simple steps, and your area rug will look like new in no time. happy cleaning! 🙂
Here is our small dilemma, we have ceramic tile in most of our downstairs which is freezing cold on most days. This causes people to wear slippers around the house and while they aren’t as dirty as shoes, they still carry debris from room to room. We actually keep a small vacuum cleaner in the front closet that is specifically for the foyer just for this very purpose.
The best way to keep your laminate wood floors safe
Just a few rules before I get into the how to of cleaning the floors. It’s always a good idea to check with the manufacturer of the flooring but if you can’t track the specifics down just stick to these rules. First thing, is NEVER saturate your flooring and leave the excess water there to dry. The thing with laminate flooring and hardwood flooring is that huge amounts of standing water isn’t good for them. The best option for after care of cleaning is getting so type of air flow whether it be natural from the open windows or fans to dry the areas.
Pro Tip
When using wet mops make sure to first do a thorough cleaning because these mops tend to leave streaks of dirt where the mop swipe ends. Some people prefer stem mops but once again please check the manufacturer because the heat may damage your flooring.
A high traffic area such as a foyer or hallway can be tricky to keep clean especially if you have a long runner rug or heavy furniture to move. A good rule of thumb is do a thorough carpet cleaning in these areas frequently and spot clean spills with a damp cloth and a spray bottle white vinegar as soon as you spot the stained area. I’m telling you this from a bad experience.
We had a long runner rug in the hallway that didn’t have a protective pad or non slip pad underneath. The dog brought in something from the yard that splintered everywhere and stained the rug. We cleaned the stain with a very wet cloth and didn’t properly check under the rug. After some time went by there little pieces of debris left behind scratched the floor under the rug and ruined the floor in the long run.
Everyday regular cleaning
Our toddler pretty much uses the living room large area rug as his play mat which not only means toys but sometimes spills. In order to keep our rug in good condition very other night we clean up the toys and run the vacuum over the area rug. You would be surprised at the amount of dirt and debris that we pick up on a regular basis. You want to extend the life of your area rug so regular sweeping or loose dirt will keep your rug as good as new.
Pet hair problems on laminate
We have 2 dogs a cat and chickens so pet hair and odors are something we are familiar with.
1.) If you have pet hair problems on an area rug, first use a soft bristled dust broom or lint brush to remove as much loose hair as possible.
2.) Next, mix 2 teaspoons of unscented clear dish soap with warm water in a bowl until it’s thoroughly mixed.
3.) Get a soft bristle brush and dip it in the soap solution.
4.) Gently scrub the affected area of your rug and wipe it clean with a damp lint-free cloth, blotting frequently to remove loosened dirt and grime.
5.) Often times pets also leave a strong odor on an area rug that can be difficult to remove. To get rid of this smell, mix a few drops of your favorite essential oil and water into a spray bottle. Spray very lightly over the rug.
Spot cleaning an area rug
1. Vacuum the rug thoroughly to remove all dirt and dust.
2. Start with a cup of old fashioned mix of vinegar and warm water ( not hot water ) in a bucket.
3. Dip a Cleaning towel in the solution and wring it out well. ALWAYS avoid abrasive brushes on your rug.
4. Spot clean the rug from one end to the other, using circular motions
5. Rinse the towel frequently in clean water to prevent the vinegar solution from discoloring the rug.
6. Let the rug dry completely before walking on it. We like to set up this fan and turn on the ceiling fan to help with the air flow.
If there was a small spill that might have seeped down to the laminate I like to use a lightly damped white cleaning towel to wipe down the floor. I then use a DRY towel to go over the area again to ensure that its very dry.
Heavy duty carpet cleaning of your area rug
THE NUMBER ONE RULE IS DO NOT ALLOW EXCESS LIQUID TO SEEP DOWN UNDER THE RUG AND NOT BE ABLE TO DRY!!
We recently had an issue with our toddler spreading mustard all over the furniture and carpet. It was a complete nightmare to say the least. After I scraped the excess mustard up with a plastic knife I had to spot treat the area with Dawn power wash. Make sure to spot clean using the method above and then take one extra step. First we placed a towel ( or any absorbent materials ) between the rug and the laminate floor. Next we poured a mix of warm water + vinegar right on the spot and then sprinkled baking soda on the area. After we let this sit we gathered as much of the baking soda up and used our Bissell over the area once over.
Deep cleaning tools we love
A good carpet shampooer is very useful when it comes to a heavy duty clean. If you don’t own one, you can usually rent them from the local hardware or grocery store. I always recommend a good cleaner free of harsh chemicals and which leads me to usually clean with vinegar and warm water. Sometimes you need a cleaner that is heavier than that mixture. Once a year we take out flat area rugs out and spray then down with the power washer. If you don’t have a power washer you can take them to the local car wash and spray them down well. While you are out its a great opportunity to really deep clean your floors and inspect them for any damage of wear and tear.
I hope that this blog post has been helpful in your decision to clean your area rug on the laminate floor. If you have any other questions about how to properly do so, feel free to leave a comment below. It would also be awesome if you could let me know how it went by posting a picture of the before and after! Thanks for reading or watching today’s article.
xoxo
MHS
