Family homes as a rule can roughly be divided into two categories. You have those that are absolutely pristine with not a spot of dirt to be seen and with everything in precise order, and then you have those that look as though they’ve actually been lived in – with children’s toys scattered around the floor, mud trampled across the carpet, and a faintly ‘doggy’ smell still hanging in the air.
Of course neither of these scenarios are exactly perfect. While it may be nice to have a pristine home that looks like it belongs in a catalogue, that’s not really going to be very fun for the children who live there who will likely be forbidden from really enjoying themselves in their rooms in anyway, and who will probably be too scared to so much as sneeze on the carpet. Likewise, having a house that looks like a tip isn’t ideal either – it will not only send the wrong message when you have guests, but it could also be unhygienic and potentially lead to an accident if you aren’t careful.
So how do you walk that fine balance? How do you find the ‘middle way’ that will allow you to keep your home looking the way you want it without boarding on psychotic? Read on for a little advice.
Design Your Home Smartly
The first thing to bear in mind, is that designing your home well can greatly reduce the amount of work that you might have to do. If you design your property in such a way that it is less likely to become untidy easily, then you will be able to do what you like in the home and let your children do likewise, without worrying too much about your property getting ruined in the process.
For example, putting rugs down in the living room can help you to protect your carpet and these are easy to put in the wash when they do need a clean. Likewise, if you give your children a play room to keep their things in, then they’ll be able to play in there to their hearts’ content without it affecting the rest of the house. Limiting the number of items in your home likewise will mean there is less to get dirty and broken, and will help your home to look minimal and organised. Patterned carpets are great at hiding stains and dirt – so just think ahead like this and give yourself a helping hand with your décor choices.
Bring In the Big Guns
Sometimes though, your home is still going to get untidy and unclean and it’s at this point that you need to know how to give your home a proper reset. If you’re constantly vacuuming and dusting, then you’ll find that you gradually lose the battle against your kids no matter how vigilant you are.
Instead of stressing then, opt to use a professional carpet cleaning company a few times a year, and maybe to use the services of a professional cleaner occasionally. That way you can relax a little about the mess getting made, because you’ll know that it will all get ‘reset’ in a matter of months anyway.
Attached Images:
- License: Creative Commons image source
- License: Creative Commons image source
- License: Creative Commons image source
Today’s featured writer, Malcolm Hall, runs a maid service in Toronto. An avid blogger, he likes to write about the various ways which can help you keep your home clean and tidy.
