Jenna, I'll be watching your post too hoping someone has an answer. I too have tried several products on my wood look laminate and have that haze. I'm so disappointed in my laminate floor--wouldn't recommend them to anyone. Luvs

i have armstrong laminate flooring, and i clean with a 3:1 water to vinegar solution, but i don't sponge mop. either i wring out the terry cloth rag really well and wipe down the floor or i wrap the cloth around the sponge mop and use. as long as the rag isn't sopping, and is really just damp, you shouldn't have a problem with haze or streaks. i use it all the time,even though the kitchen smells like a salad for a few minutes!

I have recently tried using a product called Krud Kutter, I think it came from Home Depot (or Lowe's) I initially purchased it after researching how I'd get the adhesive up after removing linoleum....I sprayed it on and it literally melted the stuff off...best part is that it is supposed to be a safe environmentally friendly product (www.krudkutter.com) ANY HOOO, I too experienced the hazy, dull, yucky looking laminate wood floors, that ONLY looked good for about 5 minutes after whatever product was used dried...then forget about it...smudges, prints, haze, dull, YUCK all back again...after slaving over my floors after 4 or 5 different times mopping, scrubing etc. on my hands and knees, I got really close up and could see a film that looked like soap scum...I went and got my metal buger flipper-thingie and gently started scraping...and it came up just like soap scum....so obviously something was built up on the floors and NOTHING was going to clean that off...I so far have tried the krud kutter on a small area of my floor and it was pretty disgusting what came up...a sticky gooey film like mess....BUT after really cleaning it up and getting that all off, I actually could see a shine. And by the way I used it a 100% strength not diluted and left it on for about 15 minutes or so....It's going to take a lot of effort, but I"m going to do the whole floor and then I am going to swear to never use another CLEANING AGENT on these floors again...I am convinced that simple vinegar and water will be all I need to keep them clean (and hopefully shiny too). whew...that was a lot of typing...might be worth a shot if you are like me and have tried EVERYTHING else.

Well, I tried using Oxi clean. Floor looked nice and clean, but when it dried, the haze is still there. Guess I will look for some Crud cutter and spend some time on my knees. Either that or just live with it as it is. Luvs

Ill tell you how to get the haze off if you promise not to laugh at me.

I tried everything. Even straight amonia. Straight vinegar. You name it. I finally figured out the secret is how you mop. First you need a microfiber mop. And extra pads.

It dawned on me the reason the film is there is because we are so concerned about streaking that we never REALLY mop. Or at least I didnt. LOL.

Soooo. Heres what worked for me. Microfiber mop with clean pad. Vinegar and water. Really mop the floor. Get it wet. Scrub the whole floor really good.

Next put on a fresh pad and get clean water. This time mop and scrub a small section. Put down two rough terry wash cloths. Stand on them and do the twist. LOL. Just kidding. Use your feet to rub the floor dry. Really rub. You want to buff the haze off. Keep changing cloths so you always have dry ones. You will get a work out but no getting down on hands and knees. Yeah. Seriously. We have a lot more "power" in our legs than we do our arms.

If youre tired you can skip the next step and do it the next time you do your floor. Get a fresh pad and clean water. Mop and scrub a small section. This time use two microfiber cloths. Stand on them and use your feet to buff the floor dry. Keep changing so you have dry cloths.

Once your floor is good to go you can just do a scrub and a foot dry with the microfibers. I love these things. Found them on this forum. If I could remember who told me about them I would give them a giant cyber hug.

Sorry I just remembered to come back and check this post. I have wondered about the microfiber cloths. Think someone said you can get a bag of them cheaply at places like Costco. So what you are saying is that the "haze" will come off with a good buffing. Hmm, we have a car buffer in the garage--maybe I should try scrubbing the floors really clean and then try that before I try the "twist" method. LOL

I am coming to the conclusion that whether it "feels" like were cleaning or not--the best thing for wood and laminate floors is just plain water and NO soap products or any kind.

