# Washing baseboard heaters **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 1, 2012, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-baseboard-heaters/639615 "2012-11-01T21:32:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-baseboard-heaters/639615/1 "2012-11-01T21:32:20Z")
I need to do a _serious_ cleaning of some baseboard heaters, thanks to my darling cat’s decision to pee all over them and the carpet underneath. I can take the thing apart and vacuum it, but is there anything at all I can to do actually _wash_ the insides and get the smell out? I’m ripping out the carpet tonight because I can’t stand it any longer - we’ve got a guy coming to put in vinyl tile in a couple of weeks but I can’t live that long with the stink. I’d rather deal with icky subfloor (which I’ll also need to clean, probably replace) than deal with this smell any longer. Cat pee is bad. Heated cat pee? Fucking toxic. Please help! ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-baseboard-heaters/639615/2 "2012-11-02T18:56:09Z")
Umm…eeewww! I would probably replace it. I don’t think you will ever really get the smell out. You could try to mask it by spilling some essential oil in there (my I recommend lemon and rosemary, good at masking cat urine…) ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-baseboard-heaters/639615/3 "2012-11-02T19:46:58Z")
> [@perfectparanoia](#): > > I would probably replace it. I don’t think you will ever really get the smell out. I guess that’s an option. I wonder how much that would cost, and who I would get to install a new one. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-baseboard-heaters/639615/4 "2012-11-02T19:56:40Z")
Add this as one more reason why I don’t own pets. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-baseboard-heaters/639615/5 "2012-11-02T21:10:00Z")
I don’t know if I’m spelling it right Hydrocyde extreme It’s like $80/gallon I’ve heard it gets out everything You’ll have to look for it online or at professional cleaning supplies ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2012, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-baseboard-heaters/639615/6 "2012-11-03T09:12:19Z")
Baseboard heaters as in Water, Gas, or Electric? (or wood if your really old school) Get a tech to disassemble and clean it. they can be cleaned to new…but not knowing the heating apparatus, I can’t say just unplug it and wash it off with a hose. Got a Pic? (Extra Strength All Purpose Cleaner) ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2012, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-baseboard-heaters/639615/7 "2012-11-03T13:10:08Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Add this as one more reason why I don’t own pets. We’re really just glad you could get this off your shoulders. P.S. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-baseboard-heaters/639615/8 "2012-11-05T15:39:22Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > I guess that’s an option. I wonder how much that would cost, and who I would get to install a new one. If it is an electric baseboard heater and you can install a light fixture, you can probably install it yourself. The cost is directly proportional to how big it is. For my tiny two-footer in my bathroom, it cost 25 dollars. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-baseboard-heaters/639615/9 "2012-11-05T17:01:55Z")
> [@perfectparanoia](#): > > If it is an electric baseboard heater and you can install a light fixture, you can probably install it yourself. > > The cost is directly proportional to how big it is. For my tiny two-footer in my bathroom, it cost 25 dollars. It’s a hydronic (hot water) system). ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-baseboard-heaters/639615/10 "2012-11-05T17:47:45Z")
You can slide a basin underneath section by section and just pour or spray water over it. Baseboard is just copper tube with aluminum fins, Maybe a shallow plastic tray lined with towels, then get a pump sprayer for $10 at home depot, and douse the fins and back liner with Nature’s Miracle, or soapy water. Rinse, repeat, and hope. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-baseboard-heaters/639615/11 "2012-11-05T17:56:30Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > You can slide a basin underneath section by section and just pour or spray water over it. Baseboard is just copper tube with aluminum fins, > > Maybe a shallow plastic tray lined with towels, then get a pump sprayer for $10 at home depot, and douse the fins and back liner with Nature’s Miracle, or soapy water. Rinse, repeat, and hope. That’s a great idea! I’ll give that a shot as soon as we get the carpets out - it’ll give me a little more room to work with. ---
**Author:** ![indyvet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b77776/32.png) [@indyvet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/indyvet)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-baseboard-heaters/639615/12 "2012-11-05T19:20:46Z")
Most big box stores carry a cleaning agent specifically for heating/cooling systems with fins. It is called “Coil Cleaner.” Preferably you’ll want it in an aerosol can. You can also apply it with a deck sprayer, or air pump/garden sprayer. Get the fins wet with water first, spray the coil cleaner on the wet fins, let it foam. Wait about 10 minutes and rinse it with a spray bottle of cool tap water. In addition to mitigating the smell, it will clean your fins really well, and improve the performance of the unit. You will be surprised how much lint, hair, and dust you remove in addition to the cat urine. With this method, I echo the recommendation upthread about positioning a catch basin underneath. You’ll also want to wear rubber chemical gloves (or playtex gloves) The agent is somewhat caustic. I’ve used it barehanded before, and there was some moderate skin irritation involved. Best of luck to you. We love our pets, but sometimes they do create work… ETA: Also wear safety glasses. You don’t want that stuff getting in your eyes. ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-baseboard-heaters/639615/13 "2012-11-06T23:06:30Z")
I used to work for a major hydronic baseboard manufacturer so I messaged my friend and she asked the product manager and this response came from him (and they both say they’re not responsible if your baseboard blows up. :D) "One - Simple Green. Put cardboard under the fins and spray them down with the Simple Green. Let it run off. If she needs to gettin between, she’ll need a bunch of pipe cleaners or some type of soft absorbent material like that. Two - Summer’s Eve. Same deal. Squirt it on and let it run off. It may need to be repeated depending on how potent the urine is. You can cycle the heat to “burn off” and excess cleaners."