Owning a home comes with a fair share of cleaning. We’ve all been there – moving furniture to and fro in order to get every nook and cranny of your home clean. Perhaps you’ve considered purging your home of all of your belongings, keeping only the necessities so as to make cleaning simpler. Or maybe you’re a homeowner who puts off cleaning because it’s just so difficult! No matter which camp you’re in, there is a way to make cleaning your home simpler! Joyce Means, a Mt. Pleasant interior decorator, offers some stylish tips that allow your personality to shine through your home decor without making your home difficult to maintain.

• Avoid carpeted flooring. Your floors can be one of the dirtiest surfaces in your home. Laminate and luxury vinyl tiles can help you avoid buildup of dust and dirt. They’re extremely easy to clean and they don’t require much upkeep. Incorporating this type of flooring into your home is easy, as they come in a variety of colors and styles, including wood-like plank. If you want the real thing, hardwood floors are another easy-clean option. They may require more upkeep, though, with resealing needed every year. Avoid wall-to-wall carpeting, especially in high traffic areas. Dirt, dust, and debris can quickly sink into this floor covering, requiring you to take out the vacuum and shampooer for the best deep clean.
• Choose the right paint finish. Wiping down your walls may have never crossed your mind, but your home’s walls can collect a lot of dirt and debris. Walls can be easy to clean, depending on the finish that you choose. This is particularly important for homeowners who have young children who can scratch, dent, or draw on walls with ease. The professionals of Gastonia painters recommend choosing high-quality paint with the right finish for high-traffic areas. Using semi-gloss paint that can withstand scrubbing will make cleaning and maintaining a beautiful home simpler.
• Cover the walls instead. If you’re not confident in maintaining walls covered in paint, you’re it luck. While wallpaper is back in style, it can be difficult to clean. If you want to avoid painted walls but don’t want to dedicate your free time to carefully cleaning wallpaper, use vinyl wall coverings instead. You can find vinyl coverings that mimic every kind of texture, from silk to linen, grass cloth, and even metal. They’re extremely easy to wipe down, making them perfect for kitchen and bathroom spaces.
• Pay mind to the upholstery you choose. When shopping for new furniture, opt for furniture that is covered in durable, stain-resistant fabric. Leather furnishings are ideal for households with young children because they are easy to wipe down. If you do go with leather, choose a dark color that won’t show wear as easily or absorb stains from juice, markers, or anything else your child brings near it. For those who aren’t into leather furniture, choose an upholstery that can be protected with a stain-guard. Should something spill on the surface, it will bead up instead of soaking into the material and staining.
• Make your furniture mobile. Speed up your cleaning process by making your furniture easy to move. Sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming become a breeze when your tables, chairs, recliners, couches, and shelving units are on wheels, casters, or furniture coasters. If you didn’t buy moveable furniture, it’s simple enough to install wheels or casters on your own. If you choose casters, make sure you invest in the locking kind so that your furniture doesn’t roam about when you don’t want it to. For a quick fix, furniture coasters are the most affordable option and available for carpeted and hardwood flooring at any local big box store.

Inspire yourself to clean by incorporating these low-maintenance design aspects into your home.