10 Best Baseboard Cleaning Tools in 2023

If you’re anything like me, then once in a while when you clean the floor and feel oh so pleased with how tidy and beautiful it looks you’ll notice that your baseboards have inexplicably gathered a layer of dust and grime. It just counteracts all the hard work you’ve done to make your home tidy! And so, I have put together this list for you of the 10 best tools you can buy to clean your baseboards more easily and efficiently in the future.

You may be here because you read my article “Is There a Tool to Clean Baseboards?“, well there are great baseboard cleaning tools and I have listed my most recommended tools. 

Do You Have to Clean Your Baseboards?

Only if you don’t want your house to have unsightly dirt and grime built up. Baseboards are usually not all that noticeable since they’re far from eye level, but there’s another reason to clean them often – dust. After the floor is cleaned it will only take a light breeze to distribute any dust from your baseboards evenly across your pristine washed tiles, and you don’t want that.

Why Are My Baseboards So Dirty? 

Apart from the usual build-up of dust particles that will easily settle on the baseboards since they’re so close to the ground, the entrance to your home may have dried splashes of mud and dirt marks from people walking in with muddied shoes. The baseboards in your kitchen will also easily become greasy over time from spills, and these cleaning jobs will require more effort to remedy. 

How Often Should You Clean Your Baseboards?

Depending on how much dust your house accumulates and factors in your unique home scenario such as whether or not you have kids that enjoy playing in the mud, or active pets which roam outside often, how often your baseboards need cleaning will differ.

Aiming to clean them once a month is a good start, and if they’re particularly dirty every month then you could wash them more frequently – or if you find they’re still pretty clean every month, leaving them longer would be perfectly reasonable. The color of the baseboards matters too since lighter baseboards will be more of an eyesore when they gather dust than wooden colors or other dark tones.

Baseboards are not easy to clean, especially if you do not have the proper tools. Leaning over to clean baseboards can hurt your back, but that’s why you should use the best tool to prevent any back pain. Let’s dig into the list of tools.

10 Best Baseboard Cleaning Tools 

1. Baseboard Buddy Baseboard Buddy – Baseboard & Molding Cleaning Tool! Includes 1 Baseboard Buddy and 3 Reusable Cleaning Pads, As Seen on TV

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My first recommendation here for cleaning your baseboards has a versatile 60-inch long aluminum pole that clips together for a range of uses high and low. You can easily reach down to your baseboards or even up to your ceiling crown moldings without the hassle of bending over or lugging around a bulky ladder. This Baseboard Buddy also includes 3 reusable cleaning pads so you won’t be caught off guard when you need to use it if you’ve tossed one in with the laundry.

The aluminum pole is hollow to make it easier to handle and maneuver but beware of applying too much force and bending it. The Baseboard Buddy works dry for dusting and light dirt removal if you clean with it regularly, and when you have more stubborn dirt then the best results will come from dampening the cleaning pad.

2. DocaPole Baseboard Cleaner DocaPole Baseboard Cleaner with 6 Foot Extension Pole: Includes Long Handle and Chenille Microfiber Cleaning Head for Use as Baseboard Cleaner, Wall Duster, and on High Reach Ceilings

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The DocaPole baseboard cleaner also utilizes a design whereby the pole clips together effortlessly in 4 parts and the washable microfiber cleaning cloth screws onto the end for all the hard-to-reach areas of your house. On this pole you’ll find a comfortable and moveable handle that you’re able to adjust the position of to where you require it, making cleaning much more comfortable as you’re able to hold the pole in the position that distributes the weight best or offers the most leverage to wipe stubborn grime away from a distance.

For comfort and style alone I’d recommend this product, but on top of that, you can even use different attachments for odd jobs around the property. Docazoo also sells a duster, hook, roof rake, and soft brush attachment to add a high level of reusability to this tool.

3. HIPTIS Baseboard Cleaner

 

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For a slight increase in cost when compared to both products prior, the HIPTIS baseboard cleaner attempts to fulfill the jobs of cleaning walls and baseboards effectively with one simple product – it can even work as a squeegee when washing the windows! In the box, you’ll find the baseboard cleaner with 4 connecting poles for a total reach of 54.7 inches, 2 chenille pads, and 2 microfiber pads.

