Cleaning Month - Wash Baseboards

Thanks to quite a few reader requests, I have added that feedburner email subscription thing to my blog - if you would like to receive new posts via email, would you take a second to subscribe, pretty please?  The box is down under followers....and it looks like this:

thank you, thank you

So today and tomorrow are wash baseboards days - you can decide how you'd like to split up the work.  I'm doing the downstairs today and the upstairs tomorrow.  Thursday is also my wash floors day, so I will do that while I am washing the baseboards to save time.

How do I clean my baseboards?  Here are a few ways that I have cleaned them in the past - these ways all work well, choose a method that works for you:

• Magic Erasers and soapy water
• rag and soapy water or Basic H2 in warm water
• Basic H2 wipes (my favorite method - it's the quickest and easiest)

I start at the top of the baseboards and scrub until they are clean (this job is easier today because we vacuumed the baseboards yesterday) - if you are using a non-toxic cleaner, have your kiddos help out with this one -  give them a wipe or wet rag to help out.  This round of baseboard washing I will be using a piece of painter's tape to mark where I need to touch up the white trim with a little white paint - that way I can work on that over the weekend.

And don't forget the daily chores:
•SWEEP FLOORS - (hardwood in the kitchen, powder room, small hallway, and entryway - this is mostly crumbs and dog hair) the kids use their dustpan, I use a broom and dustpan, but for the dog hair I LOVE using a microfiber dusting pad that can be tossed in the wash over and over.

•WIPE COUNTERS - this means the kitchen counters get wiped down after each meal every day with Basic H2 and a cotton rag. Most days all the counters get wiped down 3 times a day, some days more, and some days less. I also wipe bathroom counters as needed - about 2 or 3 times a week.

•LAUNDRY - at least one load washed/dried/folded/put away. Here's a link to a post I did about mlaundry routine if you're interested.

•CLUTTER - open mail and toss junk mail, file or pay bills, etc., make sure kids have cleaned up their toys before rest time and bed - somedays I'll choose an area to de-clutter.

I am over at The Idea Room today - it's my first Organizational Tips blog post - go and check it out (after your baseboards, of course - ha!).