The 7 Best Laminate Floor Cleaners for Squeaky-Clean Floors

Corrie
by Corrie

By Corrie Pelc


While real hardwood flooring can be amazing in a home, it certainly has some downsides. Unless you’re lucky enough to purchase a home with existing wood floors, they can be extremely expensive to have installed. And even if you do have real hardwood floors, they can be a bit tricky — and time-consuming — to keep in excellent condition.


Enter laminate flooring — the perfect alternative to real hardwood flooring. Laminate flooring is a hybrid flooring material composed of various layers of wood and high-density board. The resulting flooring is extremely durable, very easy to clean, and more economical than having real hardwood flooring installed in a home.


As with real hardwood flooring, there are some tricks to keeping laminate flooring clean and in great shape. For that reason, there are specially-formulated cleaners made just for laminate floors, and this guide will cover the best ones on the market right now.

Dark wood laminate floors / Photo via Ana Ochoa - Fiddle Leaf Interiors

Top Picks

Test Factors We Considered When Picking the Best Laminate Floor Cleaners

Here is a rundown of the test factors we used in determining our list of the best laminate wood floor cleaners:

  • Price: Laminate floor cleaners come at a variety of different price points.
  • Bottle Size: How much laminate floor cleaner do the user get for their money?
  • Application: How is the laminate floor cleaner applied — is it a spray? A concentrated liquid that needs to be diluted before use?
  • What It Cleans: Other than laminate floors, what other types of flooring can this cleaner be used on?


Here’s a look at our list of the best laminate floor cleaners to buy this year.

Best Overall Laminate Floor Cleaner: Bona Hard-Surface Floor Cleaner Spray

Bottle Size: 32 ounces Application: Spray bottle What It Cleans: Laminate, stone, terrazzo, vinyl LVT/LVP, sealed porous marble, and no-wax sealed tile

With almost 5,000 ratings and 4.6 out of 5 stars, there's no guessing why the Bona Hard-Surface Floor Cleaner Spray is our pick for the overall best laminate wood floor cleaner. A bargain at under $10 for 32 ounces, this spray-on laminate floor cleaner comes either unscented or in a pleasant lemon-mint scent. This water-based cleaner is ready to use — just spray and mop, and it dries quickly with a residue-free shine. The cleaner is Safer Choice-certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, meaning it contains safe ingredients suitable for use around pets, people, and the planet. In addition to laminate flooring, Bona Hard-Surface Floor Cleaner Spray can be used on stone, linoleum, vinyl, and no-wax sealed tile.

Pros

  • Under $10
  • Can be used on a variety of hard-surface flooring
  • U.S. EPA Safer Choice-certified

Cons

  • None that we can see!

Best Laminate Floor Cleaner for Stains: Black Diamond Stoneworks Wood & Laminate Floor Cleaner

Bottle Size: 32 ounces Application: Spray bottle What It Cleans: All types of wood and laminate engineered flooring

Another top-seller on Amazon with almost 7,000 ratings and 4.4 out of 5 stars is Black Diamond Stoneworks Wood & Laminate Floor Cleaner, our pick for the best laminate floor cleaner for removing stains. This spray-on laminate floor cleaner works quickly to remove stains and spills — just spray, wipe, and it's gone. No rinsing is required and the cleaner leaves a streak-free shine in its wake. Additionally, the cleaner's special formula helps to keep dirt from reattaching to the floor each time you use it. Black Diamond Stoneworks Wood & Laminate Floor Cleaner can be used on all types of wood and laminate engineered flooring, and is eco-friendly and biodegradable.

Pros

  • Can be used on all types of wood and laminate engineered flooring
  • Special formula helps make flooring resistant to dirt
  • Eco-friendly and biodegradable formula

Cons

  • Bit more expensive than our overall best pick

Best Eco-Friendly Laminate Floor Cleaner: Aunt Fannie's Floor Cleaner Vinegar Wash

Bottle Size: 32 ounces Application: Pour bottle What It Cleans: Sealed flooring including laminate, hardwood, tile, concrete, linoleum, vinyl, and bamboo

When it comes to the eco-friendly cleaner for laminate flooring, the best is Aunt Fannie's Floor Cleaner Vinegar Wash. This cleaner is made from plant-based materials, vinegar, and essential oils, allowing you to clean your laminate flooring without harsh chemicals. The essential oils provide a soft clean scent rather than a chemical one, and don't let the gentle-sounding ingredients fool you — this cleaner packs a punch to the toughest grime stuck to flooring. The cleaner has an “A” safety rating from the Environmental Working Group and can be used safely around people and pets. And in addition to laminate flooring, you can use Aunt Fannie's Floor Cleaner Vinegar Wash to clean a variety of other sealed flooring types including hardwood, tile, concrete, linoleum, vinyl, and bamboo.

Pros

  • Plant-based formula using vinegar and essential oils
  • Top safety rating from the EWG
  • Can be used on a variety of sealed flooring

Cons

  • Has to be mixed with water before using

Best Laminate Floor Cleaner for Pet Owners: Nature’s Miracle Hard Floor Cleaner

Bottle Size: 24 ounces Application: Spray bottle What It Cleans: Laminate, sealed wood, linoleum, vinyl, concrete, and ceramic tile flooring

While pet owners adore their animal companions, pets wreak their own special kind of havoc on flooring. Nature’s Miracle Hard Floor Cleaner is specially formulated to tackle the stains and odors caused by urine and feces, as well as oil, fats, grease, and other organic messes. This spray-on cleaner makes short work of these stains and odors from not only laminate flooring, but sealed wood, linoleum, vinyl, concrete, and ceramic tile flooring as well. And when used, Nature’s Miracle Hard Floor Cleaner's bio-enzymatic formula helps protect the floor from further stains and odors and kills bacteria and viruses.

