What's the best way to clean baseboards?

Question

Our baseboards are made of wood and painted white. When dust collects on all the ledges, it is very difficult to clean them.  I am afraid to use soap and water because I think eventually the paint will wear off.  What would you think is the best way to clean all the baseboards in our house?

Jackie Bryant · Answer

vacuum - use hose with attachment. :)

Suzanne · Answer

bathroom cleaner from the dollar store works well on dirty wood work

Becky Greenwald · Answer

Baseboards are usually painted with something quite durable.  Light soap and water should not wear it away.  Vacuuming with a brush attachment is sufficient most of the time.

Adrian · Answer

Magic Erasers work wonders on baseboards especially if you have scuff marks. Other than that, a cloth dipped in a little soapy water. Using a vacuum cleaner will not get all the dirt and dust off unless it has a hose with a brush attachment but that will be way more work than necessary. Plus, you'll still need to wipe the baseboards after vacuuming so why not just go over the baseboards once?

Steffony · Answer

Good old 409 & micro cloth. Doesn't hurt finish

Lisa Ervin · Answer

baby wipes work well also unless it is really bad. fingerprints on painted white doors come off well too. i use cheapest wipes i can find.

Kathy Stubbs · Answer

ammonia and blue dawn

Nan · Answer

Once clean, I go over my baseboards periodically with dryer sheets. This prevents dust from building up and makes it easier to clean from time to time. Works especially well in bathrooms where tissue creates much lint. Inexpensive dryer sheets can be found at Dollar Tree or Dollar General Stores.

Carol Potts · Answer

Use your vacuum attachment to get the dust off the wood, then if you want to do spot cleaning get a spray bottle of water and add a drop or two of Murphy's Oil Soap to clean your white woodwork. For larger jobs, add a ¼ cup of Murphy's Oil Soap to a gallon of warm water and use a sponge to clean the wood. It smells nice and doesn't leave a film on the wood. My grandmother used this method over 50 years ago and I still do the same thing today. My white woodwork looks newly painted.

Deb K · Answer

Hi Teri, hope this helps you out.

Simply mix a teaspoon of dish soap into a gallon of water, soak a rag or microfiber cloth in the sudsy water, squeeze out the excess, and wipe the rag over the baseboards. Chemical cleaners—even vinegar solutions—might be totally fine for your baseboards, but it'll depend on the materials and finish.

Mogie · Answer

About once a month a use an attachment and vaccum the dust off the baseboards. About every month I dampen a microfiber cloth, attach that to a 2 1/2 foot plastic swiffer holder and run that around my baseboards. The yearly cleaning is a lot more involved and involves more intense cleaning.

Redcatcec · Answer

Start with the vacuum attachment for the easy dust, then run over the baseboards with a rag dampened with Blue Dawn dish soap, 1-2 tsp/gallon of water.

What's the best way to clean baseboards?

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What's the best way to clean baseboards?

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