House chores are never fun no matter how old you may be. If you want to keep your house looking — and smelling — clean, you often need to get down and dirty to scrub the carpet in your living room, the tiles in your bathroom, or the linoleum in your kitchen.
Worst of all, after you have checked a task, you have to do it again in a week’s or month’s time.
Cleaning, sometimes, feels like pushing a boulder up a hill over and over again. If you do not want to spend your weekends at home vacuuming and washing various parts of your house, there is a way you can make your space easier to tidy. Here’s how:
Pay Attention to Your Floor’s Material
Flooring is the first thing in your house that will get dirty. Your everyday activities, like coming home from work or school and cooking or eating your meals, can make a once shiny surface a mess.
If you do not want to waste hours trying to remove spilled red wine or your dog’s paw tracks off, choose materials that will be easy to sweep and mop. Stained concrete is pretty much impervious to anything; you can spill hot chocolate or coffee on it and then wipe it off as if nothing has happened. Laminate vinyl tiles only require vacuuming regularly and spot treatment when needed to maintain its gorgeous finish.
Look Into Central Vacuum Systems
Vacuuming should be part of your regular (done at least once a week) chores. If you have an allergy or other respiratory problems, vacuuming will save you from inhaling pollutants and experiencing symptoms inside your own home.
However, lugging a heavy unit to and from different parts of your house can be tiring. So, why not invest in a central vacuum system?
With a central vacuum system, you only need to carry a light hose from room to room and floor to floor. The hose is attached to inlets strategically placed around the house. After that, you can vacuum as usual. The dirt and debris you collect will be deposited into a receptacle hidden in your garage or basement.
Having a central vacuum system will allow you to clean your house more efficiently. While regular vacuum cleaners expel some pollutants to the air, a central vacuum system often has more sucking power, enabling it to remove irritants from the floor, furniture, and air.
Get an HVAC that Filters the Air
Your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system (HVAC) is designed to circulate air throughout your home. If you have been sneezing and coughing nonstop while inside your home, your HVAC may be spreading allergens.
Regular filters do not do anything to catch mold spores, pet dander, smoke particles, and dust from the air. Get high-efficiency particulate air filters instead.
HEPA filters absorb 99.7% of airborne particles. Your HVAC still needs to be cleaned periodically. The filter has to be changed every couple of months or so, too. But it might just reduce the dust that accumulates on your shelves, window sills, floor, etc.
Install a Laundry Chute
If you live alone, bringing your laundry to the laundry room will not be a problem. However, if there are multiple people at home, dirty clothes collect pretty fast.
You do not have to climb down to the basement with an armful of fabrics. With a laundry chute, you, and every member of your family, can discard their dirty clothes into it with no problem. It sounds like an unnecessary feature, but it will make your life a lot easier.
Go Floor-to-Ceiling
No dust will accumulate if there is not any space in your home where it can settle. You still need cabinets and shelves, but if you make your storage options stretch from the floor all the way to the ceiling, not only will you have more room for stuff, you never have to dust the top of your cupboards and dressers ever again.
With an easy-to-clean house, you will have more time and energy to do the things that you want. Consider these tips if you are in the process of renovating or building your home.