Pros

  • Specially formulated to tackle stains and odors caused by pets
  • Can be used on all laminate, sealed wood, linoleum, vinyl, concrete, and ceramic tile flooring
  • Acts as a disinfectant, killing bacteria and viruses

Cons

  • Bit expensive for the bottle size

Best Laminate Floor Cleaner for Restoration: Rejuvenate All Floors Restorer and Polish

Bottle Size: 32 ounces Application: Squeeze bottle What It Cleans: Laminate, natural hardwood, vinyl, tile, linoleum, terra cotta, and more

If you have older laminate flooring with some scuffs and scratches, Rejuvenate's All Floors Restorer and Polish may help. This product is designed to help fill in scratches and restore the look of a variety of hard-surface flooring types while also giving surfaces a lovely shine. After mopping your laminate floor clean, squeeze a bit of the restorer on the floor and mop it over the floor surface to work it in. The restorer dries in 45 minutes and only needs to be reapplied every three to six months for high-traffic flooring. Rejuvenate All Floors Restorer and Polish can be used on not just laminate flooring, but also natural hardwood, vinyl, tile, linoleum, terra cotta, and more!

Pros

  • Restorer designed to fill in scratches on hard-surface flooring
  • Provides a lasting shine for months
  • For use on laminate flooring and a variety of other flooring surfaces

Cons

  • Is an extra step after cleaning

Best Mop for Laminate Floors: O-Cedar ProMist MAX Microfiber Spray Mop

Bottle Size: Comes with refillable cleaning solution bottle Spray: Laminate, real hardwood, and tile flooring What It Cleans: Laminate, real hardwood, and tile flooring

If you're looking for the best mop for cleaning your laminate floors, you'll find it in the O-Cedar ProMist MAX Microfiber Spray Mop. This spray mop provides excellent control over how much cleaning solution is used, which means you don't have to worry about damaging your laminate flooring by using too much liquid on it. The mop also includes a dual-sided microfiber head (which doubles as a dust mop) that can be flipped over during cleaning, and the head is machine-washable up to 100 times. The spray mop includes a refillable bottle for your cleaning solution and has a one-touch release on the handle to quickly spray cleaning solution when needed. And the O-Cedar ProMist MAX Microfiber Spray Mop can also be used safely on real hardwood flooring and tile.

Pros

  • Inexpensive
  • Dual-sided microfiber mop head doubles as a dust mop
  • Mop head is machine-washable up to 100 times

Cons

  • Handle is not adjustable

Best Cordless Stick Vacuum for Laminate Floors: Moosoo X6 Cordless 4-In-1 Cordless Stick Vacuum

Bottle Size: N/A Application: Cordless stick vacuum What It Cleans: Carpet and bare flooring

If you want a vacuum to pick up dirt and crumbs before or in between moppings, we highly recommend the Moosoo X6 Cordless 4-In-1 Cordless Stick Vacuum XL-618A. This budget-conscious pick converts into four different tools — a stick vacuum, a pole vacuum, and two types of handheld vacuums — for plenty of cleaning versatility. The vacuum features a high-density HEPA filter that traps 99.97 percent of all allergens from the dust and dirt it collects, and the filter is removable, washable, and reusable. Choose from two cleaning modes depending on if you're cleaning laminate flooring or carpeting. And the Moosoo X6 Cordless 4-In-1 Cordless Stick Vacuum XL-618A features a flexible head to reach corners and LED lights to illuminate all the dirt you're trying to suck up.

Pros

  • Can be used to vacuum all bare flooring types and carpeting
  • Converts into four different cleaning tools
  • HEPA filter is washable and reusable

Cons

  • Takes five hours for the battery to fully charge in between cleanings

Laminate Floor Floor Cleaning and Care Tips

Here are some general tips on both cleaning and caring for your laminate floors:

  • Get Rid of Dry Debris First — Before mopping your laminate flooring, make sure to first remove any dry debris such as crumbs, pet hair, and other particles by using a broom, dust mop, or vacuum designed for use on hard flooring. This will not only help your mopping go quicker but will ensure that the mop doesn’t scratch your laminate flooring with any hard bits.
  • Watch Liquid Amounts — Because of the way laminate flooring is made, too much much liquid applied to it can cause the layers to swell. This can cause laminate flooring planks to buckle or “bubble” and become damaged. When mopping, take care to not use too much cleaner or water. Never use a steam cleaner on your laminate flooring, and try to keep the humidity in your home to between 35 and 65 percent, as too much humidity can also cause laminate flooring moisture issues.
  • Clean Up Stains Immediately — Don’t let stains sit until your next weekly house cleaning — get them cleaned up quickly. Any type of sitting liquid can harm laminate, so soaking up stains is crucial.


Do you have a laminate floor cleaner that keeps your floors looking their best? Tell us about it in the comments below!

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