All of these are washable and adhere to the end of the HIPTIS baseboard cleaner with velcro to create a strong bond when in use and keep the cleaning pads from sliding around while you work.

A fantastic feature of this product is a flap that raises a part of the cleaning pad to a peak. You can easily wipe the edges of your baseboards and ceiling cornices, but then lie it flush again when it comes time to wipe your walls down.

4. CHOMP! Long Handle Wall Washer, Ceiling Cleaner, and Baseboard Duster CHOMP! Long Handle Dust Mop:5 Minute CleanWalls Extendable Wall Washer, Ceiling Cleaner and Baseboard Duster - Telescoping Dry Dust / Wet Wash Cleaning Mop with Washable Microfiber Pad

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With a brand name and logo that makes them look suspiciously like a snack production company, nothing about the telescopically extending, wall washing, baseboard polishing, ceiling wiping cleaner by CHOMP! looks remotely cheap or disposable. You’ll notice that this is the most costly product on my list, but it’s earned its place here. For a product that’s American made with an adjustable steel arm for 26 to 60 inches of reach and washable microfiber cleaning pads, you won’t be disappointed. 

It may be twice as expensive as its competitors, but it will last you at least twice as long working twice as hard. A sure buy to avoid hassles from cheaply made goods down the line.

5. Microfiber Feather Duster Microfiber Feather Duster, 5PCS Washable Cobweb Dusters for Cleaning Kit with 100" Extension Long Pole, Bendable Telescopic Duster for High Ceiling Fan, Blinds, Furniture & Cars

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With an array of detachable heads designed around dusting hard-to-reach places, the microfiber feather duster by Kelursien is perfect for regularly dusting your baseboards to keep from dirt building up. This cleaning tool is not meant for cleaning stubborn dirt, but once you have your baseboards as clean as you want them then dusting will be a breeze using a device like this one.

As a bonus, all the included dusting heads will make dusting high areas of your house a cinch!

6. SUKESIAI Cleaning Brush (Best for Tough Stains) SUKESIAI Cleaning Brush with 48 Inch Long Handle, Shower Scrubber Tub and Tile Scrubber Cleaner Scrub Brush with Hook, Bathroom Bathtub Wall Floor Scrubber Detachable Scrubbing Brush Cleaning Tools

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Whilst the last product is perfect for regular dusting, sometimes you’ll have to clean off mud and grease from your baseboards. As a home cook excited to experiment with new dishes, occasionally something might boil over, spill, and splash the baseboards in my kitchen. As such, I need to give those baseboards extra attention once a month.

Instead of getting on my hands and knees to scrub away at the mess I much prefer using this cleaning brush by SUKESIAI which extends comfortably down to my baseboards so I can keep my back straight and reduce the stress on my body.

With a little Krud Kutter to dissolve grease and a bucket of warm water handy, cleaning baseboards becomes a pleasure! I do the same for removing mud stains that splash from my family’s boots in the rainy months.

7. Soft Bristle Vacuum Brush Attachment Lamoutor 2Pcs Soft Bristle Vacuum Brush Round Brush Vacuum Attachment Universal Vacuum Dust Brush for Most Vacuum Cleaners Accessories

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If you have a good vacuum cleaner, this soft bristle vacuum brush attachment solves the main issue that dusters face – when you’ve dusted your baseboards, all that dust lingers for a while. Some may settle right back on the baseboard and the rest will stay on the floor waiting to be swept up and land on your furniture. By clearing the dust off your baseboard using a vacuum brush attachment, you’re effectively killing 2 birds with 1 stone. All that dust is securely sucked up and there are no dirty rags to be washed afterward.

This tool can be effective in clearing lots of dust away but won’t do much for stubborn grime. When your baseboards do become greasy and grimy I’d recommend the SUKESIAI cleaning brush.

