Your cleaning routine may include all the obviously dirty places in your home—the floors, the ceiling fan, the toilet—but how often do you clean your crown molding and baseboards? If the answer to this question is “never” or you simply haven’t thought much about this area of the home, it’s a good idea to start making it a part of your regular cleaning routine. Although the dirt that accumulates on these surfaces may not be immediately apparent, the dust and grime that can build up on crown molding and baseboards can get tough to clean the longer you ignore it. Continue reading to learn how to clean them effectively and keep them looking spotless.
How to Clean Baseboards and Molding
There are two methods for cleaning molding and baseboards—the simple method and the deep cleaning method. Check out how to use each one.
Simple Cleaning Method
Follow these steps at least once a week to eliminate the dust and cobwebs that accumulate on your baseboards and molding. This simple method will help prevent caked-on grime from building up on these fixtures.
What You’ll Need:
- Vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment and extension wand
- Step ladder
- Dryer sheets
- Use your vacuum cleaner fitted with the brush attachment to suction up dust. You may need to use an extension wand for your vacuum and/or a step ladder in order to reach the crown molding.
- Since static electricity tends to attract dirt and dander to surfaces, run a dryer sheet along baseboards and molding weekly after vacuuming to reduce the static that attracts dust to these areas.
Pro Tip: Melissa Homer, chief cleaning officer at MaidPro, advises assembling a dedicated kit before you start: “Fill a handled plastic bin with your go-to cleaners. One of the reasons cleaning is overwhelming is because people run all over the house looking for what they need.”
TOH Technique: For hard-to-clean spots along base molding, try using a dry soft-bristle paintbrush to dislodge dust from crevices and profiles before vacuuming. A HEPA-filter vacuum with a soft-bristle brush attachment will capture fine particles without launching them back into the room—and your lungs. Always start at the highest point in the room, such as crown molding or ceiling corners, and work your way down so dislodged dust settles onto surfaces you haven’t cleaned yet.
Deep Cleaning Method
A thorough cleaning with water will help eliminate caked-on dust. Aim to do this ideally monthly or at least quarterly.
What You’ll Need
- Vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment and extension wand
- Step ladder
- Bucket or spray bottle
- Vinegar
- Dish soap
- Sponges, microfiber towels, and a melamine foam sponge
- Cotton swab or old toothbrush
- Start by vacuuming your baseboards and crown molding using your vacuum’s brush attachment to suction up dust (you may need an extenstion wand or step ladder for the molding). This will lift loose dust particles, but a film of dirt may remain.
- Mix a solution of one gallon of warm water, one cup of vinegar, and one teaspoon of dish soap in a bucket or spray bottle.
- Using a sponge, microfiber towel, or melamine foam sponge dipped in or sprayed with the solution, gently wipe away the grime that has accumulated on the molding and baseboards. To remove dirt trapped in the crevices, use a cotton swab or old toothbrush. Work in sections to avoid damage to the baseboards and molding.
- Wipe away the soapy solution with a clean, damp towel or sponge.
- Follow up with a dry microfiber towel to dry off any remaining water.
How to Minimize Dust on Crown Molding and Baseboards
Although it takes some time for dust to accumulate in these areas, it’s a good idea to keep dirt at bay before it builds up and becomes visible. Here’s how to keep your crown molding and baseboards looking brand new.
Clean Them Often
One way to keep these decorative elements in tip-top shape is to give them a quick wipedown weekly, even if you don’t see dirt. Running a broom or a duster along your baseboards and crown molding is a convenient way to easily brush away the dust that has accumulated. It’s especially useful for removing cobwebs up high. However, if you have, say, a layer of grease that has built up on the baseboads in the kitchen, a broom won’t be effective in tackling that. A deep clean will help remove this type of dirt.
Why It Matters: According to a national survey by the American Cleaning Institute, 77 percent of respondents said they do some form of spring cleaning—yet most say they don’t feel they’re necessarily doing it right, or doing enough. Going beyond the weekly dust-swipe-and-sweep with a periodic deep cleaning of molding and baseboards is one of the best ways to bridge that gap.
Pro Technique: When dusting molding and baseboards, work from the highest spot in the room and move your way down—the same top-to-bottom strategy cleaning pros use for deep cleaning any living area. Use a telescoping microfiber wand to sweep over crown molding and into cobwebby corners, then address baseboards last so falling dust doesn’t dirty surfaces you’ve already cleaned.
Apply a Stain-Resistant Paint
Another way to keep your molding and baseboards looking better for longer is to coat them in an interior stain-resistant paint, which will help lessen the appearance of scuffs and marks. Although you’ll still need to dust and clean, the stain-resistant paint will make it easier to remove spots and smudges when they arise.
Pro Tip: When applying stain-resistant paint to baseboards, lightly sand between coats with a fine sanding sponge. As TOH painting expert Mauro explains on Ask This Old House: “Sanding between coats allows for the paint to better adhere to the surface.” This extra step ensures a harder, more durable finish that will stand up to regular cleaning.
For broad moldings like baseboards, use a wide, straight-edged brush to cover the main surface, then switch to a small, angled sash brush (1 to 2 inches) to carefully paint a straight line along the top edge. Letting a hairline of paint carry over onto the wall will help conceal any imperfections on the molding itself — and give you a cleaner-looking result that’s easier to maintain.
Frequently Asked Question
Should I use a degreaser to clean my molding and baseboards?
Yes, but save this option for the grimy areas of your home, such as the bathroom and kitchen. Instead of adding dish soap and vinegar for the deep cleaning method, simply use the degreaser and warm water. Vinegar paired with a degreaser may cause a chemical reaction that is harmful if inhaled, or it could cause skin burns. Such a mix could also damage the moldings and baseboards. So, ensure you don’t mix the two.
Expert Insight: Repair Clinic pro Chris Zeisler recommends tackling greasy gunk with hot, soapy water as a first step before reaching for stronger products. The same principle applies to baseboards near the stove or range—start with the mildest solution and escalate to a degreaser only if buildup persists.
