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Baseboard Cleaning Hacks
Looking for Baseboard Cleaning Hacks?
Have you every cleaned those easily ignored baseboards?
They do need to be cleaned you know!
This stress-free tutorial walks you through step-by-step how to clean those baseboards and even the air vents.
It’s not difficult at all and when the baseboards are clean, the entire house seems fresher; almost like a new coat of paint!
Baseboard Cleaning Hacks
Baseboards are often forgotten when cleaning.
Being the lowest point in the room, they are automatically dust catchers; which makes them one of the most important places to clean in your home.
Let’s take this in easy steps.
Mix up a bucket of *Lysol OR ammonia and water, according to the directions on the bottle.
Baseboard Cleaning Hacks
Start by getting down on your hands and knees in one corner, and go all the way to the end of each base board. This will help you make sure you do not miss a spot.
Scrub them good, doing this in the all rooms of your home. 
If there are scuff marks from shoes that won’t come off with the regular cleaner, then use Magic Eraser . It will clean off just about anything.
Caution! Mr. Magic Erasers, can take the gloss out of your glossy and semi gloss paint on your wall. Meaning you can see every spot you have cleaned. You may want to avoid using these on walls that are not white. Test on an inconspicuous spot to see how a Mr. Magic Erasers will work on your paint before using on a main area as this is not the case on all paint.
When cleaning baseboards you need to also think about those air intake panels along the walls.
This type of scrubber works really well to get into the groves of the vents.
Scrub hard, it may take some muscle depending on how long it’s been since they have been cleaned.
Every year in the spring or the fall, it’s a good idea to deep clean by taking off the vent. 
While the vent is off, scrub and clean off the vents over your sink and get both sides dirt free.
Dry thoroughly.
This step is for every two-three years or when needed.
Lay the completely dried vent over an open box and spray with good quality spray paint.
Use GOOD quality paint so it looks nice and lasts.
Allow the vent to dry completely before re-installing onto the wall.
If you don’t wait until the paint is completely dry, you will leave a mark on the wall, which will later require sanding and repainting.
If you have chair railing, make sure to wash those also with the cleaner of your choice and dry well also to avoid any drips.
TIP: In between cleanings, for weekly dusting, use a dryer sheet on the chair railings. The dry sheet naturally gathers the lint and dust making this an easy and quick chore.
This is how you make your baseboards clean, look great and you will be amazed at how much better your entire house feels when the baseboards are dirt-free!
Do you know how to clean your walls? I can show you an awesome trick HERE
You can find MORE tips and useful ideas like this in my Lost Art of Homemaking Series HERE or Lost Art of Self Reliance HERE
Copyright Carrie Groneman, A Mother’s Shadow, 2015, 2018
Recognize a blessing and be a blessing today.
*The product ratio is recommended by PineSol to use 1/4 cup of Pine Sol to 1 Gallon of water. Recommended by HowStuffWorks the recipe is: Mix 1⁄2 cup vinegar, 1 cup clear ammonia, 1⁄4 cup baking soda, and 1 gallon warm water. Caution: Wear rubber gloves, and work in a well-ventilated area when using this powerful solution. (http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/household-hints-tips/cleaning-organizing/how-to-clean-your-walls-and-ceilings.htm–
Thank you so much for the awesome cleaning tip and will definitely use the next time I need to clean our baseboards. š
Oh my gosh, I needed this post! By the way, my name is Niki, and I’m one of your fellow Merry Monday hosts, and wanted to let you know that I love your blog and hope to catch up on several of your other projects this week, too! Pinned! Have an awesome week!
These are really good tips, and I can use them, b/c my baseboards are usually pretty gross! š I love my Magic Erasers- they do sooo many things- now I can add baseboards to the list of things they can do. Thank you, Jody and Carrie!
For whatever reason I never thought about the vents! Great tips here!
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
i always tend to forget the baseboards when ever i do my weekly cleanings. they need a good scrubbing, thanks for the reminder & tips!
This is great! I’ve also found that scrubbing bubbles works. Spray the baseboard and let it foam up and then wipe off.
By the way, I would love to have you post on my new blog hopāthe Weekend Blog Hop at My Flagstaff Home (www.myflagstaffhome.com). It begins on Thursday evenings and lasts through the weekend, if you’re interested.
Jennifer
You’ve made me painfully aware of how dirty my baseboards are, and I believe a good scrubbing is in order this weekend! Thanks for sharing at #MerryMonday!
Carrie, thanks for the cleaner ideas. I usually just use a spray bottle of water and a cloth, but there are some boards that are not so white.
Thanks for bringing this post over to the Weekend Blog Hop at My Flagstaff Home!
Jennifer
Please come clean my house! š
I feel like I’m a clean person that keeps a clean house but after reading this I looked at my baseboards….they desperately need cleaning! I guess I know what I’m doing tomorrow. Thanks for the great post!
Groan. Now I have to clean the baseboards too????
