15 Strategies to Design an Easy-Clean Home
Within my never-ending search to find more time to relax, put up my feet and enjoy a glass of wine and a good book, I’m writing today about designing your home in a manner that helps to minimize your cleaning period. I’ve already written ideabooks on designing an easy-clean kitchen and designing an easy-clean toilet. But this time I’d love to apply these principles to the home generally.
Whether you are considering a remodel or designing your dream home as a new structure, your options in design, finishes and furnishings will all impact the amount of time you spend cleaning. So sit down, put your feet up and pour yourself a glass of wine. But before you pick up that book, read the tips below and find out if some of these can do the job for your home.
Cornerstone Architects
1. Start with the flooring. This is actually the thing which gets dirty the speediest. My initial choice is stained concrete with a protective sealer. Minimal seams and a nonporous seal make it a snap to mop or sweep and pretty much impervious to whatever that may trickle. Other great flooring options are laminate or luxury vinyl tile in a wood-look plank. Hardwood floors are easy to sweep and mop too.
A good dust mop and sponge mop are all you need for each of the above, but with the hardwood, you can not put off cleaning up any splash or splatter. If you must have wall-to-wall carpet, consider limiting that to bedrooms, where you’ll tend to go barefoot.
Supon Phornirunlit / Naked Decor
2. Consider carpet tiles rather than wall-to-wall carpet or large area rugs. They come in a vast array of textures. Flor has some good options with a milder and deeper pile than what we traditionally think about carpet tiles as having. They are just as easy to vacuum like any other area carpet, but here is the coolest thing: If a tile has a really bad spill on it, you can take up that 1 tile and literally wash it from the sink. Once it’s dry you place it right back down. Easy peasy.
Divine Design+Build
3. Put in a central vacuum system with sweep inlets. No more repeated occasions bending over and trying to sweep the final bit into a dustpan. Your sweeping and vacuuming may go so much faster.
Mary Prince Photography
4. Treat your walls . Your walls ought to be easy to clean too, especially if you have children or pets. I will never forget walking into a home to find that the clients’ 3-year-old daughter had coloured on every wall between her bedroom and the living area. Fortunately that happened before we painted, however, it cemented their choice to use Benjamin Moore’s Aura paint to the”scrubability.” Is that a phrase? I think it is if you have children who colour on the walls. Bottom line is that if you select excellent-quality paint and the right end for high-traffic locations, you’ll have an easier time cleaning the walls without fear of carrying the paint off. This Gorgeous room is painted in a Benjamin Moore Aura paint in the Affinity Color Collection, Constellation AF-540.
Urban Wallcovering
Elitis Azzuro – $229
5. Rethink wall coverings. Do you adore wall coverings but think they’ll be tough to clean? Then contemplate vinyl wall coverings. These have improved so much over the last several years that today you are able to find options which mimic silk, grass cloth, linen and more. They are easily wiped down, and they are affordable.
Charlie & Co.. Design, Ltd
6. Choose upholstery materials which are durable, stain resistant and easy to clean. Leather upholstery is a popular for people with children because it’s easy to wipe off. I would steer clear of ivory or white leather if you’re choosing it for ease of cleaning, because things like red Kool-Aid, red wine and yellow mustard can stain the leather. A better choice would be charcoal gray, black, ivory, brandy or chocolate colours.
Dayna Katlin Interiors
7. Consider upholstery options outside leather. These gorgeous and sophisticated dining chairs use faux leather (yes, that’s an upscale manner of stating vinyl) in their seats. Vinyl upholstery has come a long way in the very plastic-looking black or white we are all used to. Good-quality designer brands have options that really, really look like leather. And should the leather look isn’t for you, they’ve stripes that mimic cloth very convincingly.
8. Do not forget cloth. Choose contract-grade fabrics which have been treated to be stain repellant. I’m having some brightly colored dining chairs made and have chosen a luscious Kravet textured velvet that’s treated with a stain repellent. Water runs directly from it so well that it is almost tough to get it wet. And I’ve selected a deep garnet colour, so it does not show every tiny smudge. Good-quality fabrics are worth their extra cost.
Comfort Works Custom Slipcovers
9. Send from the slipcovers. They’re another good pick for easy-clean upholstery should you make sure they are machine washable. If you’re having custom slipcovers created, make sure you select machine-washable cloth and to get it cleaned before they are sewn.
Philpotts Interiors
10. Set your furniture on the transfer with casters. This is 1 way to speed up sweeping, mopping and vacuuming, especially in dining areas. Only roll the table from the way for a wide-open space to clean. Ensure those casters will be the locking kind so the table does not roll away while you’re looking for a meal.
S.A.N Design Group, Inc..
11. Plan your storage attentively. Make use of every nook and cranny. I could do several ideabooks only on the topic of storage alone. But these two basic guidelines can allow you to plan storage that makes it possible to tidy up in a hurry.
Put storage near the place where the items to be stored are actually used. This window seat storage is useful for holding extra lap blankets to the sofa. If that is a family room, toys or games might go in here. This would be far nearer than a hall cupboard halfway across the home. Locate your most often used storage where it is easy to reach. Although cabinets or closets that run all the way to the ceiling do make use of space, if you need to haul a step stool out to put away things, it is going to slow you down. Save those large cabinets for items rarely used.
Jamie McNeilis, Accredited Staging Professional
12. Choose furniture with storage. While built-in storage is wonderful, do not neglect to think about storage when choosing your furnishings. Storage ottomans supply you with a quick place for stashing magazines, toys or throw blankets.
Kristi Spouse Interiors
13. Locate your laundry room where it will be most suitable. Placement in a garage or basement is common but normally not very suitable. Where is the ideal laundry place? Mine would be right next to my master bedroom suite. Because I dress beside my cupboard, it might be convenient for me to toss clothes straight into a nearby washer. Pulling clothes out of the drier and being only a few steps away from placing them back into my cupboard would be paradise. And it’s only me and my husband, so I do not need to take laundry to other rooms.
But that situation isn’t for everyone. Many people today prefer the laundry room to be near — or even inside — the kitchen so that they can run loads while doing other chores in the kitchen and keeping an eye on children. Just consider it very closely. What location would help save time and measures?
Henderer Design + Build
14. Make it easy to find the laundry to the laundry room. Laundry chutes are low technology but need careful planning to locate them nicely. Bathrooms or bedrooms near bedrooms are equally great places, making it easy for everybody in the family to send dirty clothes straight to the laundry room.
Colleen Brett
15. Think about reducing the entire size of your home. If you’re intending to build or buy a new home, really think of how much space you want. If you maximize the functionality of your home, you may not need nearly as much space as you think. It is just simple logistics that the bigger your home is, the longer it takes to clean. If you’re not moving to a new residence, then just reducing the amount of stuff you have in your home will also assist. Wherever it makes sense, declutter, purge and divest yourself of things which take up your energy and time to look after.
Bonus tip: This photo shows my favorite tip to decrease cleanup time. I love this sign reminding everybody to pitch in and assist.
I know my readers, and I bet you will all have added great tips on designing a home that’s a snap to clean. I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
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