Can I Use A Steam Cleaner On My Floor?

We've all seen the miraculous adverts on the television and we frequently get calls here at FloooringSupplies.co.uk from customers wondering if they can use a steam cleaner on their floor.

Steam cleaners work by forcing steam onto a floor's surface under high pressure - the idea is that the steam shifts the dirt and evaporates quickly afterwards. This sounds great, but firing steam at high pressure means you'll be forcing moisture into the joints of your floor and between the layers that make up your floor. Even though it looks like it's dry shortly afterwards, constantly dampening your floor could make it swell, curl or de-laminate, eventually making the layers peel apart. Not a good look!

Steam cleaners can damage solid wood, engineered, laminate and vinyl floors. The effects may differ between materials: maybe discolouring, maybe a dulling of the finish, maybe warping, cupping or cracking... But no floor is safe!

Instead of using a steam cleaner we recommend vacuuming your floor as often as possible, and cleaning it once a week. When you come to clean it, stay away from bleach-based products and big, sloppy mops. There are plenty of products designed to clean your specific kind of floor, and microfiber mops are fantastically effective at picking up the dirt. Specialist cleaners don't require water, and leave your floor sparkling and unharmed.

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