While every professional home cleaner will have their own preference, most will use a commercial floor cleaner specifically manufactured for laminate floors. They will also use a vacuum or microfiber cloth to remove loose grit before breaking out the mop. Some cleaners will also make a final pass with a dry and clean cloth to dry your laminate floors for a smooth shine.

Most DIY floor cleaners don’t require rinsing, but you’ll want to make sure you don’t add too much dish soap or oil to the cleaner to avoid having to rinse it after cleaning. For non-wood floors, mix 8 parts warm water, 1 part vinegar, and 1 part baking soda with a few drops of dish soap. For wood floors, use olive oil in that same mixture instead of the vinegar. You can let these solutions air-dry after cleaning your floors with them, although you should manually dry your floors if they aren’t waterproof.

Floor polishing isn’t technically necessary, but it will help your floors last longer and hold up better to scratches. Floor polish is a thin coating that fills in small abrasions on your floor and makes them less visible, and it can act as a protective covering that prevents future damage to the floor underneath. Floor polish helps protect against water and moisture, so it’s a great service if you want to extend the lifespan of your floors. Additionally, polish makes your floors shine, making your home look cleaner and more inviting.

Depending on flooring type and condition, costs range from $0.25 to $2 per square foot.