For those of you that are new to the blog, I have started a 50 week cleaning challenge. This challenge is part of my 2018 theme to live simply. (You can read the post here.) This means eating good food, being nice to myself, and relaxing more. It also means small bursts of cleaning instead of long and tiring deep cleaning sessions. I have broken out my usual spring cleaning list into 50 small, manageable tasks. On to the challenge….
WEEK 3 | CLEAN YOUR BASEBOARDS
When I think of weekly cleaning in my living room, I think of vacuuming the floors, dusting the furniture, and putting away clutter. The baseboards are easy to miss. It is as though they disappear into the rest of the wall. Although they are easy to miss, they go a long way toward making a room tidy.
Baseboard cleaning is not a task that needs to be completeD weekly. However, it is far from an annual cleaning chore. Instead of being on a rigid cleaning schedule, I take a look at the baseboards in each room as I am cleaning the floors each week. This allows for a good rotation of cleaning, keeps the task from taking too much of my time, and keeps them sparkling.
HOW I CLEAN BASEBOARDS
There are various levels of baseboard cleaning. There is the deep clean that comes after an extended period of neglect. And then there is light baseboard cleaning.
I am pretty good at keeping up with my baseboard cleaning. Every few weeks when I am cleaning the floors, I will go the extra mile to include the baseboards. I am a big fan of letting my vacuum cleaner do most of the work. I run the vacuum cleaner dusting brush down the length of each baseboard, careful to get along the edge of the hardwood floors.
Some spaces get a little more neglected than others, such as behind furniture. It is often difficult, if not impossible, to clean in tight spaces. Those certain spots will not get cleaned until the furniture is removed. I start by running the vacuum cleaner dusting brush down the length of each baseboard. This captures all of the loose debris. Next, I spray a micro fiber cloths, or paper towel, with a multi-purpose cleaner. I scrub the boards until they are clean. It is common for baseboards to be made from wood. Therefore, you want to be careful not to get them too wet while cleaning.
According to Bob Vila, rubbing your newly cleaned baseboards with a fresh dryer sheet will help repel dust. And it will leave a fresh laundry scent that lasts a few days.
Now I challenge you to clean your baseboards.
Like this week’s cleaning challenge? Want to see more? Check out the weekly cleaning challenge page!
