How to clean laminate and hybrid floors (SPC and LVP)
Laminate, hybrid, SPC and LVP floors all have a sealed, printed surface rather than raw timber, so they’re cleaned with a hard-surface cleaner and never oiled or waxed. Here’s the routine.
Clean laminate, hybrid, SPC and LVP floors with a hard-surface floor cleaner and a well-wrung microfibre mop. Keep the water to a minimum, and skip oils, wax, steam mops and anything abrasive. These floors have a sealed, printed surface, so they are cleaned, never oiled.
The cleaner we recommend
For laminate and hybrid floors, reach for a hard-surface floor cleaner. Bona’s Stone, Tile and Laminate Cleaner is a 2.5L concentrate that Bona formulates for stone, tile and laminate, and it’s our lead pick for these floors. If you also have oiled or lacquered timber in the house, the neutral FirstFloor Wood Floor Cleaner Concentrate is our everyday cleaner for those timber finishes; for laminate itself, the Bona hard-surface cleaners are the better match.
BONA Stone, Tile and Laminate Cleaner 2.5L
Bona formulates it for stone, tile and laminate. A 2.5L concentrate.
Keep the water to a minimum
The one thing to watch with laminate and hybrid is water. A soaking mop leaves moisture sitting on the surface, and over time that can seep into the board joints. Wring a microfibre mop out well, or use a spray-and-wipe so the floor dries fast. If you’re choosing a mop, our guide to the best mop for laminate floors runs through the options.
What not to use on laminate
Laminate doesn’t take oils or wax, since there’s no raw timber to feed. Skip steam mops, which push heat and moisture into the joints, skip vinegar and abrasive or high-alkaline cleaners, and skip anything that leaves a film. A hard-surface cleaner and a barely-damp mop is all it needs.
Common questions
Can I use a steam mop on laminate?
We'd avoid it. Steam forces heat and moisture into the board joints and can lift or damage the surface. A well-wrung microfibre mop is the safer choice.
Is vinegar safe on laminate floors?
Not one we'd recommend. Vinegar is acidic and can dull or streak the surface over time. A neutral hard-surface floor cleaner is the safer everyday option.
Can I use the same cleaner on laminate and timber floors?
A hard-surface cleaner is the right match for laminate, while oiled and lacquered timber want a wood-floor cleaner. If you have both, keep a hard-surface cleaner for the laminate and a wood-floor cleaner for the timber.
Do laminate floors need oiling?
No. Laminate, hybrid, SPC and LVP have a sealed, printed surface with no raw timber to feed, so they're cleaned, never oiled or waxed.
The right cleaner for laminate and hybrid
Shop the range, or ask us which cleaner suits your floor.
