Cleaning Tips: How to Make Your House Easier to Clean When You Have Kids

Guest Post
Maurine Anderson

Integrated Learning Strategies is excited to feature cleaning tips with guest blogger Maurine Anderson. While many of the recommendations below are great for children and parents, some accommodations or exceptions may be made for children with learning challenges and learning disabilities. Integrated Learning Strategies (ILS) is a learning and academic center. As a reminder, ILS is not a health care provider and none of our materials or services provide a diagnosis or treatment of a specific condition or learning challenge you may see in your child or student. If you seek a diagnosis or treatment for your child or student, please contact a trained professional who can provide an evaluation of the child.

If you have children or pets, then you know how difficult it can be to keep your home clean on a daily basis. Yet by making a few simple design changes to your home, cleaning in your home can become easier than ever. Here are some tips for making your house easier to clean on an everyday basis.

Keep things minimal.

The concept here is simple: the less clutter you have in your home, the easier it will be to clean in and around your home. If your kitchen countertops are filled with occasionally-used appliances, canisters, and crocks for kitchen utensils, for example, you’re much less likely to get around to deep-cleaning your countertops on a regular basis. Going through your home and getting rid of the things you no longer need, as well as finding a home for each of your possessions rather than keeping everything out, will give your home much more breathing room and will make the idea of cleaning much less daunting. This tip costs you virtually nothing, and it has probably the greatest potential here to make your home easier to clean.

Build storage into your home.

On a similar note, building storage space into your home for the things that you use most often will help you keep things organized and put away. Some examples: hooks for your coats, storage bins for your shoes, a basket for mail and keys, etc. This also means optimizing the storage space your home already offers. In kitchen cabinets, for example, you might add shelving for spices, pull-out containers for organizing pantry staples, drawer dividers for utensils, etc. Work to create an organizational system in your home that keeps things orderly and that works for you and your family.

Create a mudroom.

A mudroom in your garage or an entry hall in your foyer, complete with spaces for muddy boots and wet coats, will help keep your house clean by discouraging family members from bringing dirty items into the home. Consider creating a space near the most frequently used entryway in your home for you and your family members to use.

Use high-quality, scrubbable paint.

Did you know that certain paint varieties actually dry to a finish that you can scrub when, say, children draw all over the walls? Look for paint upgrade options that stand up to stains, moisture, fading, scrubbing, and more. You can even find scrubbable wallpaper these days.

Opt for stain-resistant flooring.

As this article mentions, stain-free, epoxy-coated flooring in the garage can help protect that concrete from leaky vehicles and make cleaning the floor a breeze. Epoxy-coated flooring need not be reserved for only the garage, however; you can have epoxy-coated concrete flooring installed in any outdoor area or even in your basement. With the many color and finish options that epoxy coating offers, you can find a flooring option to suit just about any space.

Epoxy-coated concrete isn’t the only easy-to-clean flooring option out there, either. Hardwood flooring alternatives like bamboo flooring, vinyl plank flooring, porcelain tile, and laminate (don’t worry—there are higher-end looking options available today) can make keeping your floors clean easier than ever. And as for carpet, you can upgrade to a stain-resistant variety that will hold up better to spills and pet stains. Opting for carpet tiles over wall-to-wall carpet can also make cleaning problem areas a breeze, and you always have the option of replacing tiles.

Choose easy-to-clean upholstery for furniture.

Some fabrics for furniture are better than others when it comes to easy maintenance. Leather is a popular option with children because it is easy to wipe down. Faux leather and fabrics treated with stain-resistant finishes are also a great option. Don’t want to invest in new furniture? Opt for machine washable slipcover instead.

Install a central vacuum system.

Central vacuum systems are becoming more and more popular, and they can make vacuuming your home easier than ever. A central vacuum system features tubing installed within your walls that leads to a receptacle that holds all accumulated waste. To vacuum your home, you simply hook up your central vacuum hose up to one of the many inlets installed in your home. You can even have an automatic dustpan (“sweep inlet”) installed that lets you sweep debris into the opening using a regular broom. A central vacuum system eliminates you having to move a portable vacuuming unit from room to room, and it is typically more powerful than a portable vacuum since the motor need not be portable. A typical central vacuum system will cost about $1,000 or more to install, but when you consider the convenience it could bring, it might be a worthy investment for you.

Reconsider how you do laundry.

Many homeowners don’t realize just how much more convenient their lives can be made simply by moving the laundry room up closer to where the bedrooms are. If you think about it, it makes perfect sense. But even if a big move for your washer and dryer isn’t feasible, you might consider having laundry chutes to your laundry chutes installed. Both are bigger projects, to be sure, but they are something to consider if they seem feasible in your home.

Integrated Learning Strategies is a Utah-based center dedicated to helping mainstream children and children with learning challenges achieve academic success. Our services provide kids with non-traditional tutoring programs within the Davis County, Kaysville, Layton, Syracuse, Farmington, and Centerville areas. Areas to find Integrated Learning Strategies include: Reading tutors in Kaysville, Math tutors in Kaysville, Common Core Tutors in Kaysville, Tutors in Utah, Utah Tutoring Programs