How to Clean your Shiny Laminate Floors// Swiffer Hack for Laminate Floors 

Jump to 4:00 for cleaning solution details: 1 part vinegar, 4 parts warm water --> She used 1/2 cup vinegar, 2 cups of warm water, squirt of dish soap and a few drops of lemon essential oil (for fragrance)

This is awesome! After months of trying everything on the market for my shiny laminate floors,it is this simple recipe that actually works, and doesn’t leave a residue. In the past, everything I tried left some kind of film, and though the floor looked clean, the minute anyone walked on it there were footprints galore, and our shoes actually felt tacky while walking across it. This recipe removed all that build up, cleaned the floor, no more footprints or sticky shoes. Thank you so much for posting! And I found a half gallon jug of the cleaning vinegar at the Dollar Tree, and a microfiber cloth big enough to make 4 pads for my mop. Only $2 to solve my problem! :)

I have laminate flooring which is several years old and well worn. I tried this cleaning tip. My floors did not shine much more due to their age and condition but for the first time in years they are clean and don't have a film on them. Foot and kitty prints don't show. I hired a cleaning service after I had surgery and through recovery. When I was able to do more every time the cleaner left my floor didn't feel clean and I would mop it again with products for laminate flooring or vinegar water. I no longer use the cleaning service and am doing the floor myself. After using this DIY cleaner mix I am thrilled with my floors. No film. Thank you Emily.

I just tried this because I had everything at home. OMG YOU ARE A LIFE SAVER!!! I never thought those damm floors would ever get clean. THANK YOU!!!!!

After using vinegar time after time on my laminate floors, it left a dull, hazy finish which was impossible to remove. In my experience plain warm water is the only thing to use on laminate floors. I have found that even soap can start to leave a dull residue after repeated use.

I really appreciate your tips, just tried your technique and my floors are now poppin. Thank you so much. I wanted to rip those floors up and get new ones. I’ve had theses floors for 10 years and have tried everything, all the store products did was smear and smudge and make the floors look worse. Again thank you🙌🏾🙏🏾.

I was all ready to go out and buy the Rubbermaid mop, but first decided to try the Swiffer hack. Other youtube videos advised buying special cleaning products and rubbing alcohol. I figured that the cost of the mop and cleaning products would cost me $50.00. Since I only need to clean the laminate flooring once a month (no kids, pets, little use) or two, I decided to try the Swiffer hack. I had everything in the house and didn't need to go out and spend any money at all. And it worked.............really worked. I used Olive Oil essential oil. Thanks for helping me.

I fought trying to clean my dark cherry laminate floors for the 2 1/2 years since we moved into our condo. Everything caused streaks. We have cats and every paw print showed. I got the cleaner applicator you used and made up my cleaner today. Wow! My floors have never looked better! I used to get down on my hands and knees to clean. No more! Thank you, thank you! You have saved me hours of work and frustration!!

Emily thanks for sharing i just found this video today because I'm having a hard time keeping my floors shiny and clean. So two years after you made this video it is still helping people! Thank You!

My laminate flooring is brand new. I am so glad I happened across this video before the first cleaning. I purchased the mop and used Emily’s tips. I used Apple scented Dawn and Cinnamon Essential oils along with the warm water and Distilled Vinegar. This was extremely helpful. Thanks. J Baltimore

Thank you so very much! The Swiffer solution wasn't cutting it at all. It was leaving my floors cloudy and sticky. This is simple and works so much better.

Thank you! A few tips. You have to use elbow grease, don't over saturate the floor, and I mop in the direction of the grain to minimize any streaks. Having a microfiber cloth, mop, etc. is key. My floors are shining.

Since I already had the ingredients I thought I'd give it a try. Used a swiffer mop handle with a microfiber cloth attached and squirted the solution and mopped. Definitely worked better than I thought it would and it's a very cheap hack. Give it a try.

Swiffer wet jet that we already had worked great with this solution and micro fiber!