Luvs

I also got these laminate floors because they were supose to be undestructable.I did my whole house 2000 sq ft! I have 2 small dogs and 2 kids 5 and 7. I am so fed up with cleaning them. I also have a haze. I tried simple green with a steamer and when I got to the kitchen it looked horrible. I had to get on my hands and knees and scrub with water and vinagear. It got it off. What I do now is use only a steamer and I flip and change the pads frequently. It works because its only water. The only thing is that I like to smell something when I clean, so that bothers me. Try a steamer after you get the film off. Mine wasent so bad yet so the film came off with the steamer.

All I use on my laminate floors is water and white vinegar. After I mop, I put a beach towel on the floor and use my feet to buff and dry. I have a large dog who tracks in dirt, water, etc. on his huge paws but my laminate floors look great.

I run a cleaning business and laminate floors are by far my biggest challenge. Vinegar and water are the best thing I've found for treating the haze. However, I wish the manufacturers would come up with a better way, an easier way. Bruces and other products like it are horrible and DO NOT work! Apparently men who have never cleaned a floor in their life created it!

melissa, can you share how much vinegar to water ratio you use? Also, have you used it on the new shinier laminates like Bruce Park Ave. and others? Thanks

Hi Brutuses,
I believe that I first 'met' you in the flooring section of GW. We have the same floor.

This is what I do: Into a 32 oz. spray bottle, put 1 c. vinegar and 3 c. water and 1/2 c. alcohol (this helps in drying).
Then using a microfiber mop, spray a section of floor. Go over it with the microfiber mop and mop until dry. Then on to the next section. This works quite well for me.

Oh, I should mention that you must sweep first and then mop.

Now, about the microfiber mop head. Get several mop heads and wash them separately. On this forum, it was suggested that microfiber should always be washed separately because if you don't then the fiber from the other clothing will get trapped in the microfiber and then it will no longer be as effective for cleaning.

Makes sense to me, so I now have a laundry basket just for dirty microfiber cloths.

I too have the same problem but there is hope cause I solved the problem. I called in a professional. If you live in the Apollo Beach Florida area stop in to Apollo Beach Flooring and More. Next to Beef O' Brady's off Hwy 41 and Old Apollo Beach Blvd in the Publix shopping plaza.

I went in to get some professional advice the people there were so nice one of the installer's followed me back to house and together we tried different type of cleaner solutions from Mineral Spirit to the dollar stores Awesome what had the best effect and didn't leave a haze and removed all the wax built (which that grey haze) was Bona stone, tile, and laminate floor cleaner (http://www.1877floorguy.com/bonharfloorc1.html) along with a Scotchbrite pad, towel and good old fashion elbow grease does the trick.

This is what you do:
Spray the Bona onto the floor
then scrub in circle motions with the Scotchbrite pad
then with a paper towel wipe clean
Step back and look at the difference you will be shocked

Once I've done the whole floor a day later the professional says to clean the floors with vinegar and water solution then another day later repeat the Bona process if necessary. once it's all done use either the Bruce floor cleaner ( http://www.bruce.com/resflram/na/brucelaminate/en/us/fc_detail.asp?productId=22.0)or Quick-step quick clean (http://www.installerstore.com/product.php?productid=1724&cat=0amp;page=1). and your floors are now prefect. TRUST ME IT WORKS!!!!

Thank you Apollo Beach Flooring to taking the time to help a girl out. oh btw total cost to both sprays (9.00 a bottle) scrubbing pad (2.25) and paper towel (5.00 for a case) getting my laminate floors to original install look PRICELESS

Here is a link that might be useful: Bona Stone, Title and Laminate Floor Cleaner

The best product that I've seen for laminate floors is Bruce hardwood/laminate floor cleaner. They sale it at Lowes, however, you won't find it in the regular floor cleaning area with Swiffer ect. You have to go back to the floor replacement area and you'll find it there. You can purchase it for roughly $5.50 a bottle depending upon where you live.

