How to clean baseboards the easy way is a favorite cleaning question. Every house cleaner, Airbnb host, and homeowner want to know how to clean baseboards the easy way.
Other common questions are: how do you clean baseboards with a bad back? And how often should you clean baseboards?
How to clean baseboards the easy way is not about baseboard cleaning hacks. It’s about using the right tools. You’ll use Mr. Clean Magic Erasers if you know how to get scuff marks off baseboards. And we’ll use Krud Kutter Original Cleaner Degreaser for nicotine and grease build-up. For regular maintenance, we will use a variety of dusters and brushes and a vacuum hose attachment.
Listen: How to Clean Baseboards the Easy Way
Watch: How to Clean Baseboards the Easy Way
Hey there, I’m Angela Brown, and this is Ask a House Cleaner. This is a show where you get to ask a house cleaning question, and I get to help you find an answer. You can find this and 400 other answered questions in this series on our YouTube channel.
Clean Baseboards are the Hallmark of a Good Cleaner
The hallmark of a good house cleaner is clean baseboards. And so at every cleaning, every time you vacuum the floor, you’re going to clean the baseboards.
You may be thinking, “Oh my word. Every cleaning?”
Yes, it’s true. Every single time you vacuum the floor, and this is the answer to how often should you clean them. Every time you vacuum the floor, if you have high traffic you should also clean the baseboards. If you have low traffic and rooms that are rarely used, you can clean then once or twice a month.
Dust Blows into Your House
As you open the door to your house, dust blows into your house. It’s bee pollen and all different kinds of stuff from the outside elements. Depending on where you live it could be sand or bee pollen or other airborne contaminants.
As it comes into your house it settles. Where does it settle? It settles on the floor and on the baseboards. And as you track stuff in through the house, or as the air conditioning kicks on, the dust gets blown around the house.
Baseboards are Designed to be Cleaned
Most baseboards are painted with white, semigloss paint. They are designed to get cleaned all the time.
And the hallmark of a good house cleaner is clean baseboards. So, here are six different ways to clean baseboards.
Work Smart Not Hard When You Clean Baseboards
The secret is to work smart not hard. So, you’re going to use the easiest, quickest, fastest tool to get the job done.
If you go into a house and the people smoke inside their house. There may be nicotine, and tar on the sides of their baseboards. In this case, you need a heavy-duty degreaser that’s going to cut through that.
Also, if people do a lot of frying in their house, there’s going to be grease in the air. As that grease settles, it’s going to get stuck on everything, including the baseboards.
#1 Way to Clean Baseboards: Krud Kutter
You can use something like Krud Kutter. This has been made for the environment and it is biodegradable. It also goes on clear so it won’t discolor your baseboards.
So if you’re going on the baseboard you can spray this on, grab a white terrycloth and wipe it off. Then your baseboards are good to go.
There’s no dwell time, you don’t need to spray it on there and leave it for five or 10 minutes, or any of that stuff.
Spray it on, wipe it off and you will have clean baseboards.
#2 Way to Clean Baseboards: Swiffer Duster
The second way is just by using a Swiffer duster. The Swiffer duster is designed to trap dust. So you do one sweep and it grabs the dust and holds it in here while you vacuum.
And if you have the Swiffer duster in your back pocket while you’re vacuuming in every room you can pull it out and dust as you go.
#3 Way to Clean Baseboards, Soft Bristled Brush
The third way to clean baseboards is with a soft-bristled brush.
Let’s say that you have lots of dog and cat hair that have settled on the baseboards. Brushing them with a brush will knock the pet hair to the floor.
This uses no chemicals whatsoever. It just grabs all the dust and the dog hair, and the cat hair and it brushes it out on the carpet. Then you vacuum the carpet up, and you’re good to go.
#4 Way to Clean Baseboards: Vacuum Brush Attachment
Another method that’s similar, and is the same number of steps is going to be the vacuum attachment hose that also has a little brush.
This is a great opportunity to go along the side of the baseboard, then vacuuming the baseboards.
It’s still a two-step process, but this will suck all the dog and cat hair up into the hose. This is so it doesn’t go onto the floor, because in a second you’re going to vacuum again anyway.
#5 Way to Clean Baseboards: Eraser Sponge
You can use way number five at any time during a deep clean or maintenance clean if you need it.
That is your eraser sponge. You want to get your eraser sponge wet and it will wipe up any black marks or scuff marks that either your shoes or your vacuum hit while you are inside the room.
You’re going to want to wet your eraser sponge, have that with you and then you can wipe up black marks as you go. At any time, you can wipe and erase those scuff marks with an eraser sponge.
#6 Way to Clean Baseboards: Tall Duster
The sixth and final way is for if you have a bad back or bad knees and you can’t bend over. In this case, you should use a tall duster that will not put as much strain on your body.
It bends and it goes above the ceiling fans, and the lights and the window ledges to reach up high. This is microfiber and it has all these little fingers that collect dust. Now, this head slides right off and it is machine-washable.
You just drop your arm, and you brush the baseboards as you go. It will collect all the dust so that you don’t have to bend over at all. And if you’re super tall, it has the attachment on the end, and it will let you extend the reach as long as you need it.
*** Good Karma Resources From This Episode ***
DocaPole 20 Foot High Reach Dusting Kit – https://amzn.to/2XZ86vl
Original Krud Kutter Concentrate – https://amzn.to/2XVf9Fm
Soft Bristled Brush for Dog & Cat Hair Filled Baseboards – https://amzn.to/2XUd8cg
Vacuum Hose Baseboard Brush – https://amzn.to/2XZ8nhR
Swiffer Duster 360 – https://amzn.to/2XVgDPW
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser – https://amzn.to/2GMVCQg
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