Baseboards tend to get neglected, don’t they? After a while, baseboards become pretty dusty and scuffed, and cleaning them can no longer be avoided. Plus, sprucing up your baseboards will help your office or workplace really shine. Baseboards can be stained or painted. In this post, we’re going to talk about how to clean white baseboards in order to make them look as freshly-painted as possible.
Cleaning White Baseboards at Work
If your white baseboards haven’t been cleaned in a while, it might take some elbow grease to get all the nooks and crannies clean, de-scuffed, and dust-free. White painted baseboards also tend to have caulk applied at the seams, like where the edge of a baseboard meets the wall. This caulk can also collect dust and other unsightly grime.
Baseboard Cleaning Supplies
The tools and supplies you will need to clean your baseboards will depend on the dirtiness of your painted baseboards. We will list all of the cleaning supplies here, and you can choose which ones will best meet your needs.
- Bucket, Water, Cleaner With a painted baseboard surface, you want to be extra gentle. Warm water and a mild soap can be plenty to clean up with. You don’t want to use anything that will cause the paint to peel or buckle and come off, either.
- Clean Rags You will want a number of rags on hand so you don’t need to stop what you’re doing, get up and get more to wipe up any water or mess.
- Toothbrush A cleaning favorite! Make sure the toothbrush is gentle. You can even trim off some of the bristles if you need a more narrow shape for tricky corner cleaning.
- Vacuum with Soft Bristle Attachment Dusting with a vacuum wand and brush attachment before you start any cleaning, is a plus. And if you only have dusty baseboards, this approach to cleaning your baseboards may be all you need.
- Duster Similar to using a vacuum and brush attachment, you can use a long-handled duster to dust all of your office baseboards before you vacuum the floors. This is a great way to maintain the cleanliness of your baseboards in between periodic deeper cleanings.
- Seating/Kneeling Pad If you need to sit or kneel on the floor for extended periods of time to clean your baseboards, this can be a real benefit to have.
- Positive Attitude Ok, we threw that one in here because some painted baseboards can really use a good cleaning and take some time. They will look amazing afterward, however, and that is the true reward!
How to Decide What to Clean Painted Baseboards With
After going over the list above, analyze the extent of the dirt hanging out on your workplace baseboards. Do they just need dusting? A vacuum or the long-handled duster can be simple tools to dust your baseboards and make them look great again. If this is all that is needed, make sure to have this maintenance step in your cleaning routine so your white painted baseboards will always look dust-free.
If they are dirtier than you had hoped, now is when you get down to business. Grab your bucket of soapy water, toothbrush, and rags, and sit on the floor next to the baseboards you need to clean. Simply get your toothbrush wet and lightly scrub the area to release any dust and debris from the baseboard surface, caulking, and cracks. Immediately wipe the area clean and dry to assure the integrity of the surface.
Continue this process over all of your painted baseboards.
After a proper cleaning, your painted baseboards should be ready for routine maintenance, and you should not have to go through another scrubbing for a long time. If you consistently keep them in your cleaning rotation, you should just be able to dust them with a long-handled duster or your vacuum when you take care of the floors.
Easy Way to Clean Baseboards Without Bending Over
After a thorough cleaning for your baseboards like we described above, maintaining them with the long-handled duster or vacuum wand should both be gentle on your back and simple to accomplish. Taking breaks, stretching, and not overdoing it can be helpful when cleaning any area near your floors.
Get a Quote to Clean Your Baseboards
When You’re Ready for a Consistently-Clean Office
The easiest way to keep your office and its baseboards clean on a regular basis is to hire a professional team to clean. Let us do the cleaning work for you – either on a regular schedule or for your one-time cleans. Click here to learn more about the janitorial services we can help you with.
Our professional cleaning staff is bonded, insured, and maintains OSHA compliance. We are happy to clean your office and most any other work environment. Please contact us online or call us at 571.451.0441 for answers to your cleaning questions and to schedule your personalized janitorial cleaning estimate today!
