Cleaning Hack: Easiest Way to Clean Baseboards

In this post, we are talking about baseboards.  Learn the easiest way to clean baseboards and the best way to keep them clean! 

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Dirty baseboards skeeve me out.  I’m not trying to be overly picky or a snob but it kind of ruins my day.  Case in point:  my family and I have stayed at various AirBNBs for vacation, and if I walked in and saw dirty baseboards – my heart sank.  I immediately think the rest of the house is not as clean.  Please tell me I’m not alone in this.  

I try to keep my baseboards at home as clean as possible.  So I thought it would be helpful to share my tips and tricks with you for how to do this.  In fact, I kind of discovered this method by accident. And trust me, I’ve tried every trick in the book – dryer sheets, toothbrushes, even downy fabric softener.  

Easiest Way to Clean Baseboards  

I own an O-Cedar Microfiber Spin Mop (if you don’t have it yet you need it – it’s a gamechanger).  The head is shaped like a triangle which makes it easy to move around and get into corners. The snap-on mop head is made of soft fluffy microfibers which attract dust and dirt.  It cleans 99% of bacteria with just WATER and doesn’t scratch.  

So one day, when I was mopping my floors – I ran the mop over my baseboards too. And what do ya know – it cleaned them pretty darn well. So now, unless for some reason they get super dirty (which I’ll go into detail about cleaning below) – I just use this mop method.

While I’m mopping the floors I just run the mop quickly over the baseboards.  I make sure to wring it out using the bucket it comes with so the mophead is not sopping wet. Too much water is not good for your baseboards or your floor.  

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Cleaning my baseboards this way allows me to get all the dust and dirt off the baseboards quickly and easily, without bending and without using weird chemicals.

Sometimes, I just grab a clean, dry mop head and run that over the baseboard to dry dust.  It’s just enough to get the dust and debris off until my next mopping.  

Related: The Easy Way to Clean your Oven Racks

How to Deep Clean your Baseboards

If your baseboards are really dirty and covered with tough grime, pet hair and dust, hairspray, cooking oils, or smoke – a deep cleaning may be in order.  And you will probably need to do this periodically to keep on top of it.  

For this job, you gotta use a little elbow grease.  Here’s how I do it.  First, I vacuum the baseboards with a brush attachment.  You can also use a clean, soft bristle brush or Swiffer duster to remove the dust and pet hair.  

Then, I do one of two things – just kind of depends on the day.  (1) I take a clean, white microfiber cloth and wet it with some warm water and a drop of dawn or castile soap.  (2) I fill a spray bottle with vinegar and warm water (about half and half – I eyeball it) and spray the baseboards as I go along while wiping it with a soft cloth.  For this job, I get on my hands and knees and wipe the baseboards down at eye level.

Sometimes I give my kids this job (these aren’t toxic chemicals so you don’t need to worry).   If I need to, I also use a damp magic eraser to scrub off black scuff marks.  

If you have a lot of caked-on debris, grease, etc. – Krud Kutter is a good product to try.  Krud Kutter is eco-friendly and removes grime, grease, pet stains, latex paint, permanent marker, and crayons. To give you even more leverage, use this with a soft bristle cleaning brush to really get into those baseboards’ grooves and scrub them clean. 

After I finish cleaning the baseboards, I always follow up with a vacuum of the floor around the baseboards since I inadvertently brush off dust and debris while cleaning.    

It takes some time to deep clean like this – but once you do it – you won’t have to repeat it that often.  Baseboard cleaning is all about staying on top of it.  If you let it go too long, that’s when you run into trouble.  

I have several tools that I use interchangeably to keep my baseboards clean.  Let’s run through them all.  

O-Cedar Mop with Microfiber Brush Head

I mentioned this before – GUYS IT’S the best mop I’ve ever used.  And as someone who is obsessed with cleaning, I have used them ALLLLL.  Actually, I’m going to write a review on this mop because I love it so much.  The head of this mop is shaped perfectly to get into those baseboard corners and on top.  It goes without saying that I also use this mop to clean my hardwoods – streak-free.  

Hint: Amazon is not always the best place to get this mop. Sometimes the price on it can be outrageous! Definitely shop around. Target and Home Depot/Lowes seem to have the best prices at the time of writing this article.

Magic Erasers

If you have kids or pets, you should always have magic erasers at the ready.  These things take off scuff marks like a champ.  Make sure you wet it a little bit and add a drop of Dawn or Castile Soap for extra cleaning power.  

Microfiber Cloths

I’m trying to limit my use of paper towels and these microfiber cloths are my absolute favorite.  I use them for just about everything.  They wash and dry well and they are the most scrubby microfiber cleaning cloths I’ve used.  

Soft Cleaning Brush

A soft bristle cleaning brush is a great way to get into the grooves of your baseboard without scratching.  You can pick these up at the Dollar Store and I grab a few each time I’m there.  

Dawn Dish Soap or Castile Soap

A lot of the time, I’m cleaning my baseboards with just a dry mop or a little water.  That’s the beauty of the O-Cedar microfiber mop – you don’t really need anything to get clean baseboards!  But when I need/want a bit of extra cleaning power, I add a drop of dawn dish soap or castile soap.  I buy it in bulk at Costco and it lasts a long time.  

Krud Kutter

When you need something more – this eco-friendly product removes stubborn dirt and debris.  It’s just good to have on hand for the tough stuff.  

Dyson with Brush Attachment

You just can’t go wrong with a Dyson. Invest in a good brush attachment and it will make the job a lot easier.

While we are on the subject, I wanted to show you guys my little hack for storing my mops and Dyson.  I bought this white storage cabinet from Amazon for my laundry one-room challenge.  I took the back of the cabinet out of one side and utilized the wall space behind it for hanging.  I love these little 3m mop and broom grippers.  And you can buy the Dyson wall mount separately if yours didn’t come with it.  It’s the perfect way to keep all that stuff accessible by still hidden from view.  

Have a good week ahead and cheers to cleaner baseboards!

xo Karen