The Best Method for Maintaining Clean Baseboards

It is important to have clean baseboards in your home, because dirty baseboards can affect the overall look of a room. Clean baseboards give the illusion of a cleaner home, so it is recommended that homeowners clean baseboards at least once per month to retain a tidy look. You will no longer have to deep clean before company arrives, just be sure you maintain clean baseboards and vacuum and your home will look sparkly fresh. 

As a part of the series from Home Ever After about tackling a cleaning schedule for your home one day at a time, the following guide offers the best techniques for achieving squeaky clean baseboards in your home. Stop allowing that dust to accumulate and refuse to settle for anything less than clean baseboards and a clean home. 

Clean This Today: Baseboard Heaters

Good morning, household managers! Today’s cleaning chore is to clean the baseboards in your house. Baseboard heaters are probably not an item which you have on your cleaning checklist for each room. This is all the more reason to dedicate one day a month to cleaning the baseboards in the whole house. The baseboards in bathrooms, laundry rooms, and near kitchens are often the most dirty and have buildup of grease, lint, hair products, and more. Clean your baseboards at least once a month to keep them from getting buildup that takes heavy duty scrubbing to remove. We’ve even got a trick that will help to keep the dirt from being attracted to your baseboard heaters in the first place. Who doesn’t love to make housework easier?! 

How to Clean Baseboards: Complete Directions

We’ve created the perfect easy-to-follow step by step instructions for how to clean baseboards. Make sure to print out the directions and put them in your household management binder for quick reference.

The short version of how to clean baseboard heaters:

1. Clean all the baseboards in the house on the same day. Clean one room at a time.
2. Bring a vacuum with a tube attachment, a sponge, dryer sheets, and a bottle of antibacterial cleaner or vinegar with you to each room.
3. Vacuum the dirt out of the radiation fins first (these are inside the baseboard and look like a bunch of metal pieces side by side standing upright). -or-
4. If you don’t have a vacuum with a tube, use canned air (the kind used for computer cleaning) to blast out the dust from the fins.
5. Next, spray the sponge with cleaner and wipe down the outside of the baseboard.
6. Once dry, rub the outside of the baseboard with a dryer sheet to keep dirt from settling on the baseboards.

Click now to read the full directions for how to clean baseboards. Now get started cleaning your baseboard heaters and come back next Tuesday for Clean This Today to transform your house into your Home Ever After! If you have more energy and want to try more extra cleaning projects today, then go back to our Clean This Today list.

Many homeowners attempt to clean baseboards with only a sponge. If dirt and dust has accumulated on the baseboards, then moisture will only trap grime in the grooves of the wood or metal. This is why it is important to vacuum the baseboards before cleaning. 

Consider adding “clean baseboards” to your regular cleaning schedule in order to ensure that this task is done at least once a month. It will greatly improve the look of your home. 

Don’t have time to clean baseboards? Call your local branch of The Maids! We are here to help you keep your home spotless!