Thanku so much.. GOD bless u... My laminate floor was driving me crazy..

Thanks Emily! I believe in the KISS approach to solutions; Keep It Simple Stupid! I had only vacuumed my laminated formal area floors and swiffer cleaned since they were installed. But after repairs were made to an a/c ceiling drain leak (glad we caught it early!), I needed to clean it thoroughly. Your DIY tips worked great!

God bless you. Been in my new home for about 5 months with laminate floors and spent hours 😅😂 trying to make them shine! Cant wait to try this....

OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH! Had a nightmare past year or so, I literally clean with boiling water and soap on my hands and knees to keep the bloody thing clean and still is awful! Especially with a messy toddler! I'll be doing this from now on 👍🙏🥰🥳💃

Thank you so much . I’ve been trying to find a better way to clean my floors beside Vinegar and warm water.

I had the same problem on my hardwood floors with the dullness after moping them. I have a Shark Steam Mop and decided to use Vinegar, water, dawn dish soap plus a shot of running Alchol. My floors shine like we just put them in. Since then, I bought a Mr. Clean spin mop & use the same solution you do lolll. Works like a charm😁

this Idea seems interesting I wish they're some kind of special Shining Solution that makes the Floors shiny & just wanted to say you're the Prettiest thing I ever seen just saying nothing else

Thank you soo much for this tip with cleaning solution!!!! I had soo much pain to clean my laminate floor that are also shiny!! Had foot prints everywhere and some strange film that created dust right after i would clean them. Just tried and already see a huge difference!!! Thank you soo much!!

I’ve been doing the microfiber/ swifter hack since the day I ran out of swifter pads, didn’t know it was a hack! 🤷🏻‍♂️ 😝

Always mop in direction of the floor planks, not across the planks and recommend apple cider vinegar, as it is less acidic than white vinegar.

Your back story is similar to mine except no baby...lol I work at a hospital and it's a critical time. But we did purchase a new house and didn't like the laminate floor. We had plans to change it up. But since we followed your steps with the squirt bottle and microfiber mop. it was awesome! Actually, our floors looked a lot better! Now we'll give the Rubbermaid mop a try. The citrus essential oil was tangerine. That's all I had but it smell so wonderful! Thank you so much for this lovely DIY tutorial :)

I have tried every product available and I can't believe this worked.

Omg I hate my floors because of the film. I’m trying this!!! Thanks

Single Mann with 11year old. Just outside Glasgow. I spent a lot on high gloss grey lamanet. I have tried all main brands. But I would clean in the morning and by after noon the looked as if they needed cleaning. I used you solution lasted way longer. Thanks.

So happy to find this. I too hated my floors for the first year because of the film/cloudiness was leaving every footprint behind. Socks on or not after a time. I quit using the Bona when I got my Bissell Spinwave (which I love) but their Solution was doing the same thing. I’ve cleaned all the floors now laminate and tile a couple times with just vinegar and water 4 parts water to 1 part vinegar. So in other words 2 cups water to 1/4 cup vinegar. So far it seems to be doing the trick and it’s so much more economical. I can finally enjoy my new floors.

OMG LIVE SAVER!! Have laminate dark wood floors and always had streaks and foot prints. AMAZING

You're a LIFESAVER!! Thank you for this helpful video 😊❤ Going to purchase the microfiber mop and some vinegar tomorrow!! Excited to finally see our shiny laminate floors CLEAN for once 🙌🏼😁

Thank you soooo much for doing this video , my floor looks just like your floor ans as you said I can not ! Keep clean! I'm mopping 2 to 3 times a day 😢 I'm give out ! Yes I'm O.C.D but I can not stand a dirty looking floor and believe me I thought I had tried everything out there but looks like I was doing it wrong so tomorrow I'm definitely trying this . Thanks again for this video.

Thank you for this video! Just moved to a new house with shiny, laminate floors and faced the same predicament as you! Beautiful floors but frustrating to maintain if you do not know what you are doing. So glad I found your video :) Thank you!

