How To Clean The Door To Your Home

Here are instructions for how to clean the door you use to enter into your home, including wood and aluminum doors, door glass, and the area around your exterior door, to make the space inviting for guests and your home's occupants.

The front door of your home, as well as any other exterior doors into your home, are one of the first thing that your friends and family see when they arrive at your home, so it's good to keep it clean so the first impression of your home is positive.

Fortunately, cleaning doors and around the exterior doors of your home doesn't normally take a lot of time, nor is it complicated, so this is an easy thing to do.

How Often Should You Clean Exterior Doors?

I suggest that you clean your exterior doors about once a quarter, with the change of seasons.

This is normally sufficient to keep it looking good, while also cleaning off fingerprints, as well as any dirt, pollen, or other air pollutants that accumulate on it with time, as it is exposed to the elements, and the comings and goings of your family and friends.

Note I've got this as a task during the 31 Days of Spring Cleaning, but it should also be done a few other times of the year as well.

While you're cleaning the door itself, it also makes sense to clean up the area around the door, so this article also provides tips for some of these spaces around exterior doors, as well.

Further, there are two main types of exterior doors, those made of aluminum, and those made of wood, so I've also broken down the steps for how to clean both types of doors.

Tips For Cleaning Aluminum Doors

To clean an aluminum door just remove as much dirt, dust and debris that has accumulated as possible by wiping the door down with a solution of lukewarm water, with a few drops of dish soap added in. Use a soft cloth to wipe, and change the cloth often if it gets too dirty.

To make sure you don't get dirty drip marks on the door work from the top of the door, down to the bottom.

After wiping away all the debris and dirt, you want to rinse away the soapy water residue by using a new soft clean cloth, wetted with lukewarm water.

Then, finally, use a third dry soft cloth to dry the door so no water spots form.

See, isn't that simple?

How To Clean Wood Doors

The other main type of exterior doors are those made of wood. If your wood door is painted, or has a polyurethane coating on it, you will clean it in the same way I explained to clean aluminum doors, above.

If, however, you have a raw wood door, meaning that it is not protected with a polyurethane coat, varnish or paint, then you'll need to clean the door in a different way than stated above.

In fact, raw wood doors are much more difficult to clean and maintain than the other types of doors, which is one reason they're less common.

First, for raw wood doors, use a soft cloth to remove excess dust from the door, and then to clean it use boiled linseed oil.

Linseed Oil {Referral Links}

Use a soft cloth to rub the linseed oil into the wood, going with the grain. Keep doing this, one small section of the door at a time, until the wood does not absorb more of the oil.

Make sure, as you move to a new section of the door while applying the oil that you switch to a new section of clean cloth.

How To Clean The Glass In Your Door

Many doors also have glass in them, such as on the sides of the door, or at the top.

If you've got glass in your door you'll want to clean it regularly, on both the inside and the outside, just as you do your windows, to remove fingerprints, dust, and dirt.

There's nothing different, as far as cleaning goes, between this door glass and any other glass surface in your home, so just clean it with your favorite window cleaner as normal.

One word of caution though, be careful to apply the cleaner to your cleaning cloth, not spray it onto the door though, so your window or glass cleaner doesn't harm the door's painted or polyurethaned surface.

You can use one of these homemade window cleaner recipes if you're looking for an effective one.

Other Areas Around Your Door To Also Clean

When you take the few minutes to clean your door each season, it's a nice time to also focus on cleaning up some areas around the door as well, so here's a few more to do.

Sweep Off Walkway & Porch

First, sweep your walkway, removing any debris, leaves or dirt that have accumulated.

Next, sweep off the front porch or stoop that is around your door. If necessary you may also want to take the time to declutter your porch, if there are old seasonal flowers, or seasonal decorations that need to be put away, or trashed.

How To Clean A Doormat

Finally, look down in front of the door, and if you've got a doormat make sure it gets cleaned as well.

Doormats, by design, get dirty with time because people are supposed to wipe their feet on them before entering the house.

However, if they're not periodically cleaned (I recommend about once a month), then eventually the mat will not be able to perform its function, since there will be too much dirt and debris in rough fibers of the mat to help wipe additional dirt off each person's shoes.

Plus, cleaning them improves the look of the mat itself, as well as brightens up the appearance to the entrance of the home, at the same time.

To clean doormats you've got to determine whether your mat is sturdy, and meant for outdoor and rough use, or if it's more delicate and meant for indoor or gentle use.

For outdoor sturdy welcome or doormats (which is what I recommend for a mat at the exterior of your door), you can normally clean them by moving the mat out into the driveway, or onto a sidewalk, and hosing it down on both the front and back, and then letting it dry in sun completely before you place it back by the door.

However, if you've got a more delicate mat, or one that is used indoors, to clean it shake it out regularly or remove loose dust and debris from the fibers with a shop vac.

Because of wear and tear, and exposure to the elements, with time your doormat will begin to look faded, and eventually you'll need to replace it, especially if it stays wet for too long and therefore begins to mildew or rot. To increase the lifespan of a doormat make sure to move it into the sun to dry, regularly, if it normally stays damp in the spot it normally rests by the door.

Get more tips for how to clean just about anything here, in the site's room by room guide.

Related Pages You May Enjoy

31 Days Of Spring Cleaning {Series}

5 Entryway & Mudroom Ideas To Keep It Clean & Inviting

Go From How To Clean The Door To Your Home To Home Page

There are affiliate links on this page, and if you purchase a product through them I receive a small commission. Purchasing through my links costs you nothing extra, but helps support the free information provided on this site and my family. To learn more please see my product review disclosure statement.

CAUTION: This website is provided for informational purposes only. It is provided as is, without warranties or guarantees. Some stains and messes just won't come out, and are permanent. Further, some cleaning methods can harm your item, so if what you want to clean or launder is sentimental or expensive call a professional. See disclaimer of liability for more information.