Hacks for a Cleaner, More Low-Maintenance Home

Hacks for a Cleaner, More Low-Maintenance Home

As effective as cleaning can help us de-stress, having too many items on your chores list can add to your stress. The key to maintaining a manageable number of chores lies in making strategic choices in your home’s design and installations. Here are five hacks that will help you keep your chores list short.

Get rid of hard water

Hard water refers to water with higher concentrations of magnesium, calcium, and other minerals. Hard water can spell some trouble for you and your home. It leads to soap scum in your bathrooms and sinks. It also causes mineral buildup that clog drains and pipes. This, in turn, causes your appliances that use water – such as dishwashers and washing machines – to wear out faster.

Hard water makes it difficult for you to build up a good lather – this is a serious issue now that we’re living in a pandemic, and good hygiene has never been more important.

It also affects our bodies by causing rashes, dry skin, and dry hair. Those with skin conditions such as eczema are more vulnerable to the negative effects of hard water.

To solve your hard water problem, install a water softener. This will regulate the mineral content of your water to soften it.

Install frameless glass shower doors

Often, the key to having a home that’s easier to clean and maintain is to choose the right materials to build and fill it with. Think of your shower curtains, for instance. Every so often, you’d have to change them and have them washed. That doesn’t sound like a big issue, but did you know that some types of shower curtains are made of materials that release toxic chemicals into the air?

Shower curtains made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) are some of the most common on the market. Unfortunately, they’re also toxic. Heat and moisture in the shower cause PVC shower curtains to release toxins such as phthalates, lead, BPAs, and dioxins into the air. These substances are harmful to our health and can damage our major organs – even cancer.

Swap out your PVC shower curtains for non-toxic alternatives such as nylon, hemp, and PEVA (polyethylene vinyl acetate). You can also abandon shower curtains altogether and install shower doors. In which case, go for frameless glass shower doors. The absence of frames means that there won’t be any nooks and crannies for soap scum and dirt to squeeze into. Frameless doors will be easier to clean.

Replace carpeted flooring with hardwood

Carpeted flooring is affordable, soft, and muffles our footsteps. But it’s also tough to clean – especially when it comes to spills and stains. Apart from making your floors easier to clean, switching to hardwood floors will also boost your home’s real estate value.

However, if you have kids running around, carpeted flooring might be necessary as it softens any falls. In which case, you can keep carpeted flooring limited to your kids’ bedrooms or the playroom. You can also switch to hardwood flooring all over the house and use soft playmats for the playroom.

Opt for glass-covered shelves

Open shelves look great – especially on Instagram or as a backdrop for your Zoom calls. But having no cover on your shelves means that you’ll have to dust their contents regularly. If you’d like to cut down on your dusting chores, use shelves with glass covers. This way, you can still display your possessions while minimizing the amount of dust that gets on them.

Put more thought into your entryway

Leaving your outdoor shoes at the door when you enter your home can keep all sorts of germs away from your living area. Especially during a pandemic, you don’t know what microscopic dangers could be clinging to your outdoor clothes.

Have a shoe rack in your entryway. If your entryway is only a few paces away from your staircase, you can get inventive with your shoe storage and use the bottom steps as pull-out cabinets for your shoes. A good design feature for these shoe satta cabinet staircases is to design them in such a way that’ll allow for some airflow. Punch small holes in them to make sure that the shoes stored inside won’t get mildewed. If your shoes are wet, let them air dry first before storing them.

Outerwear, in general, can be hosts of bacteria that are waiting to infect our homes. Make sure to shed your coats and jackets and leave them on a coat rack by the door before proceeding into your home.

Having a more low-maintenance home is all about making certain choices in design and choosing key installations. Choose materials that are long-lasting and easy to clean. Install systems or appliances that won’t cause any cleanliness problems in your home. Lastly, consider how you can store your belongings in a way that won’t dirty them or the rest of your home.

Alison Lurie

Alison Lurie