Thank you I have dark shiny floors and I hated them for years I saw your video holy cow my floors are beautiful now thank you so much this works 100 % 👍👍

Wow. Thanks. I'll try that. I have two Roombas which clean well and then mopped it today. I'll try this new formula and see what works.

Thank you for this in depth post ! We were desperate for some solution a few years ago so we tired a "product" that worked but led to using more and more of said product until the floor looked worse than it ever did. SO, we used zep and a ton of labor to strip away the old. Fortunately the laminate was undamaged and still had its original luster. But, within a couple of days and cleaning, the haze returned. This formula /method cleaned way the film/oily haze pretty easily ( I used Eucalyptus oil and added a splash of rubbing alcohol) ! Now we don't have foot prints all over and the floor looks good again! Like some floor guy posted someplace, the vinegar may not be the healthiest for the laminate but, if your desperate you will do anything ! This has helped save 650 square feet of floor that would have taken thousands to replace. - Thank you again !

Hi Emily, I had to write to say Thank You! Your method has really made a difference. Greatly Appreciated.

Thank you so much! I just cleaned my floors. Still dull, but clean!

Very well done on the video. We are trying to finish up our install this weekend and I can't wait to try your cleaning method. We've always had carpet and non-waterproof vinyl floor (which our little rescue dog promptly tinkled on while we were away, and ruined it), so looking forward to the Nucore waterproof vinyl flooring.

Years ago I actually used the microfiber cloth with the Swifter and it's inexpensive 1 & 2 it really does a great job on your floor it matters not what type of floor you have it does a great job.

Thank you so much! I was told these floors are called piano shine floors. I needed this info. Awesome!

Thank you! I’ve tried many different ways to keep these floors looking clean.

Thank’s much.Going to try.I used mop and glow and am now faced with the task of removing the wax build up and starting from ground zero.

I'm glad I found this. We just got flooring placed throughout our home and was wondering how i could keep them clean. Your method works great. Thanks for the tip.

That solution works good for cleaning stainless steel too!

Thank you for this video! I hate my laminate floors! I’ve tried everything so I’m going to try this and see how it goes.

Thank you very much for your way of cleaning . I just put laminate and didn't know how to clean it , thank you.

Thank you for this video! How did I not know this.? Just washed them and they came out beautiful.

I used to clean my 90 yr old great uncles house, who had bamboo floors. I found everything I used left a hazy film, and footprints everywhere. Finally, I tried just a little pine sol, store brand so nothing special, and hot water in mop bucket with ringer, and a with a regular mop...Never saturated the wood, wrung water out real good. No film anymore and he said they hadn't looked That good since he first had the house built 10 yrs prior.

I tried your solution and it was great! Thank you so much! You solved my problem and frustrations. ❤

Oh thank you so much for this! I have been despising my laminate floors for almost 2 years!

I don't have shiny floors per se but I use this recipe for my hardwood and tile today. They have a nice soft gloss to them and look and feel clean. I made up a 16 oz spray bottle and use half of it for about 1200 square feet

Thanks for the tip ,just getting floors this week and re doing the whole kitchen/living room area ...greetings from Los Angeles California!

I have the exact same same flooring. And I have been HATING THEM. But now I have to try this!

Brilliant.. I have high gloss grey floors and they are a disaster to keep clean! Tried the dish soap and water must add in the vinegar the next time x

So thank you for showing this my laminate floors are always dirty and I keep mopping and keep mopping I am going to try this out looks like the solution I need

Thank you it work great floors haven't look this good since the day they were installed once again thank you 👍🏿

It worked! My floors look good.

Thank you EMILY! Just got brand new laminate two days ago.. will by the mop and try it out!

It didnt work for me. where did it go wrong ? i used vinegar(1),water(4) and dish soap(squirt)- after cleaning with this i still have white film or residue on the floor. and mirofiber to clean

New to laminate floors. New rented place n previous renter didn't clean up. Bought a Swiffer and am trying this cleaning solution. Going to take a while to get the floors back.

