Let’s face it. Housecleaning probably isn’t high on your list of favorite things to do, and it’s hard to find time to get it done. You love a fresh, clean home, but keeping it that way can be challenging. To make it easier to keep your house clean and organized, try redecorating to reduce clutter, add organization and make it easier to maintain.
Make a Plan
To think that you can tackle redecorating your home in a day or two is probably too optimistic. Instead, it’s better to start by realistically assessing your home’s current condition, getting some inspiration from decorating magazines and websites and making a plan for what you want to accomplish.
To start, look at each room and note what will go and what will stay. For example, if it’s hard to dust shelves filled with knick-knacks, books and picture frames, make a plan to solve the problem. Keep a few of the best pictures to hang on the wall, put the books away in a book case and clear shelves for just a few items. Or, if you can’t easily clean your windows or window treatments because of their height or position in the room, make sure to remove any obstacles. You may want to rearrange your furniture so it doesn’t block the windows, or you may need to replace those heavy drapes with lighter shades or blinds.
Declutter Each Room
An essential step in redecorating is decluttering. When you find some time to declutter your house, a first pass should be a fast run through to pull obvious candidates for tossing in the trash, to recycle or to donate. Then, you can more easily see what else you can eliminate or organize on a deeper level.
Interior designer Myra Hoeffer likes to use furniture that doubles as storage to cut down on the number of items in a room. Trunks can double as coffee tables or seating as well as storage areas in order to minimize the amount of items needing cleaning. You can get things off the floor or crowded shelves by displaying them on the wall for an interesting focal point, even if they are not your typical interior décor. Think tennis rackets, skis or even bicycles. Consider adding door racks in pantries and bathrooms to better organize loose items in those areas.
Find New Materials
Houzz recommends starting with the floor when you want to redecorate for easier cleaning. Consider stained concrete, laminate flooring or luxury vinyl tile because they are easy to sweep and mop. Carpet tiles also can be easier to maintain than wall-to-wall carpeting or large area rugs because they can be moved or replaced.
After your flooring, consider your walls and furniture. Paints like Benjamin Moore’s Aura or vinyl wall coverings can be washed, which makes them more manageable. Also, faux leather and removable, washable slipcovers are preferable to cloth furniture like suede. Finally, add locking casters to your tables and chairs to make it easier to sweep, mop and vacuum by just rolling them out of the way and then back into place.