Ottakee Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 My son picked up the book, Make Your House Do the Housework by Don Aslett at the library today. It is an older book (1995). The idea of the book is to design your home and furnishings to make them super easy to clean. What ideas do you have for making things easier to clean/keep neat? Some of his ideas are nice while others are a bit extreme (eliminating some bathroom doors). If you were building, what would you design (or not design) into the house to make it easy to clean? How about flooring, lighting, plumbing, kitchen stuff, etc? My never ending quest to get information to make the best/easiest to clean, house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamom Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 My dh picked a dark linoleum for the kitchen and dining room floor that has such a busy tile design that I only have to sweep it twice a week. The dirt hides so well that I have hard time seeing where I swept and even loose my large dirt pile! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Nyssa Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Have coathooks & shoeboxes and a basket for mail & keys, and a recycling basket for paper next to the front door so you can immediately deal with coats, boots, and mail, and not lose your keys, from the moment you come in. Keep the coffee maker on a tray which has a brown/black pattern. Then you won't see the bits of coffee grounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 My son picked up the book, Make Your House Do the Housework by Don Aslett at the library today. It is an older book (1995). The idea of the book is to design your home and furnishings to make them super easy to clean. What ideas do you have for making things easier to clean/keep neat? Some of his ideas are nice while others are a bit extreme (eliminating some bathroom doors). If you were building, what would you design (or not design) into the house to make it easy to clean? How about flooring, lighting, plumbing, kitchen stuff, etc? My never ending quest to get information to make the best/easiest to clean, house. IF I were building, I'd have a whole-house vacuum system and I'd put the laundry room by the bedrooms. I've never, ever understood why laundry should be done in a basement or garage. I'd also have an entry hall or mud room where coats and shoes would go the second you hit the door. And, I'd put a drain in the kitchen floor and the bathroom floor. Not necessarily in the middle of the room, but somewhere where spilled water could drain without having to be sopped up with towels. That's all I can come up with off the top of my head. OH! I thought of something else: I'd get those windows that have the blinds between the panes of glass. No more dusting blinds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Do you want to hide the dirt or have a super easy house to clean? It would seem to me that instead of putting in dark tile, one should put in one of those vac systems so it is easy to vacuum up the dirt daily. Keep the clutter and furnishings to a minimum. Mount the TV to the wall and have a built in thingie that hides the dvd player and satellite reciever. No more dusting those items every week. Lots and lots of storage area. Use glass front book cases so you don't have to dust books. Dishwasher, garbage disposal, trash compactor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extendedforecast Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 If I were building from scratch, I'd include a laundry shoot in the upstairs bathrooms and a mud room for shoes, coats and backpacks. The mud room would have a built in bench with cubbies for each family member and hooks above it. We used to live in a house with one. Boy do I miss my mud/laundry room. A central vacuum system would be nice as well. Ideally I'd have no carpet in the house-just tile and wood. I'm sure there is more I'm not thinking of. I'll be watching this thread for any ideas that I can implement now. Oh, one more thing, we had a trashcan that was built in to our cabinets. That was nice at keeping the kitchen less cluttered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd293 Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 One idea I saw in a home magazine particularly struck me: the family had to refloor their home, which was open planned. Along one wall they created a furrow or gutter at the edge of the floor. Dirt was swept into the gutter, then vacuumed up. I love this idea - I often sweep dirt into a pile in the corner of the room, then get busy with something else before I get the dustpan and broom to collect up the dirt. Spaces under things just collect dust - so a bed or kitchen cupboards that goes all the way to the floor are better than ones on legs. Our rented house had slatted blinds - they were a nightmare to clean, especially in the kitchen where they got gunky. Never in my house! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 My brother and his wife built a gorgeous mud room. It's a huge back entry and each child has his own HUGE closet with hooks, shelves, a place for boots and shoes. A place for schoolbooks/backpacks ets. It's awesome. I think there might even be a place for them to sit inside their closets to take boots on and off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 Keep the ideas coming. I know there WILL be a mudroom if we build. We are in West Michigan which means lots of snow and wet gear in the winter and then dirt and mud the rest of the year. We also have a hobby farm so we have horses, chickens, dog, cats, etc. which means barn boots, etc. I would give up a lot to make SURE to have a mud room. Dh wants a breezeway of sorts as right now our door opens right into the dining area and we get lots of cold air into the dining area anytime anyone goes in or out. Maybe a mud room in a breezeway type area??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaMa2005 Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Slide out drawers for the kitchen cabinets and pantry. An appliance garage so that things aren't cluttering the kitchen countertops. Lots and lots of storage throughout the house. When my in-laws built their house, they took one wall in the long hallway and made closets along one side. So much storage - everything has a place and is hidden from view. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacy in NJ Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 I do think having less stuff helps minimize clutter and because there's less clutter, it's easier to clean. So, summarizing: central vac and no clutter. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 I simply sing throughout the house as little woodland creatures come in and do the dirty work. Well, the woodland creatures idea didn't work so well for my when my older dd brought a tent caterpillar nest into the house and put it in her bedroom...........only to have THOUSANDS of little catterpillars hatch and start crawling EVERYWHERE. Other woodland creatures like slugs, snails, toads, etc. haven't been any better. I guess I had better dejunk a lot before we move and plan on doing my own cleaning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linders Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 I hate - hate! - our master shower. Very stylish, I'm sure, four glass walls that meet at sharp right angles and that bottom out into two squared-off decorative ledges. Right angled grooves where every wall/ledge meets every other. Those gooves grow mold instantly and there is no way to clean except with a toothbrush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 We want a huge master shower---a 2 people roll in one (that could be wheelchair accessible if needed) but I will watch the corners. Can they make rounded corners in tile? I would be fine with a one piece surround one if they made one as big as we want. Scrubbing tile with a toothbrush is NOT on my list of things to do in my new house :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherry in OH Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 I like the drain in the floor idea, especially for the bathroom. I would like a walk in shower. Shower doors and tracks never seem to be clean and streak free. No carpets. Hardwood is much easier to keep clean. Vinyl is less aesthetically pleasing, but easier to clean than tile. It is also easier on the feet. A large mudroom/laundry with a sink, toilet, and shower. The children could strip and wash without trailing mud through the house. Lots of built-in storage. Less furniture. I kind of like the Shaker dining room idea - pegs on the walls to hold chairs when not in use. It would make sweeping the dining area so much easier. Undermount sink in the kitchen. We had one in our old house and I loved it. It was so easy to wipe crumbs into the sink. In our current house, I have to clean around the sink on a regular basis. I would also like if the stovetop could be integrated with the countertop. Then I would not have to have DH move the stove periodically so I could get the crumbs and gunk that have gotten between the two. Parrothead, glass front bookcases keep the books from getting dusty, but you have to clean the glass. The ones we have are full of little hand prints. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 For a house with lots of kids, I'd have an eating room with tile floor with a drain in the middle of the floor and a big sprayer that you could just hose down the floor after every meal! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 For a house with lots of kids, I'd have an eating room with tile floor with a drain in the middle of the floor and a big sprayer that you could just hose down the floor after every meal! :lol: With a garbage disposal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookfiend Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Have your builder use the new epoxy tile grout - never mildews! Radiant heating under the floors, nothing to do with cleaning but supposedly the best heating system. Tankless water heater - no accidental floods in your whole basement. No shower door - use a curtain (quick to wash) or keep jets far enough away that one isn't needed. Kohler toilets with swish and click off seats - keeps the bowl clean longer, seat come right off to wash in tub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Random Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 With a garbage disposal! :iagree: A garbage disposal drain under the dining table! That.is.perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 I recently found a way to keep my shower clean. I bought one of those kitchen scrub brushes that holds soap inside of it. $3 at Target. I filled it with Suave clarifying shampoo(removes buildup). Every time I take a shower I press the button on the brush and scrub one side and then place the brush on the side that is to be done next time I shower. It is working out great and the shower is always clean. It only takes a minute or two to scrub each time.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinF Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 If we were building my dream home it would have have a mudroom where we entered the home. It would also have a combined laundry room/family closet. No carpet (but we live where it is warm most of the time). I would have darker colored floors either wood or tile. I have light tile right now in the house we live in and my floors are always dirty and you notice it. Now I love my countertops they are granite with a nice pattern and you don't notice anything on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginevra Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 I'm surprised so many of you like/want central vac. I had it before and detested it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasharowan Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 IF I were building, I'd have a whole-house vacuum system and I'd put the laundry room by the bedrooms. I've never, ever understood why laundry should be done in a basement or garage. We have the dryer in the dining room. In the summer, it gets 10 degrees hotter in here if the dryer is running. I would love to have a garage or basement for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted February 15, 2011 Author Share Posted February 15, 2011 I'm surprised so many of you like/want central vac. I had it before and detested it. Why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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