It's not hard wax shine, but it does a decent enough job to make your old laminate floor(ours was awful) look restored. I use it with my SWIFFER dry mop. They have a complete system with their own buffer brush and pads that you can purchase for roughly $23.00

Man!!! am I glad I hit this web site... my pergo floors are dull as heck!!! I too have tried everything.. EVERYTHING!!!!!!! everything natural to products just for the pergo floors... I tried that Bruce crap too... and it DOES NOT WORK!! a friend of mine told me to clean it with amonina and water... I did... it wasnt to bad... but still not a great shine... I think I am going to try the water/vinegar soulution and see what happens... as I sit and type and look at my floor after I just mopped it.. SIGH.... I have heard about the micro-fiber mop... Ironically being so disgusted, its sitting in the laundry room still not opened... thank you all for the ideas... I am anxious to try them... get back to you all and let you know... thanks.. Angie...

Not too sure I have only ever used vingar and water and my floor is hazy.......other than than the crud cutter any other success?

My laminate floor is Wilsonart that looks like stone rather than wood. DH has used Pine Sol on it for years. It is dull, smudged, hazy and yucky just like our laminate countertops. I clean and when they dry you can see the same smudges and haze. I've never tried vinegar...

Vinegar and water with the beach towel twist action to dry and my wilsonart maple laminate look perfect, after 7 years!

I too use water, vinigar and a bit of alcohol... and mine look as good as the day we installed them. I dry swiffer in between damp mopping... every day.

It is important to keep laminate clean, as dust, dirt and sand particles may scratch the decorative surface over time in high-traffic areas. It is also important to keep laminate relatively dry, since sitting water/moisture can cause the planks to swell, warp, etc, though some brands are equipped with water-resistant coatings. Water spills aren't a problem if they're wiped up quickly, and not allowed to sit for a prolonged period of time. It is important to "tap" the planks back together using the appropriate tool as you notice the gaps, otherwise dirt will fill the gaps making it difficult to close them later.

The vinegar/water solution does not work, it still leaves the streaks behind. The only thing I HAVE found that makes the floors shiny is Bona laminate/tile polish (which you can find at Lowe's). You must first sweep and mop your floors and then apply the Bona. It is not a wax and does not cause any kind of build up. The only problem with it is when your floors get dirty, and it's time to mop, the Bona comes off. It does not FIX the problem, just makes them temporarily beautiful. Also, the label says after the product has been applied, not to walk on them for at least 1 hour. In my experience, they do dry quicker than one hour, especially when I have my ceiling fans going.

Ok so finally after reading all the posts and trying different things to get the film off my hand scraped laminate wood floors, I have finally conquered the task. I tossed all the cleaning products aside. I still held onto the bona mop and bought a few more pads for it. I used the refillable container and put a 1/2 & 1/2 mixture of hot water and vinegar. I also have a 2000sqft home so doing 2 rooms at a time is plenty, quite a task and a great workout. I used one pad per room depending on how dirty it was. Once that was all dry, I slapped on some knee pads (because like i said it is a quite a task) and grabbed some very clean microfiber cloths and went at it. I decided to use my hands because you can actually feel when you are getting the films off. It will stick a little until you rub it away. My husband found me the ones with the little pockets in the corner so I can just slipped my hands in and away i go. Shiny and as good as new. My dog runs in with dirty paws and I can just wipe away with a microfiber mop......Nothing sticks like it did with the film.

Interesting post. I've had Wilsomart laminate for 10 years or so and never a haze problem. You might want to try acetone, you can use it to get marks off the floor, not sure if it will take care of the haze but it's worth a try.

Using soap and cleaning products on floors will cause the haze - it's product buildup. Just use damp microfiber to clean the floor after vacuuming thoroughly.

This is just an idea but it's worth considering. Too many people are saying that water and vinegar works great or does not work at all. This leads me to believe the problem might be what kind of water they have, whether it's hard water or soft water. Hard water has a high mineral content and could easily leave a haze on a floor.

I live with very soft water and have one room where my office is located that is used six days a week and is cleaned once a week. It has some pretty cheap laminate on the floor that looks like new after six years.

