How to Design and Maintain a Clean House

Tips and tricks for designing, decorating and maintaining a clean house effortlessly.

A friend mentioned today that she would be terrified to let her boys run around our house because it’s so white. I asked “Why not?” Our girls certainly do. They run their dirty fingers on the walls and run out onto the black asphalt drive without shoes just like any other kid.

Our house is not a museum, it’s a home. In fact, that’s why our end tables are so limited in decor and our home is not over styled. Some of it’s preference, but it also comes out of practicality.

Anyways, I returned home to a reader’s comment asking if I have staff that cares for our home. I WISH! Wouldn’t that be amazing? I will admit, we do have someone who regularly comes to our home and cleans {so you should totally come visit that evening, okay?}, but a staff? No.

There are some misconceptions about a white house. It’s not any cleaner if you just can’t see it. That’s my philosophy! Having a “white” house allows you to see the dirt so you can address it and enjoy a clean house!

Here are my tricks on how to design and maintain a clean house {for anyone who is trying to convince their husband for a white sofa}:

Select Furniture that is Easy to Clean:

• Slipcovered Furniture. We have had our sofas and dining room chairs for 7 years and have only cleaned the love seat once due to the treatment Restoration Hardware puts on their linen furniture. They can be washed or dry cleaned which puts my mind at ease. Wine, soda, mac and cheese, sidewalk chalk, you name it, has wiped clean with water. We have had a lot of success at the lake cottage in 2.5 year of use with IKEA slipcovered furniture as well! Red wine washed right out. Don’t ask who spilled it.
• Leather Furniture easily wipes clean.

Choose Flooring Wisely:

• Wood Floors are easy to clean and often hide the dirt.
• Incorporate Indoor Outdoor Rugs – especially when using light colors. They’re easy to clean. Frequent vacuuming keeps dirt from embedding. They almost always wipe clean with a wet cloth, but can be deep cleaned with a hose! You can see how we used them in for our basement stairs, living room, family room, breakfast room (rug was previously in guest bedroom) and in the lake cottage kitchen and entry! They’re very pet friendly! 
• A little maintenance goes a long way. I use this vacuum for touch ups on both the floors and sofas.
• Selecting carpet with durable fibers allows you to easily eliminate stains. You can read about our carpet flooring at the lake cottage here.

Don’t allow dirt to enter the home. You may be laughing, but the best way to maintain a clean home is to keep the dirt out.

• Brick Flooring actually collects the dirt so that it doesn’t enter the main living space. They’re suitable for the entryway and mudroom.
• Keep a basket or boot tray by the entry to collect shoes so they don’t track in dirt.
• Use doormats both inside and outside of a door.

Paint Sheen Matters:

Use eggshell or higher paint sheen so that it can somewhat wipe clean. The higher the sheen, the easier to clean.

Use Pillow Covers:

Some items need to be cleaned more than others – like throw pillows! Rather than purchasing an ensemble, purchase pillow covers and inserts so they can be washed, rather than eliminated when soiled.

Avoid Stainless Steel:

You may have noticed our kitchen remodel almost entirely eliminated stainless steel – that’s because I can’t take the fingerprints. Our dishwasher and refrigerator are covered with easy to wipe clean panels and we purchased an oven without windows (which I’ve also found to be a challenge).

Minimize Dust:

• Utilize cabinets to the ceiling to eliminate a common dust trap that circulates your home.
• Add doors to a hutch.

I hope you enjoyed these tips for a clean house – I’d love to hear yours!