I’ll do anything to make cleaning easier. Over the years I’ve discovered a few decorating tricks that do just that.
Recently these five tips have been a lifesaver for me. I am currently recovering from multiple herniated discs in my thoracic spine, which makes cleaning a physical challenge for me too. The five tips I’m sharing with you today have helped me because:
- They make it easier for my kids to help with chores, like dusting and putting things away.
- Tip #2 and #3 help everyone keep things where they belong in the first place, so there’s less cleaning up to do.
Watch the video to learn my top five ways to decorate your way to a cleaner home. Can’t watch now? The full transcript is below.
Today I want to share with you five decorating tips to help you keep a cleaner home.
How to decorate for easy dusting
Tip #1 is to use bigger décor and less of it. I used to struggle with this in our living room. We had some built-in shelves and a very large mantle. When I first started decorating, I thought I needed tons of stuff to fill up these visual spaces. I ended up using lots of medium-to-small size items. Over time, I learned that it looks better, and it’s easier to clean and dust around, if I use a few big items.
A simple and pretty way to keep small clutter under control
Tip #2 is decorative bowls. Not only are they fun to buy, they help you keep all the little clutter at bay. I used decorative bowls in the entry way, on night stands, end tables, coffee tables, anywhere you’re going to drop little items like earbuds, jewelry, ChapStick, spare change, you want to have decorative bowls to keep that all contained and make it easy to clean up.
One decorating must-have to keep every surface easy to clean
Tip #3 is to use trays everywhere. I don’t believe you can enough trays. Trays not only keep everything visually organized, they are easy to move within everything on top of it so that you can clean the surface underneath. Trays are a must in kitchens, bathrooms, and on coffee tables.
How to keep throw blankets neat without folding
Tip #4 is keeping your throw blankets under control. This is a pet peeve of my husband’s, having blankets strewn all over the place. It’s a must here in the winter to have throw blankets, but none of us like to fold the blankets. The solution I came up with is to use decorative baskets or crates to hold the blankets. You can’t just use a small basket. I like to use tall, hamper-size baskets where you can just drop the blankets right in, and you don’t even see them anymore.
How to make a gorgeous bed that’s easy to sleep in and easy to make in the morning
Tip #5 is about making your bed. I love to use decorative pillows on my bed. I used to try to work in the pillows that we actually slept on. They always looked sloppy in regular pillowcases, but I didn’t want to sleep on the decorative sham. My new method now is that I keep our sleeping pillows flat on the bed and pull the duvet cover right over top and put all the decorative pillows on top. That way, at the end of the day, we just pull off the decorative pillows, pull back the duvet cover, and we’re ready to go to bed. In the morning, just throw the duvet cover back over the sleeping pillows.
Work from home? Here’s one way to clean while you work.
If you enjoyed these tips for decorating to keep a cleaner home and you work from home, you might also enjoy my special cleaning method called the Pomodoro Cleaning Technique. It’s how I work from home and sneak in small cleaning tasks throughout the day so that I can clean while I work.
Nice job. Can’t wait to listen to the one about sneaking in cleaning when you are a work from home person!!
Thanks Jackie. These are all good tips. I do hope you have a quick recovery.
I heart blankets too! I really like the idea of big hamper type of basket to keep them in as no one seems to fold them nicely and put them on the quilt rack! Great idea.
I think that your husband and I are from the same mold. I also can’t stand having blankets thrown all over the room, but am not any good at keeping them folded myself. I’ll have to try using baskets. It honestly sounds like the perfect solution. I also agree that less is more when it comes to decorating the mantle and shelves.
I love decorative pillows, but they always end up strewn around. The male species has no appreciation for them, and my house is full of the male species. Where do you put your decorative pillows at bedtime?
Teri, Great question. My husband hated decorative pillows for the longest time. He’s become comfortable with a set number on sofa or chairs, as long as he knows they are in their designated spot. As for the bedroom, we simply stack the decorative pillows on the floor at night and put them right back on the bed in the morning. I know other people that use a bench at the end of the bed. Again, having a designated spot and routine for the pillows helps. I’ll admit most of the pillows get stacked on the floor on my side of the bed, because I’m the one that takes the few seconds to put them back on the bed in the morning. Hope that helps.
I love trays and, like you, use them everywhere. I like the big basket idea for blankets. (FYI, sound was very weak for this video. Turned up volume as high as I could but still very hard to hear. ) Hey, and get better soon. I know what back issues are like.
I really love this. Especially the bed making tip because I struggle with it and we leave it in made. I will def. try this method!!