How Do You Deep Clean Hydronic Baseboard Heat Covers?
Hydronic baseboard heat covers and heating systems are simple. Water or other liquids are circulated through copper pipes located along baseboards to spread water-based heat throughout the home.
Hydronic systems rely on convection to generate heat. Instead of conducting or radiating, hydronic warms the baseboard fins to create heated air that rides along a room’s natural air currents. This creates efficient, sustainable heating for a room.
We’ve all heard the adage that “hot air rises and cold air settles.” That’s the foundation of the physics of hydronic baseboard heat systems. Cool air on the floor flows under the baseboard cover and rises as it is warmed by the pipe and fins.
An important fact to keep in mind is that the baseboard unit has no blower to push air. Warm air simply attaches to a room’s natural currents. Which is one of the reasons we advocate against using baseboard heat covers that point toward the center of a room. That style of baseboard cover is designed on an incorrect assumption about how heat works and is much less efficient than a cover that allows heat to rise unobstructed.
Because a room’s air is being pulled up through the fins, those fins can trap airborne dust and allergens. The good news is that having no blower inhibits the release of dust in a room, but the not-so-good news is that the fins and the area around them can become dusty.
How Often Should You Clean Baseboard Heat Covers?
It’s important to keep the fins regularly vacuumed to ensure you’re getting rid of environmental allergens. We recommend cleaning the fins with the same type of brush vacuum attachment you would use to clean window blinds. For best control of allergens and dust, we recommend cleaning beneath the covers as often as you clean your floors. And we’ve designed the covers to snap off and on easily to make them easier to clean more often. Simply run the brush attachment through the fins pulling toward you. When done with the fins, thoroughly vacuum the floor underneath right up to the wall.
Cover Luxe baseboard heat covers were designed to allow for regular cleaning of both the cover and the fins. Snap the cover off the brackets and wipe with a damp cloth or rinse in the shower if needed. Then snap right back into place. Repeat every time you vacuum your home.
Be careful to never use solvents, chemicals, or bleach on your Cover Luxe baseboard heat covers. Only use a small amount of dish soap or just tap water. Discoloration due to use of chemicals voids the warranty.
We also recommend regularly snapping off and wiping baseboard covers that are located next to toilets that have a lot of splashing. If the covers are wiped with water and a drop of dish soap or rinsed in the shower regularly, they won’t stain or develop a smell like traditional covers that typically aren’t removed for cleaning.