De-Grime And Brighten Up Your Dirty Doors And Baseboards With One Household Staple

Baseboards and doors have a habit of getting noticeably dirty. They're magnets for dust, dirt, scuff marks, and grime, and, often, we overlook them in our normal cleaning routine. As a result, our house ends up looking a bit unkempt and grimy. It might not be noticeable right away, but after a while, you begin to see the layers of buildup and stains. And the worst part is that these two items can be quite a pain to clean. If you let the buildup get caked on for too long, it can require some heavy scrubbing or scouring. Luckily, there's one laundry staple that can help you with the task: borax.

This is a great cleaning hack to try because most people already have a box of the utilitarian powder in their laundry room. It's typically used to whiten clothes, pretreat stains, and lift tough splotches from clothes. Because it's a powerful and well-known stain treater, borax can help lift marks off doors and baseboards, too, with less effort than using soap or a multi-surface spray.

There are several reasons to use borax to clean these features in your home. First, it's a great way to give a cleaning product you likely already own an additional use, one beyond the laundry room. Second, borax is a naturally occurring mineral, so it can be a better alternative to harsh sprays or cleaners. However, there's one caveat to keep in mind here: Just because it's natural doesn't mean it's completely safe. Borax is still listed as a poison and a pesticide, so you want to be careful with it. It's known to be toxic to both cats and dogs, so if they have a habit of licking doors or baseboards, make sure to thoroughly wipe the surfaces clean with water after you scrub them with the borax mixture.

If you deem this to be safe to use in your house, creating the cleaning agent is simple. Add 1 cup of borax to a spray bottle and fill it with warm water. Shake it well to dissolve the powder, and then use it to spray it onto your doors or baseboards. Use one damp cloth to wipe away the grime, and follow it up with a clean, damp cloth to remove any leftover residue. If you have some difficult scuffs or challenging dirt, create a borax paste instead to add some abrasiveness.