How to Clean Your Skirting Boards Properly

Like any other piece of furniture, a skirting board requires basic maintenance to prevent it from looking worn out, old, or worst of all – dirty. Whether you’ve got these made from mahogany, solid oak or any other type of material, they will all need to be cleaned regularly to ensure they continue to look great and stay in good condition.

 

Skirting Boards - Cleaning them the right way

In this guide, we are sharing a few simple steps to follow for the best way to dust and clean your skirting boards:

1. Dust your skirting boards with a cloth first
2. Use the brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner
3. Wipe down surfaces with soap and water
4. Tackle tough stains with an acidic solution like vinegar, a magic eraser sponge, bleach or polish -just for extreme dirt.
5. Wash off with clean water to remove any excess solution

 

Here's what you'll need for top skirting board cleaning

All the items you'll need for the job can be easily found around most houses or simply bought at the store. Cleaning skirting boards is quite a straight forward task.

You'll need cleaning gloves, liquid dish soap, vinegar, a bucket with lukewarm water, a sponge or a soft cloth, and a towel or drying sheets. For dusting, you could use the help of a duster, a soft bristle brush, or a vacuum with interchangeable brushes.

As you can see, you won't need chemicals or heavy-duty cleaning products, especially if it's a maintenance clean up! If necessary, you can use a multi-surface cleaner -always read the manufacturer's guidelines.

 

Dusting and vacuuming your skirting boards

Unfortunately, your skirting board will always be a dust and hair magnet, -especially if you have pets around the house- but keeping on top of this is easy, especially if you make it a part of your regular cleaning routine.

Simply use the dusting brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner to go over the boards thoroughly and get into the nooks and crannies. If you don’t have a dedicated attachment, you can use a soft brush with a bristled head instead.

Sometimes you might need a dusting cloth first:

• If your skirting is prone to high levels of dust, wiping with a dusting cloth prior to vacuuming will improve the chances of removing all the dirt.
•  Some profiles will require more attention. For example, extra attention should be paid to the curves in the Ogee and Torus.

 

The quick and easy way to clean your skirting boards

After dusting, a basic soap and water solution will easily remove any light stains caused by spills, scuffs, a build-up of dirt, or a lack of maintenance. Simply:

• Soak a cleaning cloth in warm soapy water
•  Wring out the excess water from the cloth
•  Wipe down the surface, applying pressure

As soon as the stains and dirt have been removed, you need to clean off the soap. To do this, repeat steps 1-3 using a fresh cloth and clean, soap-free water.

 

How to remove difficult stains

If a soap wash fails to remove the stains, we recommend using a more acidic solution.

Soak a cleaning cloth in some vinegar and warm water and wipe down the skirting board with this solution. The mild acidity in the vinegar breaks down tough patches of dirt, making them easier to remove.

Following this, clean with the soap mixture to prevent the vinegar smell from overpowering your house, and then wipe down with clean water.

If you want to avoid the vinegar smell altogether, use bleach or polish instead, but make sure you read the manufacturer’s guidelines to prevent any harm to your skirting board.

 

How to clean a skirting board without bending over

Bending over to reach the full length of the skirting board can be uncomfortable, annoying or just impossible if you are pregnant or suffer from back or knee's pain. Here are a few quick solutions that will make your cleaning routine much easier:

• Get an adjustable length skirting board cleaner. Most of these come with a swivel head that allows you to rotate it as you please, and a lip for reaching between the gaps. Once you've finished cleaning, just remove and wash the cloth attached to the swivel head.
• You can also make your own cleaner by simply sticking a squared or rounded object you could easily find around the house, and covering it with an old towel or soft rag. Swipe it gently across the length of the baseboard -dry first- and then soak the cleaning solution until it's moist, and repeat. 
• If you just need to remove dust but are not worried about stains, then simply use a long duster or cleaning brush.
• Having a vacuum with a long, adjustable canister and exchangeable brushes will also do the trick!

For more advice on cleaning and maintaining skirting boards, or if you have any questions, please email us at [email protected] or call us on 0800 048 0786.