The Secret to Cleaning Your Baseboards Is This Laundry-Room Staple

Ashley Abramson
Ashley Abramson
Ashley Abramson is a writer-mom hybrid in Minneapolis, MN. Her work, mostly focused on health, psychology, and parenting, has been featured in the Washington Post, New York Times, Allure, and more. She lives in the Minneapolis suburbs with her husband and two young sons.
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published Jan 3, 2023
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Credit: Ellie Arciaga Lillstrom

Some of the best general household tools aren’t under your kitchen sink or in your pantry — they’re in your laundry room. You can use laundry detergent to disinfect and clean your kitchen, stain remover on your furniture, and dryer sheets to clean a burnt pan. Recently, we stumbled across another laundry-room staple that we’ve been underestimating: fabric softener.

According to TikToker @momthatlovestoclean, fabric softener is the secret to cleaning your baseboards. According to her video, not only does fabric softener help remove stubborn dirt, but it also prevents baseboards from attracting pesky dust, debris, and even pet hair. The upshot? You may find you need to clean them less frequently and, if you use scented fabric softener, your space will also smell heavenly!

Clean Your Baseboards with Fabric Softener

The hack is easy to try: You’ll need a dish wand and fabric softener. Remove the cap on the wand, then fill it with half tap water. Then, fill it up the rest of the way with fabric softener (sometimes called fabric conditioner when it’s sold in liquid form). In the video, the creator uses Gain Fabric Softener, but you can use your favorite softener, as long as it’s liquid. 

Then just put the mixture to work cleaning your baseboards, trim, and molding in your kitchen and throughout your home! It could also be a game-changer for your ceiling fans, which are especially prone to accumulating dust, according to one commenter. Another comment says the fabric softener solution may also help prevent ants from hanging out in your space in warmer months — worth a try!

No matter what you end up cleaning, be sure to wipe off the excess with a damp microfiber cloth so it won’t get sticky. Another heads up: If you’re planning on painting your trim or baseboards anytime soon, then you may want to skip this method. One commenter noted the anti-static properties of the fabric softener can also repel paint.

Let us know if you try the hack in the comments, and if you find any new uses for the solution! 

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