Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CleanMyWay #TeamSponge #CollectiveBias
A few weeks ago, I moved my family into a new home! It has a big, open kitchen, an extra living area for my children to have a play room, and a spacious backyard. After spending the last year in an apartment, we are so excited to have a comfortable home to settle in to.
There was only one drawback to the new place… it was pretty dirty when we moved in. The baseboards had a year’s worth of dust and dirt on them, and there was food, grease, and/or dirt on every wall in the house.
Although cleaning while moving is a little frustrating, I was determined to get the house cleaned, and get my things moved in during one weekend (I am an eternal optimist, after all). I decided to whip up a batch of my non-toxic homemade wall cleaner, and, since I am #TeamSponge, I grabbed about a hundred Scotch-Brite® Non-Scratch Scrub Sponges, and got to scrubbing! Along the way, I discovered the easiest way to clean walls and baseboards.
Make sure you save some money when you pick up your Scotch-Brite™ items! 
(Okay, so I didn’t really grab a hundred sponges, but I definitely got at least a baker’s dozen!)
Table of Contents
How to Make a Homemade Wall Cleaner
Ingredients
- 1 cup hot water
- 3 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp Borax
- A clean spray bottle
Add all ingredients to a spray bottle, and shake vigorously to mix.
The Easiest Way to Clean Walls and Baseboards
Apply homemade wall cleaner to wall, and use a Scotch-Brite® Non-Scratch Scrub Sponge to gently scrub away at tough food, grease and dirt spots on the wall. If there is a spot that is a little more challenging, try using Scotch-Brite® Heavy Duty Scrub Sponge for a more vigorous scrub.
Use the Right Sponge for the Job
To make it easy to distinguish between the heavy duty and the non-scratch, Scotch-Brite™ color-coded their sponges for us!
- Green is Heavy Duty – Scotch-Brite® Heavy Duty Scrub Sponge is great for cleaning tough messes faster, whether it’s in the kitchen, garage or outdoors. They’re great for pots, pans and oven racks. You can even use them on grill grates and other tough jobs!
- Blue is Non-Scratch – Scotch-Brite® Non-Scratch Scrub Sponge is great for more delicate surfaces that you don’t want scratched, like non-stick cookware, counter tops and walls.
After I mastered the easiest way to clean walls and baseboards, I was able to get my house cleaned, and move in my things! I actually did accomplish *most* of it that one weekend, thanks to my homemade wall cleaner and Scotch-Brite™ sponges!
I picked up my supplies at Smith’s grocery store, which is thankfully, just down the street from my new home 🙂 The sponges were in the cleaning section:
Do you prefer sponges or cloths when you clean? Share if you’re #TeamCloth or #TeamSponge in the comments below!
This is my first time commenting on anything…ever.
I’ve been scrubbing my walls and baseboards with hot water 💦, Dawn (it’s good enough for ducks, right?!?! 🤷♀️), and a sponge. It works fine enough, but I needed something for tougher jobs.
I tried this concoction, and W-O-W! It is AMAZING! You hardly even need to add any elbow grease because the dirt just rolls right off! I even made my hubby watch the show! I am sold!
Amazon doesn’t thank you because I was about to buy some gadget for baseboard cleaning 😂, but I thank you — from the bottom of my heart! ❤️ I can’t wait to get cleaning!
The easiest way I found to wash baseboards is with a tack cloth (very sticky for those who never used it) to remove anything that can come off that way then go back with a rag, hot water (to the touch), & Dawn dish soap. Far easier than sponges. If I’m being particularly lazy: Dollar Tree mop with extra heads so I don’t have to bend or stretch. lol
I agree with the cleaning of the baseboards, which I do normally but with a cloth. I will have to try your baking soda recipe. Thank you for the info.
Definitely trying this solution since I already have everything on hand to make it.
Such good and practical tips! Thanks for sharing – we just built a new home but one day I’ll need these tips and I love them!
Congrats on your new home! I just don’t understand people who leave a home dirty when they move out – seriously! I’d be embarrassed to do that to someone.
I’m a big fan of Scotch Brite products and always use their sponges in my kitchen and home, too.
The house we bought & moved into needed to be professionally cleaned by the real estate agency. I should have had them do it. Some people are piggish.
Is this safe for colored walls?
Hi Sarah,
It should be fine – but just to make sure, test a small spot before using it on all of your walls.
Do you have to rinse the walls after? I will be painting them soon after
Hi Debbie,
I would just wipe them down with a wet cloth and it should be fine!
Any good “recipes” for cleaning ceramic tile flooring? ?
I use oxygen bleach, not chlorine bleach. Like oxyclean or kaboom. The oxy – cleans the grout beautifully! Hands and knees with a toothbrush or the blue sponge!
Does it work well in the kitchen where there is old grease spots from cooking?
For walls I use a cloth, but for scrubbing I also use the green Scotch Brute. This works Great on our walls. Thanks a ton!
Your blog says to use “baking powder” but you meant baking SODA right?
Yikes – yes I did! Thanks for pointing that out, I’ve updated my recipe.
I must admit, I’m far from a domestic goddess so the tips and tricks you’ve given me here are really helpful, thank you 🙂
I’m #TeamSponge, too. How in the world did the previous people live like that? Every time the military moves us, I wonder how people live in such dirt and then leave it for someone else! I’d be happy to move into your house after you, Andrea! 🙂
The are great tips on how to clean your walls and baseboards without the use of expensive chemicals! I haven’t done mine yet…I need to.
I love these cleaning pads. This is great information for how to clean baseboards.
This reminds me I need to do this asap. Thanks for the tips, looks like I will get this not so fun job done in a flash this time.
These are great tips! I have to do this before we head on vacation and it is such a dreaded chore.
This will definitely make cleaning easier for me. I love the idea! Thanks for the tips and tricks, it is much appreciated.
I love the Scotch Brite sponges. They do some amazing work on so many different things in my house from dishes to cleaning and even working in the garage.
What a difference it makes when the walls and baseboards are clean! I love using the Dobie scrubbers! They are my favorite!
Am also using Scotchbrite sponge with the rough side for many years. And yeah very reliable cleaner tool 🙂
We will be cleaning our walls soon and I would need new sponges too. Scotch Brite will always be our go-to choice for cleaning sponges. I would just want to know if it is really baking powder or baking soda that I should use to make the cleaning solution?
I know a lot of people who like to buy cheap “scrubbies” at the dollar store. However, I’m a firm believer in the name brand scrubbers. They last longer and simply work better! Thank you for sharing.
Scotch Brite is a great brand. I love their products. I have four children so my walls and baseboards always need to be cleaned. These are great tips!
Great post! I can totally see the difference before and after. It makes me happy to see clean walls. I’m going to check it out.
I will definitely try Scotch-Brite® Non-Scratch Scrub Sponge. I am planning to clean walls at this weekend, i hope this product will make my job easy.
Wow! This seems so easy! We always just pick up those magic erasers, but this would save money in the long run for sure. I’ve used baking soda in homemade cleaning products and things before – not sure why I didn’t think of this 🙂 TY for putting the idea into my head!
Thank you so much for this! My walls do need a good cleaning. I am going to try this out.
Thanks for reminding me that I need to do mine. They are filthy 🙂