How to Clean Baseboards

Even if you clean your floors often, the rooms in your home might not look clean if the baseboards are dirty. Keeping dirt and dust off the baseboards can help improve the air quality in your home, which is particularly important for people with allergies and asthma.

Start this cleaning project by dusting the baseboards:

• Move furniture to the center of the room. If you have rugs or other floor coverings, move those away from the wall also.
• Use your vacuum’s brush attachment to get dust off the baseboards. Run the attachment all along the baseboards of the room you’re working in.
• As an alternative, you can also dust the baseboards by hand with a dry microfiber cloth.

Tip: If you must kneel to reach the baseboards, rest on a folded towel or yoga mat as you work to reduce the pressure on your knees. To clean baseboards without bending down, try using a broom. Sweep the dust and dirt from the baseboards into a dustpan.

Once you have removed most of the dust from the baseboards, you can clean the baseboards with a damp cloth. This step is especially important in homes with pets. Oils from their skin collect on the baseboards and can cause more dirt and pet hair to collect and stick to them.

You can make a light cleaning solution that is ideal for cleaning baseboards.

• Fill a bucket about three-quarters full of warm water. Add a few drops of dishwashing liquid. Agitate the solution gently to mix the soap and water together.
• Dip a clean microfiber cloth into the solution. Once it’s wet, wring it out until it is just damp.
• Wipe the baseboards with the cloth. Work on the baseboards in sections. When your cleaning water looks dirty, drain the bucket and make a clean batch of soap solution.
• To clean the corners and edges of the baseboards, use cotton swabs or a chopstick wrapped in a clean microfiber cloth. Dip the swab or cloth into the soap solution, then work on the corners and edges.
• Allow the baseboards time to air dry before putting furniture and floor coverings back in their original places.

The more often you clean baseboards, the easier the process will be. Simple monthly maintenance will prevent buildup.

• Each month, move the furniture and floor coverings. Then, vacuum the baseboards with the brush attachment.
• Every other month, wipe the baseboards with a lightly damp microfiber cloth.
• If there are pets in the home, you may want to adopt a more frequent cleaning schedule, like twice a month instead of just once.
• Planning to paint your walls and baseboards? Clean the baseboards carefully, allowing plenty of time for drying, before applying any paint or primer.

Tip: If you have small children in the home who like to help out, assign them the task of dusting the baseboards. Give your child a few microfiber cloths sized for his or her hands. You can even make a game of cleaning the baseboards by setting up a race.

Getting down on the floor to clean baseboards can be physically difficult for some people. If you’re among them, modifying the tasks can help make cleaning baseboards easier for you.

• Use a lightweight stool and sit perpendicular to the wall. Reach to the side and clean one section of baseboard at a time.
• Use an extension tool on the vacuum cleaner that allows you to reach the baseboards without bending.
• Secure a microfiber cloth to the end of a yard stick or broom handle and use it to clean along the baseboards.