You’ve lost your remote for the TV again; while you’re on all fours looking for it, you look over and go “ew.” Yep, dirty baseboards. Baseboards are one of the most frequently overlooked places within the home. Knowing how to clean baseboards is an often-overlooked skill, but let me tell you, those things are dirt and hair magnets!
If you have pets and live in an area where there’s a lot of dirt and dust, you should strive to clean them weekly. However, if you’re flying solo and keep your home pretty clean, you can feasibly get away with cleaning them every month.
Or maybe cleaning baseboards isn’t your thing. If that’s the case, give TLC Cleaning a call. With locations in Fargo and Grand Forks, North Dakota, and Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, TLC Cleaning can provide you with a quote to schedule either a one-time cleaning, deep cleaning, or recurring cleaning service.
Keep reading to learn how to clean baseboards quickly and efficiently in your home.
First, Prep the Area
You’ll want to pull the furniture away from the walls. Sweep or vacuum the floors to make sure you have most of the room’s dust and dirt. This step is also a great time to grab a friend or one of your children if they’re old enough to help out. Working together will make moving the furniture moving easier and the cleaning process faster.
Now let’s talk about different techniques to use and how to clean baseboards.
Broom Technique
Using a broom to dust the baseboards is excellent if you already have the broom handy, and they’re only a little dusty. You may have to do a quick vacuuming after to clean up any dirt on the floor. A handheld broom works best for getting in the crevices. Another way to clean them is if your vacuum cleaner has one of the hose attachments with a brush.
Vacuum Attachment Technique
As previously mentioned, a hose with a brush attachment is an excellent tool to clean baseboards. Using a vacuum cleaner attachment to clean baseboards is less strain on your body. Brush attachments work the best when vacuuming the dust and dirt from the cracks and crevices.
Lysol Wipe Technique
Using a cleaning wipe is an easy and quick way to bust baseboard grime. It can be an effective method for small homes. On the down-side, this method costs more money in the long run and can be quite wasteful. We suggest saving them on-hand and using them to disinfect door handles and frequently touched surfaces. But, in a pinch, disinfecting wipes will work just fine to clean your baseboards.
Dryer Sheet Technique
Do you have a box of dryer sheets lying around? You can grab one of them and attach it to the end of a Swiffer and swipe it along the baseboards. The anti-cling properties of the dryer sheet will repel dust. Now you can go a little bit longer between cleanings.
If you use scented dryer sheets, you’ll leave a pleasant, fresh scent behind, too.
Magic Eraser Technique
Grab your magic erasers and a bucket of warm soapy water. Really, you can use your choice of household cleaner with water. Use the damp sponge to scrub the dirt from the baseboards.
Wring out any excess water so the baseboards have a shorter dry time and won’t leave water stains.
You can easily tackle any other wall or floor scuffs with this technique while you’re cleaning your baseboards.
Try the Magic Eraser Sheets to avoid a crumbly mess from the sponge.
Sock and Yard Stick Technique
Yes, it sounds a little silly, but it works. Slide an old sock on the end of the yardstick and spray it with your preferred household cleaner (or even a vinegar and water mixture). Slide the sock across the baseboards to pick up loose dirt. Then, simply toss it in the wash to use it to clean again later.
If you have dark-colored socks, they may still be wearable after using this method. Although, it may be best to have a stash “designated cleaning socks” instead.
Tried and True Technique
First, grab a rag (we recommend microfiber) and a bucket of warm water with your choice of cleaner. Then, get on your hands and knees and start scrubbing. The microfiber cloth helps pick up and lock dirt into the rag. Clean Mama has an informative post on how to clean white baseboards using natural solutions. Take a peek if you love cleaning tips and eco products.
For an extra level of clean, use q-tips to get all the edges, corners, and detailed areas. This technique is through and is useful if it’s been a while since you have washed your baseboards. Once they’re sparkling clean, you can use some of the other less-involved techniques to maintain them.
A Deep Clean You Can See
Baseboard cleaning comes with every seven-hour Deep Clean Package from TLC Cleaning.
When you schedule a deep cleaning, you can expect your baseboards to be wet washed in every room of your home.
With a Deep Cleaning Package, you can also expect dusted light fixtures, hand washed floors, dust-free door frames, deep cleaned blinds, and even a good old-fashioned trash can scrubbing.
Check out a full list of everything included in a TLC Cleaning Deep Clean Package by clicking here.
Stop Asking How to Clean Baseboards, Call TLC Cleaning Instead
Now that you know how to clean your baseboards, consider giving yourself the break you deserve.
Contact TLC Cleaning at the North Dakota or Minnesota locations so we can clean some of those harder to reach spaces, like your baseboards. Get your free online estimate and bid unwanted baseboard dust “bye-bye!”