8. Miloo Wall Duster Chenille Microfiber Cleaning Head

 

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This chenille microfiber cleaning head has a comfortable grip and hand strap to give you greater control in your cleaning for any easy-to-reach areas. If you already have a pole around the house like the extending Docapole then you’ll be able to screw this cleaning head onto it to reach higher or lower than when using it with the hand grip, making it a cost-effective option when compared to buying a whole cleaning set with a pole and cleaning pads.

The chenille cloth is of course washable, and the perfect cloth for cleaning shiny surfaces and glass as well which imparts extra value if you choose this comfortable cleaning tool.

9. Rubbermaid Reveal Cordless Battery Power Scrubber Rubbermaid Reveal Cordless Battery Power Scrubber, Gray/Red, Multi-Purpose Scrub Brush Cleaner for Grout/Tile/Bathroom/Shower/Bathtub, Water Resistant, Lightweight, Ergonomic Grip (1839685)

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Despite all the creative ways that other tools on this list bend or fold to reach around the corners of baseboards for effective cleaning, one difficulty remains. Corners! The bane of my existence since I can’t ever clean them thoroughly, so they always get the most dirt build-up – it cakes on easily there.

To save you the hassle of trying to scrub those corners ineffectively, Rubbermaid’s battery-operated power scrubber is made to reach into the nooks and crannies that escape your reach and scrub the grime away with little effort.

Because the head rotates continually or on a pulse setting to scrub away dirt, you only need to apply it to your surface with a little water or cleaning product and it puts in the elbow grease for you!

10. Swiffer Dusters Heavy Duty Extender Handle Swiffer 360 Ceiling Fan Duster with Extension Pole, Dusters for Cleaning, Starter Kit with 12 Refills

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For frequent dusting so the grime never has a chance to build up in the first place, consider the Swiffer heavy-duty duster. Its design ensures that dust is trapped in the specially coated fibers so that it won’t simply settle down to the floor when you’re done, and the lightweight extending pole makes wiping baseboards a cinch.

With weekly or bi-weekly use, baseboards will remain pristinely clean with ease and you can dust other parts of your house at the same time. The pole which extends up to 3 feet will allow effortless dusting all around the house.

Cleaning Baseboards FAQs

Will Water Damage Your Baseboards When Cleaning? 

It absolutely can. Depending on the material your baseboards are made from they may soak up water fast or slow – but leaving moisture on any baseboards for an extended period is ill-advised.

If you need to clean stubborn dirt off of your baseboards then you can dampen your cleaning pads in a bucket of warm water with a small amount of liquid dish soap and vinegar, and dry them well afterward so that no moisture can soak into the wood or paint when you’re finished. The wood will swell and deform if it is allowed to retain moisture.

How Can You Use Dryer Sheets on Baseboards?

Dryer sheets are effective in trapping dust. One clever trick is to strap a dryer sheet to the underside of your baseboard cleaner using elastic bands. The baseboard cleaning pads will last longer between washes and the dryer sheets can be thrown out when they’re used and dirty.

How Should You Clean Baseboards Before Painting them? 

It’s important to have a clean surface before painting, so there are many steps you can find here on Sherwin Williams if you plan to paint your baseboards and aren’t sure where to start. Step one is to remove any grease and dirt which can be accomplished with a number of the tools mentioned above, and a little warm water with soap and vinegar.

The soap coats molecules to easily wash them away and the vinegar dissolves mineral deposits, dirt, grease, and grime for effective cleaning.

Can You Hire Someone to Professionally Clean Your Baseboards? 

If you need a helping hand with extra dirty baseboards then any deep clean service providers will take the time to clean your baseboards safely and professionally. With their experience and knowledge, they’ll likely get your baseboards cleaner than you ever could, after which they’ll be easier to maintain with regular dusting.

Final Thoughts

For the relatively small surface area that baseboards take up in your house, it’s surprising how much of an impact they can have if they’re dirty. It’s just another part of keeping a clean home and with all these amazing tools at your disposal, it doesn’t have to be a mission.

Like me, you might need a few things – a baseboard cleaner, a Rubbermaid power scrubber for those pesky corners, and a duster to keep the baseboards looking their best. I hope you found what you need, or at least learned something from my article.