We Asked Cleaning Pros How to Clean Baseboards Without Scrubbing All Day

Cleaning baseboards can be a unique challenge in the home. You have to get low—sometimes on your hands and knees—and get into those small corners and crevices, depending on how ornate your moulding is. It can be tough and labor-intensive to remove all that dust and those scuff marks, but it doesn’t have to be, especially if you know the best way to do it.

What is the most effective way to clean baseboards? We talked to a cleaning expert for their insights on how to clean the pesky spot without a ton of elbow grease.

How Cleaning Pros Effectively Clean Baseboards

You’ve been doing it for years—getting on your knees and scrubbing. But experts actually don’t recommend getting on your hands and knees to scrub down the baseboards.

They do suggest staying upright and using tools like a spin mop and soap.

1. Move any rugs and furniture aside so there’s full access to the baseboards.
2. Grab a small stool or bucket to sit on.
3. Mix around two drops of soap or dish soap per gallon of water and soak the spin mop.
4. Wring it out until it doesn’t drip.
5. Set the mop up against the baseboard and push it back and forth until clean.
6. Buff the baseboards with a clean cloth.

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Why Pro Cleaners Love It

The experts like this method because it doesn’t use any harsh products or too much water, which could affect the baseboards’ paint and wood, along with your floors (especially wood floors, which can warp if they get too wet). And the soap you use doesn’t have to be anything fancy.

“Dish soap cuts through grease effectively and gently,” says Marla Mock, president of Molly Maid, who adds that it’s “a low-cost method that uses items most people already have at home and gets excellent results with minimal effort.”

Professional cleaners recommend this approach to at-home cleaners because no elbow grease is required, and it likely won’t leave you with a sore back or knees later on.

“Not everybody can get down on their hands and knees and clean their baseboards,” says Ashley Kidder, the founder and COO of Dashing Maids. “This allows you to stay in an upright position and tackle those lower surfaces in your home. It’s effective and it does a great job.”

More Ways to Clean Baseboards

Depending on how many grooves and crevices your baseboards have, both experts suggest using more than one method to get those baseboards clean. Kidder recommends that they get a deep hand washing at some point as well.

To remove dust, both experts recommend utilizing the brush attachment on a vacuum to go over the baseboards. For any dust stuck in ornate grooves, you should use a soft-bristled brush.

They also suggest using a melamine sponge or microfiber cloth with the soap and water mixture to wipe down baseboards section by section. Make sure to dry each area immediately to avoid water damage on your floors or leave soapy residue, which Kidder warns can work against you.

“If there’s too much soap residue, it’s going to attract dust to it,” Kidder says. “It’ll just make it that much dirtier quicker, and you’re going to have to get down there and clean it again.”

How to Maintain Your Baseboards

Keeping the baseboards clean starts with good maintenance. You’ll spend much less effort and time caring for them on a regular basis than you will trying to scrub off a year’s worth of grime in one go.

Kidder advises initially painting them with a high-gloss paint. “That’s going to allow you to quickly buff things out as they happen,” she says.

Kidder also suggests using a vacuum or mop to clean the baseboards any time you have them out to clean the floors or other things around the house.

“Just maintaining is a lot easier than once a year you’re deciding, ‘Today’s the day,'” Kidder says. “This method might work wonders if you’re doing it relatively consistently and maybe that just saves you time from having to be on your hands and knees the whole time.”

Mock advises filling chips and cracks with wood filler, sanding and paint and buffing baseboards with dryer sheets to repel dust buildup.