I put off cleaning my baseboards for so long that the dust line on them was visible from across the room. The reason was always the same: the thought of crawling along the floor on my knees for an hour made my lower back ache in advance.

Then I found ways to do it standing up, and now it takes ten minutes.

Stand-up methods that actually work

The easiest fix is to stop treating baseboards as a separate chore and fold them into your regular floor cleaning.

• Dryer sheets: rub one along the baseboard. It picks up dust and leaves an anti-static coating that slows future buildup
• Mop with a flat head: a microfiber mop head rides right along the baseboard while you mop
• Sock on a broom: slide a damp old sock over the broom head and sweep the board in one pass

My favorite is the dryer sheet. I have no idea who figured it out, but it genuinely keeps dust from re-sticking for a couple of weeks.

What made the biggest difference

The real secret is doing it frequently but quickly. A fast once-over every time you vacuum beats an annual deep clean. Five minutes a week standing up beats an hour on your knees once a year, both for your back and for the baseboards.

If there is caked-on grime from years of neglect, wipe it down with a damp cloth and a drop of dish soap first, then maintain it with the dryer sheet trick after.