How to Clean Baseboards (and Keep Them Clean)

Baseboards sit right at floor level, so you have to get down on your knees to do them properly. Dust, pet hair and scuff marks build up a little at a time, and most people never notice until the whole room looks tired.

It is one of the first things our customers notice after a deep clean. One of them, Rita, put it this way in her review:

“They got my baseboards, they got my fans, they got places I didn't even know existed.”

1. Dust first, always. Run the vacuum's brush tool along the top edge and the corner where the board meets the floor. Wiping first just turns dust into a muddy streak.
2. Use a damp cloth, not a wet one. Warm water with a drop of dish soap is enough for most painted baseboards. Wring the cloth out well.
3. Wipe the top edge, then the face. The top ledge holds the most dust. Do it first so it does not drip onto a face you just cleaned.
4. Get the corners. A soft brush or an old toothbrush reaches the inside corners and the seam along the floor.
5. Dry as you go. Follow with a dry cloth so water does not sit on the paint or soak into the floor seam.

If a scuff will not come up with soap and water, test anything stronger on a hidden spot first, like inside a closet.

This is how we split it, and it is the easiest way to know which clean you need:

• Standard clean: baseboards and door frames wiped. Good for baseboards that are kept up.
• Deep clean or spring clean: baseboards hand-scrubbed in every room. This is for the first clean in a while, or when you can see the buildup.
• Move-out clean: baseboards hand-scrubbed throughout, because landlords and property managers check them.

• Use the vacuum's brush tool along the edges every time you vacuum.
• Put a mat at each door so less sand and dirt gets tracked in.
• Wipe up splashes near the kitchen and bathroom when they happen.

When it is time for the full scrub, our deep cleaning covers every room, and so does every move-out clean.