They say that doors open us up to a world of new opportunities. Well, here’s your opportunity to learn the House Work way of cleaning them! 

Doors are one of the highest touch surfaces in our homes, which means they accumulate lots of dirt, germs, and bacteria. They can also become conduits for viruses and other illnesses. And not only that, but exterior doors take a beating from the elements. Let’s not invite all of that into our homes people! 

Pro Tip: For all doors, always clean the door itself (front, back AND sides!) plus the surrounding frames and walls. Frames are dust collectors and the walls are magnets for little dirty fingerprints around the handles. Check out this article for tips on cleaning your walls without wrecking them.

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Exterior Doors

Front / Back / Side Doors:

In a perfect world, we’d love for you to vacuum (Canada) (USA) your door first with a horse hair brush (Canada) (USA) so that you aren’t making mud when you wipe your door. But we get it if you don’t want to use your good vacuum on outside dirt. A shop vac or even a quick hose down is a great alternative.

For doors with a screen door, use an aerosol duster, like Dust-Off®, and spray the screen – facing towards the outside! (you can also vacuum the screen with a horsehair brush)

Next, mix up a batch of our hot water, bleach, and powdered Tide® recipe. Bleach is optional, but it will disinfect your handles and help combat the spread of germs before they enter your home. Another great option for your handles (instead of using bleach) is Microban 24® hour sanitizing spray. Spray down your handles, wait one minute then wipe with a cloth. This is great to do in between door cleans and when anybody in the home is sick.

Grab a microfiber cloth and dunk it into the WB&T mixture and wash your doors down, including the screen door if you have one. Work your way from the top of the door down to the bottom. If you have any glass in or around the doors, polish them with either blue Dawn® dish soap + hot water using a squeegee (hello, Aquablade®! (Canada) (USA), or use Windex® and a cloth. We love carbon cloths (Canada) (USA) for polishing.

Don’t forget the areas listed below:

• Kick plate 
• Sill/threshold and door jams (including hinges) 
• Door scuffs – if you hang items on your door, such as wreaths, you may have scuffs to remove (hopefully not permanent scratches!) 

Use a cloth and water, bleach and Tide®. If you have any really stubborn scuffs, use Bar Keepers Friend® or a Magic Eraser®.

Patio Doors:

I’m willing to bet that your patio doors are filthy and smudgy as well. In addition to attracting all of the same bacteria and germs that other doors accumulate, you also have to deal with outdoor elements like moisture, humidity, and pollen. To clean these properly, start by cleaning the track. Vacuum the track first, then spray straight Mr. Clean® and use a scrub brush to scrub the dirt and build-up. Use paper towels to soak up all the dirt and remaining Mr. Clean®. 

After the tracks are clean, wash up those handles and frames around the glass with WB&T. Lastly, polish the glass windows with either blue Dawn® Dish Soap + hot water using a squeegee, or use Windex® and a cloth. For more on how to have spotless windows check out this article. It’ll give you a full breakdown of how to quickly clean your windows without leaving behind any streaks or smudges.

Garage Doors:

And then we have garage doors. These certainly aren’t as easy to clean but they need attention too! The best (and quickest) way is to grab a pressure washer (Canada) (USA) and hose them down. This will make a huge difference and greatly improve your curb appeal. In fact, having clean, updated garage doors is one of the first things homebuyers notice on homes that have street-facing garage doors.

And finally, while cleaning your exterior doors, take the time to tidy up the mess around them. Exterior doors make the first impression of your home to visitors! So organize all the shoes and boots, arrange and make room in closets and check your doormat. Doormats can be spray washed and hung to dry, or just shaken / swept off. 

For more amazing tips and tricks search our blog! We have many areas of the home covered there and new articles posted often, so bookmark the page and check back regularly! Grab a copy of our best seller, House Work Cleaning Guide here.

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– Denise @ GoCleanCo