Avoid These Interior Design Features To Keep Your Cleaning Routine Low-Maintenance And Easy In The Long Run
Cleaning your house is already such a chore, and certain home features can make that task even harder. When dreaming up ideas for your home renovations, it can be easy to get carried away with the thought of incorporating pristine white furniture and fancy glass tables for a highly sophisticated and classically elegant look, completely neglecting to consider the amount of cleaning those pieces require.
Every design decision you make will impact your cleaning routine later down the road. Anything from a shiny new faucet to intricate hardware can become a pain in the butt to clean.
To keep your home low-maintenance and hassle-free, avoid these five design features that may be desirable in concept but, in reality, are unwise to implement in your living space.
White Upholstery
Upholstery isn’t fun to clean, to begin with, so if that’s one of your least favorite jobs, it’s best to avoid buying any white or light-colored upholstery for your home. White couches may make a statement of luxury and help brighten up a room, but they are magnets for stains, dirt, and pet hair.
Instead, opt for seating of a darker shade. If having white furniture is an absolute must for you, get removable covers for your couch that can be thrown into the washing machine as needed.
Wall Moldings And Elaborate Trim
Wall moldings, elaborate trim, and baseboards are excellent ways of creating visual interest and adding a little character to your home. The wall panels, in particular, provide a beautiful, polished look.
However, these decorative features are just another thing you must spend valuable free time cleaning. Dust tends to collect in hard-to-reach corners and on horizontal surfaces, so you’ll need to wipe those down regularly to keep the filth at bay.
Konstantin Yuganov – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual people
Glass Surfaces
Whether it be shower doors, glass-front cabinets, or clear glass light fixtures, all glass surfaces will show every speck of dust and smudgy fingerprint. They require constant cleaning to maintain that flawless, reflective, crystal-clear appearance. You should refrain from including glass features in your home, especially if you have little ones.
Glass shower doors may be okay in adult bathrooms, but it’s pretty much impossible to get rid of the water spots completely. Also, glass light fixtures attract floating dust particles that stand out immediately when the light shines through them. If you really love the style that glass brings, go for milk glass. It’s still opaque, but its cloudy look helps camouflage dirt.
Marble Countertops
Marble countertops are a timeless choice—I mean, who isn’t a fan of natural stone? But don’t be fooled by all the interior design magazines. Marble is porous, which means it will show all manner of stains, particularly from red wine, turmeric, oils, tomato sauce, or any acidic foods.
Once these stains have set in, no amount of scrubbing will be able to remove them. With that being said, you could argue that the stains give a marble countertop real character.
Dark, Glossy Surfaces
Dark countertops may be all the rage right now for that sleek and modern aesthetic, but it’s very difficult to keep them looking presentable. You might think otherwise because black or navy seems like it would effectively hide crumbs, but it turns out that water can really make dark, glossy surfaces look dull and dirty.
They will also showcase any bit of dust or dirt that clearly doesn’t belong, even when cleaned frequently.
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