How To Create An Easier-To-Clean Home

It’s not easy to keep a clean house. Especially if you have pets or children, you will know just how messy a home can get. As such, the majority of your time at home might be spent on doing the housework, which is hardly ideal when all you want to do is put your feet up and relax! 

Fortunately, it is possible to make your home easier to clean. With a few simple design choices, you can keep your home in tip-top condition with very little effort. Keep reading to learn more and then make the appropriate changes if you will benefit from the ideas we have suggested.

#1: Re-think your flooring

Thanks to drink spills, pet hairs, and muddy footprints, our floors can be very difficult to clean. Well, unless we have easy-to-clean flooring that is. 

If you have wall-to-wall carpets, you are going to have to do a deep clean once in a while to get rid of all the grime that is underneath your feet. 

But if you have hardwood flooring in your living room and low-maintenance tiled flooring (such as porcelain) in your kitchen and bathroom, cleaning up will be a doddle as dirt, spills, and hair can quickly be cleaned away. Stained concrete with a protective sealer is another good option when you’re looking at more durable flooring.

If you prefer to have carpeted flooring in your home, consider limiting it to your bedroom, as this is one room of your home that should attract less dirt. If you would like something soft underfoot in your living room, lay a few rugs down or use carpet tiles that can be lifted up and washed in the sink if they get mucky. 

Commit to further research to find out which type of flooring is easier to clean and then look online for the flooring designs that suit your home. You might want to buy Tile & Bath Co floor tiles for your kitchen or bathroom, for example, but remember to check on each material’s durability before buying. 

#2: Choose elevated furniture

You will understand why we are recommending elevated furniture if you regularly have to lift up your sofas or pull your cabinets away from the walls to clean beneath them. 

It can be a real hassle if you need to move your furnishings to clean, especially if they are particularly heavy,  but if you have furniture that is elevated on legs, you can easily vacuum beneath them without any heavy lifting. In the case of your sofa, there is also less chance of it attracting pet fur if you have cats and dogs that regularly like to brush up against your seating. 

#3: Opt for durable sofas

Some sofas are harder to clean than others so when shopping for something new to sit on, consider those fabrics that are durable and low-maintenance. 

Leather could be a good choice, for example, especially if you regularly have to deal with drink spills as any accidents can be quickly cleaned away with a quick wipe. Pet hair shouldn’t be a problem either so this is something to consider if you have cats or dogs living in your house.

Other fabric options include microfibre, polyester, and linen, as these are also recommended to people wanting easier-to-clean furniture in their homes. But if you aren’t ready to give up your old sofa just yet and if it is difficult to keep it clean, cover it with a throw or use slipcovers, as these can be lifted off and cleaned if any unfortunate spills take place. 

#4: Skip open shelving

You need a place for all of your knick-knacks and family photos but you don’t necessarily need to display them on open shelving. While this option can be a good design choice if you’re looking to add style to your walls, you will need to get the feather duster out more often. 

Instead, you could safely position your treasured items within glass cabinets. If you choose this option, you cut could down your cleaning time as the shelves and items inside the cabinet wouldn’t gather up any dust. 

Your items would be better protected too, as your cat or clumsy house guests wouldn’t be able to knock them onto the floor and cause breakages. 

#5: Incorporate more storage into your living spaces

If you have a lot of ‘stuff’ in your home, you’re going to have a hard time keeping it all contained if you don’t have a lot of storage space. Certain items might end up in the corner of a room where they have been pushed out of the way or you might have to stack things on top of tables and other surfaces where they might look unsightly. 

But if you incorporate more storage into those rooms that tend to get cluttered, you will have a cleaner living space and fewer items to dust and polish. If space is an issue, you could use double-duty furniture, such as tables that come with drawers attached or Ottoman seating that can be used to both sit on and hide away magazines, blankets, etc. 

Check out these storage ideas if you need some inspiration. 

#6: Choose the right paint finish

If you have children who love nothing more than turning your walls into their own art gallery, you might want to avoid a matte paint finish. The same applies if you regularly find your children’s fingerprints on your walls. To make your life easier, it’s wise to use glossier paint finishes as any marks can easily be washed away.

This guide on paint finishes will let you know what to choose and what to avoid if your walls regularly do get dirty so have a read and then look online for the colour choices that are right for your home. 

Finally

These are just a few suggestions on ways to create an easier-to-clean home. Consider them if the majority of your time is spent doing the housework as you may be able to relax and put your feet up more often if you use one or more of our ideas.