HELP!! I was told to use Swiffer Dust and Shine..bad advice. My floor is so slick, my old and sweet dog has fallen on it. How can I remove this??? I feel like crying. Any advice would be soooo helpful. Thank you

Dust and Shine sounds like furniture polish, not for floors. What are the ingredients, does it have wax? If so try some rubbing alcohol in an inconspicuous area to remove it -depending on your floor this could cause damage so check somewhere inconspicuous first.

Hot damp cloth or a steam mop might remove the wax too and is a better way to clean the floor in future.

Can you put down rubber backed rugs for your dog to walk on for traction - you can get cheap bath rugs.

Stop the Presses! I figured it out.

Let me start by saying i'm a bachelor who bought the high gloss dark laminate floor because it just looked so damn cool in the showroom. It ended up looking like crapola with all that dried up scum on it. My floors would look decent for a few hours after cleaning and then back to S***. Th vinegar and water works but it needs some really hardcore scrubbing with a towel.

Then it came to me. I have one of those oscillating tools with all the different attachments for it. One of the included attachments is a felt polishing pad. I put it on, plugged the tool in, powered it on and was blown away how easily all that gunk came out.

The pad is small so its going to take me a while but way better than having to put all that pressure doing it by hand.

I am so happy, I finally got all that build up off my laminated floor! Thanks to this Forum I ran out to Home Depot and bought Krud Kutter. It's a lot of work but well worth it. I will NEVER use a cleaning product on my floor again!!

I am so happy, I finally got all that build up off my laminated floors. Thanks to this forum. I ran out to Home Depot and bought Krud Kutter. It's a lot of work but well worth it! I will never use a cleaning product on my floor again!

I, too, found a film on the floor even after using vinegar and water. The secret is buffing which all of you have said. I tried the microfiber, but it really works if you do it on your hands and knees - oh, yuck, back to the 1800's. I'm going out to buy a buffer because of over 2000 feet of laminate.

Wow. I was thinking of putting a laminate floor in my bathroom but after reading all this, maybe its better not to. Who needs all that extra work? And besides the work, it sounds like its not good for areas that get wet? But then again, people use wood floors in both kitchens and baths, and wood doesn't like to get wet either.

From a very frustrated person who loves her laminate floors, but detests them not getting clean to my liking; I have finally found a method that I'm VERY happy with. I have a thing about keeping my floors clean because I own a home daycare with little ones who are either crawling or otherwise always on the floor. I have never used "chemicals" because according to manufactures and others, it's not a good idea. My method (after trying moping and using a fan to dry and using a steam mop...epic fail) was either water/vinegar, water/vinegar/dish liquid, or water/dish liquid with a microfiber cloth either by hand or attached to a dry mop handle. My method seemed to be working, but I was still picking up a little dirt if I rubbed across it with a paper towel. I recently bought this two pack of cloth towels called Wippity Wipes from I believe the store Deals (much like the Dollar Store). These towels remind me of a chamoise but feel a lot less rubbery. I used super hot water and a dash of dish liquid (because I have hard water I always add a little borax to soften up the water so my cleaning agent works better). I dipped the towel in, wrung out real good and began wiping my floor. I did this by hand to make sure I got it clean, but next time I'll put it on the bottom of my dry mop handle. WOW!!! Floor was slippery (a good indication of no build up) and NO DIRT when I wiped with the paper towel! I'm sold!! The package on these towels says: Wipe like a towel/Dry like a chamois/Absorb like a sponge. It did all of that. If you can't find these I'm not sure what's comparable, but microfiber is still good. I feel like calling this company up to ask if I can be their spokeswoman for this product. Good luck!

Thank you very much rginga for your post. I got the Krud Kutter and it worked. If you knew what all I have tried, how much I have worked and cried. I could just kiss you. Vinegar and water only works if you've never put anything on your floors like Bona or the swiffer mop products. My floors were awful. Needless to say, I will never ever buy laminate again. Thanks again for telling us about Krud Kutter!

