Being at floor level, it doesn't take many years before baseboard heaters get dinged up and looking shabby. One way to keep them from looking bad is to repaint them every couple of years. To paint baseboard heaters, you'll want to remove the exposed pieces that are colored (how you do this is dependent on your particular heater). You can paint them in place, but I think you get better results if you take them off, that way you don't lock them into place with paint. Once they are off, sand the surface lightly with 150 grit sandpaper so that the paint will stick better. Wipe up the sawdust with a tack cloth. And then paint them with a latex paint.

This is a good job for the summer since the baseboard heaters are not in use and it's warm out so it's easier to paint. If you do this every couple of years, it'll keep your baseboard heaters looking new.