I Tried This Pro Cleaner’s Easy (and Painless) Technique to Clean Baseboards

Among household cleaning tasks I strongly dislike, cleaning baseboards is high on that list. But unlike other, less noticeable cleaning tasks I dread, like deep cleaning the oven or the toilet, clean baseboards have a special power of making the entire room (or even the whole house!) feel drastically cleaner. It’s easy to put off cleaning them, but it’s super worth it when you finally do. And I have some great news: Believe it or not, there’s an easy way to get them sparkling clean — without breaking your back.

One of the reasons baseboard-cleaning is so often procrastinated is because there isn’t a super-straightforward way to do it. Any time you’re cleaning something that has multiple small surfaces that are tough to get into, especially when dust and pet fur are like to stick to the surface, the job is tedious. On top of the dust and dirt clinging to them, baseboards also tend to garner scuff marks that require even more rigorous attention. But luckily, I recently found this savvy TikTok video where Brandon of Clean That Up demonstrates three different ways to clean baseboards — including one I had to try immediately: with a damp microfiber cloth rubber-banded to a broom. And according to the comments on the video, I’m not the only one whose mind was totally blown.

I grabbed my favorite broom, a Libman precision broom with a dustpan, wet my microfiber cloth, and squeezed it so it was just damp, then rubber-banded it around the head of the broom. 

It took a bit of trial and error to get the microfiber cloth secure around the bristles of the broom. I realized quickly that I needed to wrap my rubber band twice around the cloth so it wouldn’t slip. I also found that I needed to have the rubber band pretty high up on the cloth so it didn’t flop over. Even with my cloth as securely attached as I could get it, I had to readjust every once in a while — but it was well worth it. 

Although I had high hopes, I was floored by how well this method worked. I expected the damp microfiber to be really good at lifting dust, dirt, and pet hair from the baseboards, and it was. I also expected that the bristles under the microfiber cloth would bend and conform to the different surfaces on the baseboard. They totally did. Similarly to how a microfiber cloth wrapped around a butter knife helps clear out crevices full of crumbs, the bristles of the brush wrapped around the baseboard trim and cleared off each and every intricate surface.

Another thing I liked about this cloth-wrapped-broom method was that, unlike when using a duster, I could apply some pressure to the broom. Especially when they haven’t been cleaned in a while, a bit of elbow grease is often needed to get that clinging dirt off. 

The very best part of this method, though? Not having to bend down or be on my hands and knees to do it. The broom was so comfortable to use and the angle made it easy to address the corners. My daughter saw what I was doing and said that it was “such a good idea!” so I know it not only felt efficient and effective, but it looked it too. 

While the microfiber cloth wrapped around the broom removed the dirt and fur from the baseboards, there were still some tougher scuffs that I would probably have to use a Magic Eraser to remove. But I’ll tell you this: After testing out the method in the kitchen — where baseboards tend to get especially messy — I couldn’t stop myself from doing it in every other room of the house, thanks to the easiest method I’ve ever tried.

This post originally appeared on Kitchn. See it here: People Are Just Discovering How to Clean Baseboards (Without Breaking Your Back)