That Quick Shine is a real b*tch to get off once it's on there. Krud Kutter Is good (I have it/had it/use it regularly ta clean the laundry, I dilute it 3:1 for ceramic tile (and call it KK31) , even good outside on vinly & aluminum capping. But against the Quick Shine even FSKK (full strength Krud Kutter) is simply overmatched. I used a 1/2 gallon... With The Steam Mop, it's (2) microfiber heads, and a whole box (12) -Shark Sanifiber - disposable ones... AND there was still significant QS (Quick Shine) on most of the floor's surface- not ta mention all the mass quantities of leftover disgusting QS residue which I could NOT live with- Oh no-not me- NOT for money. So, decided to risk ruining my once stunningly beautiful, I can't believe they're not hardwood floors, laminate/ the entire 1st floor of my home (Living Rm/Kit./DR) and went into the garage/ grabbed the super concentrated (1 makes 25) gallon I use ta degrease my engine - (WTH, house ain't that big + I'd always have upstairs no matter what happened. ZEP Industrial Purple... my engine IS super clean, but I digress). ZEP Indust. Purple is covered with all kinds a "For Heavy machinery/ construction equipment only" type warnings; still... I went ahead and used 3x the recommended (max) strength (20 oz/gal), i.e., used 64oz/64oz EQUAL PARTS ZEP & Distilled water - called it 'Purple Rain'. (I name all my made homemade & devil-may-care cleaning products, don't h8;) ran it Thru the Steam Mop... AND it worked!!! ( but not anywhere near as easily as one might think. Still needed ta steam the entire floor 7-8x before I could cease the Purple Rain dance marathon. Praise Jesus! {BTW, (once again) throw away all generally accepted/expert advice/laminate floor principles} and actually run the mop perpendicular to the gaps/ across the planks. Seriously I coulda shaved two or three hours/whole moppings off my time if I would have just done the 'opposite of everything they ever told u bout laminate floors/steam mops/and industrial strength engine degreaser- that I'm pretty sure cld have been used to clean up after the Exxon Valdez'" from da jump, but live & learn. Legit. IDK if it was the way that QS had set up like a rock in parallel layers to the gaps/ with plank pattern or if my floor just needed a change but do whatcha whatcha whatcha want... drink the laminated Kool-Aid-- none a my business;).

I have the entire house done in Wilsonart laminate flooring, in a medium hickory color. I also have the clouding, the haziness, the gummy gunk, the sticky feeling crud. I am repeatedly told I am using too much cleaner! I have watered it down to almost nothing and it still does this. I have used the Bona laminate floor cleaner and I was using nothing but the Wilsonart cleaner until it ran out. Other than this I love these floors, they are a godsend with our active lifestyle and pets. I have read all these posts and have not seen anything helpful about how to remove this haze and what to wash with when you do! Maybe plain old WATER is the answer.....

I realize this is several years after the original post. But I have tried everything in this post on my wood laminate floors...the vinegar & water, ammonia & water, the Bona laminate cleaner, Lestoil, Goo-Gone, etc.... NOTHING WORKED. Finally bought a bottle of the Krud Kutter (kinda' hard to find) and all the build up is coming right off! It's going to take time to do my entire kitchen, and the microfiber cloths are a huge help, too. But, I spray the Krud Kutter on, let it sit for about 10 minutes, and it wipes off all the gunk. I can actually FEEL it working through the sticky gunk. Once my floors are done, I will never, ever use anything but my steamer & maybe vinegar or ammonia and water. I'm going back to Lowe's to buy more Krud Kutter to insure I won't run out before my floor is completely clean.

As a grandmother of a special needs child who is always on the floor, I have the same concern as Iam1CleaningMom. My issue has not been so much with a haze, but even after sweeping and then mopping with Bona, the floors still leave bare feet and knees grimy! I'm trying this vinegar and water recipe today---thanks!

I’m having the same issue with my laminate floors... hazy spots all over. I went to purchase Krud Kutter but discovered they have many different versions of this product. Please let me know which Krud Kutter is working best. I’m feeling defeated!! Thanks!!

I too used krud kutter. Took everything off. Now super dull. What should I use now to get some shine. Kimklean