How To Decorate A Home With Cleaning In Mind

Photo via Facebook/UrbanDesignStudios

Have you noticed that everyone’s home has a distinct fragrance, odor, or smell that is either inviting or immediately lets you know the home owner has pets or toddlers?

Items that we use to decorate and furnish our homes can hold onto odors, dust, and allergens.  Did you know that there are ways of decorating your home so that you reduce those odors and dust while making your home inviting to guests?  You can declutter and clean while creating a beautiful space for your family.


Check out these tips to keep a clean home in mind when decorating a space.  Then, after reading, take a look at your home and try these tips so that you will have a beautifully decorated home (that is clean too)!

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Bath Mats

Have you ever heard the saying, “If you sprinkle when you tinkle, please be neat and wipe the seat?”  Well, I can guarantee you that everyone isn’t wiping the seat or the base of the toilet.  If you have that matching bath rug set that has a cover on the toilet seat and a rug around the toilet base, it is a huge source of the urine smell in your bathroom.  Toss them!  Instead, consider placing a rectangular toilet rug away from the base of the toilet for your feet.

Picture Overload

Times have changed and now everyone is literally walking around with a camera on their phone. Pictures are a way to keep memories of moments but some mantles, nightstands, and tables are overwhelmed with years of photos. If you notice you have more photos than silverware in your home it’s time to make a change.  Even silverware comes in a 4 piece place setting!  Replace them!

Think of making a photo gallery of frames that are the same color, size, and texture on a wall to make a beautiful statement.  When the seasons change your pictures can too.  For example, when the leaves begin to change color, it’s always nice to pull out old Halloween photos of the kids.  So now is the time to replace a picture or two (or three or four) of times past rather than keeping the same old photos around to collect dust.

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Artificial Plants and Flowers

I asked Jessica Love, an Allied member ASID of Interior Design, her thoughts on artificial plants and flowers for decorating.  Here is what she had to say,

"Low cost artificial plants often make a space look dated and cheap.  They are also dust collectors and cleaning nightmares.  My preference is to integrate live arrangements and/or plants to add energy or chi in one's space."

Pillow Overload

Pillows should be accent pieces and not overwhelming items in a room.  When pillows add a pop of color to a room they not only show their use but seem more inviting. When your furry household member has found a favorite pillow on the couch it just seems your design idea has “gone to the dogs.”  Pillows can collect dust and hold in odors like any other soft furniture piece in a home.  So, try to buy pillows that you can easily toss in a dryer to kill germs and rid of dust. 

Keep it Simple.  Two pillows per sofa is quite enough or one to a chair.  Remember that the seating is really for human sitting and not pillow placing.

Entryway Invitation

Entryways are usually spaces that get the least decorating but really should introduce who you are to your guests.  This is the first impression that your home makes about you. 

• Start with an entry door mat as this is a way to let your guest’s know to wipe their feet.
• Placing a mirror and a small table for keys and other small items can seem like a great idea, but keep it simple.  That space could easily become overloaded with everyone’s keys, the mail, sunglasses and maybe even a random baby bottle.  Try to have a table with a drawer to hide the needed objects in less obvious places.  There’s no need to clutter the table with items your guests don’t need to see.
• A cute family photo or framed inspirational quote are nice ways to say “Welcome” to guests.
  

Simple Decorating

Remember to keep it simple.  Utilize decorating items to accent your rooms and not overwhelm them.  Fake is outdated.  Finally, when purchasing soft items for your rooms remember to clean them regularly because they are holding onto more than space in your homes…they can be holding onto odors and that’s not inviting.

We hope all of these tips for how to decorate your home with cleaning in mind have inspired you to make some changes and updates to your space.  Do you have any tips that weren’t listed here?  Or do you have any cleaning questions that we can answer for you?  We’re happy to help!  Just post your question or comment in the comments section below.  Thanks and happy decorating!