The style of your home is important, but no homeowner wants to spend their free time cleaning. It’s yucky, time-consuming, and boring. You’d much rather sit on the sofa and binge a Netflix series or go out for drinks with friends. Alas, your Saturday has been reduced to donning rubber gloves and scrubbing the oven until it sparkles. If only there were a way to avoid this nasty business so you didn’t have to bother. Wouldn’t that be amazing? It would, and it’s possible as long as the home is low-maintenance. Houses don’t seem demanding as they never nag or complain, but they require plenty of attention.
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Here’s how to make them less needy.
Durable Materials
One of the reasons homes take up so much of your time is erosion. The materials in the house are weak and degrade over time. As a result, you have to work twice as hard to maintain the appearance of perfection. There is a simple solution here, and it’s to replace them with longer-lasting supplies. Think about the roof and how many times it has leaked. Wouldn’t it be simpler to hire a metal shingle installer to plug the gaps? After all, aluminum doesn’t corrode as much and doesn’t need cleaning often either. Inside the home, think tiles and stones as opposed to wood.
Less Ornate Lighting
Let there be light is a phrase you’ll see in almost every interior design post nowadays. Using light as a means to decorate is a neat trick which is effective. So, out there, dramatic fixtures might appear in your home. From a maintenance perspective, they are a nightmare because they collect dust, dirt, and grime. The surface area is too great and requires plenty of cleaning. Recessed lighting is a cool trick as there are fewer nooks and crannies. Plus, spotlighting, for example, is easy to control so you can add to the style.
Wipe Down Surfaces
Dust isn’t the only problem; leftover food on hard surfaces is an issue too. Picture the scene. You’re making dinner and there are crumbs everywhere. Not only that, but the pasta sauce is bubbling and spitting onto the walls and countertops. High-maintenance properties exacerbate the problem by having gaps in the tiling full of grout. Once it’s in there, it isn’t coming out and it can even lead to smells. Therefore, a fully tiled wall with a smooth kitchen top is essential as you can wipe it down in seconds. Vinyl is quite popular because of its smooth, glossy texture.
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Windows
The glass and the treatments are collectors of dirt. Glass is straightforward to clean as long as it’s reachable. In houses with high ceilings, this isn’t always the case. Using a ladder is a hassle, which is why tilting them back into the property is a smart move. Because of the angle, there is no need to stretch or strain. Regarding curtains, blinds, and shutters, in-blinds tend to be the least attention-seeking. If they do, they aren’t difficult to dust.
Is your home low-maintenance? How low can it go?
Our contributor had some good input to give on making a low-maintenance home. Some of the materials mentioned would be real time savers!
She has a B.S.Ed. in Secondary Education/English and a Spanish Minor. In addition, she holds a Certificates in Natural Health and Herbology from accredited programs. She pursued these natural wellness certifications due to her love for herb gardening.
Despite freelancing to make a living, her love is "all things home."
Deborah grew up in a family that grew a large vegetable garden and a fruit orchard, helping her parents pull weeds and can home-grown foods as part of her childhood. In fact, she had no idea that she could purchase veggies and fruits in pre-packed steel cans until she went to college and made a food run.
Today, she lives in Bertie County, North Carolina, an agricultural rural area with more chickens than people. She lives with her husband and two rescue pets a sweet toy fox terrier and a cat who showed up one day and moved into the house. Together, they enjoy DIY projects, furniture refinishing, gardening, and canning.
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