Hands and knees ain’t happening. Got a teen I can borrow? š
I owned a cleaning company in Tuscaloosa Al, I found out that if you used your imagination and talent, you can do amazing things without hurting your back, I bought a small mop from Dollar general and cuted the mesh in half , and I can clean my baseboards with pine sol and s bucket in no time without him hurting my knees and my back. š
Not THAT is a fabulous tip! I am going to try that one for sure! The older I get the less time on my knees I spend and hunching over is not great either. Thank you so much for the idea and for sharing with us.
Baseboards are neglected at my house, too. I am going to pay them attention next time. Love your idea of cleaning them with ammonia. I am going to try it definitely. Best regards!
Hello Gwendolyn, I am thrilled you would stop by. Baseboards are so easily forgotten and glad you like the idea of ammonia; it works well for us. Hope to see you again soon.
Thanks for the great tips
I am so glad you were able to get some help on cleaning baseboards, they are not so bad if you have some tips and tricks. Hope you saw our other links for how to clean walls too!
Great ideas, thank you!
How to make cleaning rough paneling easier? All my walls are rough paneling
Lysol over ammonia any time! These are great tips – especially about the magic eraser and the vents. Thanks Carrie!
I agree totally! I’ll take Lysol anytime, the smell is much better. I LOVE magic erasers and wish I would have invented them ($$$), along with toilet paper, soap, matches, etc. All the necessities and then I’d be set right! lol. Thanks for coming by Kathryn.
This is so helpful! I almost never clean my baseboards. Then, I notice how bad they look and I don’t know what to do to fix it. I appreciate how you laid all of the different ways out. Pinning this for later!
I’m thrilled Gina that this helps you with ideas and tutorials how to get those baseboards into shape when you’re ready. Happy cleaning.
This is just the reminder I needed to get off my duff and get some cleaning done! Like some others have said, my baseboard have been slightly neglected and need some TLC.
You are in great company Lindsay, including me. It’s one of those easily neglected areas. So glad you like the post.
Great tips on cleaning the baseboards. I used to get down and scrub more when I was younger, but I still manage to give give a good dusting and occasional wipe down when I see it needs it. Nothing is more pleasing than a clean house.
So true Carol, and it’s easy to dust them too; great tip. Thanks for stopping by.
Oh don’t come and look at my house! Thanks for the tips!
Oh geez, I have to get to all of mine too Sue! I hoped my sister Jody would do mine for the tutorial, heehee.
So with you on the baseboards thing. We used to have a chore jar for the kids and as a result, my baseboards would get a frequent cleaning. I might need to reinstate it.
Happy Cleaning
Lynn
Lynn, that’s funny you mentioned that. When my kids were home I had a list of things they could do to earn extra money and a list of things they had to do if they were in trouble. Baseboards were at the top of both and mine were always so clean with 5 kids. I miss that…I have to do my own now.
I love a good clean house and baseboards (especially white ones) show the dirt but are easily overlooked. Great cleaning tips for those of us who are prepared to get down on our knees with some serious cleaning!
Leanne, I agree, maybe we should paint them brown so the time between cleanings is further apart, haha. I’m glad you found some ideas you can use, and happy cleaning.
some really great ideas! we call them skirting boards in the UK š I was wondering what baseboards were :p
Oh, that’s cool to know that we refer to them in different terms. No matter the name, sadly, we all have to clean them:). Glad you like the post Charlotte.
Your post has made me look at my skirting boards. Oh dear, that’s another job for the list! Some of them are actually muddy thanks to the pooch!!
Hey Rebecca, maybe you can assign them out or make the dog clean them, heehee? Thanks for stopping by.
On what days do u clean the baseboards
Hello Stacy, I usually clean the baseboards as part of a spring and fall cleaning and then once in between as needed; so quarterly is a good target. I hope that helps and thank you for your question and for stopping by. I hope you find many posts with helpful information and enjoy A Mother’s Shadow. Carrie
Wish I could really scrub my baseboards and trims. Because it’s prefinished pressed board crap, any kind of wiping takes the finish off. Even painters tape took it off.
Oh man, that’s tough. Maybe a good painting is in the close future??? I’m sorry, I know your pain on that one.
Your mom and sister remind me of my mother and sister! I’m lucky if I get my baseboard done once every 5 years!!
I’m with you Debbie:) My sister even has Christmas wrapped by March usually too….
If you want to make it easy you need to come up with how to clean baseboards without having to get on your hands and knees. Some of us are getting too old or have problems with needs from doing all that kind of cleaning when we were younger. So any ideas on how to do this job without getting down on all fours it would be greatly appreciated.
Hello Barbara, some of the readers above gave excellent ideas of how to do this and I’m taking their advice too! Thanks for asking so that I can learn from them too. I think it will be a wonderful idea for a future post:)
One thing to keep in mind, don’t use Lysol or ammonia on varnished woodwork. I like to use Murphy’s Oil Soap in some warm water, but be sure to dry immeduately with a clean dry cloth. Great for cabinets too. They will look beautiful when you are done.
I think I will have to try that soap on my wood! I don’t use Lysol or ammonia on woodwork myself either, and that sounds like a wonderful solution. Thank you for sharing with us.