Absolutely beautiful!!! And I’m not talking about your floors...

We bought owned condo few weeks ago. I will try to clean laminate wood floors. Thank you !

Truly beautiful floors! Thank you for sharing this video.

Going to try it now. Sounds so simple I use white vinegar and dawn alot. Thanks

Excellent, educational and money saving video!

Thank you for the tip on using micrfiber cloths on a Swiffer handle

This works!!! I have matte laminate. Thank you

Thank you so much. My floors were looking dull and I hated it!

Thanks for sharing! The floor is gorgeous. Good job maintaining them clean. 😊

So you don’t mop only in direction of grain? Mopping both ways causing smears in my floors. Will certainly use your tips; thanks so much.

Beautiful floors thanks for sharing. My sister in law says it’s best to sweep/vacuum then mop, can you please share your routine, TIA😉

Haven't tried it yet, but sure will! Thank you.

Vinegar used repeatedly on floors will etch them. Balance the PH because vinegar is very acidic

One mix uses rubbing alcohol instead of dish soap because the alcohol evaporates the water which is a good thing because moisture is bad for the laminate floors.

Still in love with this house!!!

Great video. Do you pour the solution on the floor then mop or pour it on the mop?

Thank you so much for these tips! I will be trying this later one!!

Going to try this 🙏🏻 thank you!!!!

thanks for the floor idea I will try it for sure. How do you clean stainless appliances without fumes of store bought sprays?

This is all I've ever used but the sweaty footprints and sticky feeling are still killing me, especially in summer when we're all barefoot.

😫 This is the story of my life! Thank you for makin this video

Does it work on every vynil floor? Some stores say that vibegar removes the waterproof cover that it brings

OMG we just bought our 1st home and I think I ruined our floors. I don't know why I thought they were real wood. I have a Swiffer and I put and I have a jet dry the shine is no longer there! I am definitely going to try buy some microfiber cloths I also have stainless steel appliances which I've never had before. I hope to bring these floors back to shine especially by the back door where everybody goes in and out. Looking forward to more of your videos!

Thanks for the tip! I also read adding rubbing alcohol to the solution will dry the floors faster and is a disinfectant as well. One question I had is are the floors squeaky when you walk on them? Does the dawn soap leave a film over time? Several other sites said not to use any soap for that reason..

So sick of my Vacuum. This was far better solution, thank you.

Really wish this would have worked for me. Everything I use leaves a dull film and makes it sticky.

Warm water, vinegar, a drop of Dawn and peppermint oil is all I use for my floors.

Hi! Thank you so much! How do you do daily clean on your floors? Any special broom or vacuum? I've been using a regular broom and it takes so long!

first i thought you were very brave for walking through that chemical cleaning solution cocktail in socks, but then I realized that you're only using vinegar and warm water and honestly: that's probably how cleaning solutions should be. not necessarily healthy, but not unbelievably harmful

Wow great job. God blessings upon you and your family

My floors are still not shiny, yet still have a cloudy look, and residue on them. Any recommendations? Should I add more dish soap? I’m not sure what to do

Ever think of adding a little rubbing alcohol in the solution to help it dry faster? I heard that helps too.

Hey! I love your tips! How long does it take you to clean your floors? How many times do you clean them a month? Can a different microfiber mop work too? Thanks!

I am going to try this. My lamanate floors are a mess.

Thank you! Does the house smell like strong vinegar? I love my floors and started using a steam mop, worse mistake ever. My floors now look grainy and dirty.

I'll try and let you know the outcome.

I have to give a shout out to this woman’s husband, not only does she take pride in keeping a clean home but she is sexy AF! Great job brother! You got to tell me where you found her because I need one!

Side note; DON’T use laundry softener to wash your microfibre items. It defeats the purpose of how the microfibre performs. 😘

i used this and didn't work on my laminate floors