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Life, work, responsibilities... some time after college having to "adult" took over my life. There were no longer valid excuses for not being able to keep my life, my self, and my home put together.
In order to keep everything in my life together I had a neverending list of things to-do and never enough time or energy to get through them all. HIGH STRESS ALERT.
Now, being #smarthacks freak that I am, I dedicate a LOT of time to finding solutions to make my life as easy-breezy as possible. So I set a goal: Make my home as low-maintenance as humanly possible.
So I had to curb my shopping habits... and actually start doing some research when it came to shopping for home goods and furniture. Here are a few discoveries that I have either implemented or WILL implement in the near future to make my chores smoother and make my home practically take care of itself.
Shop Smarter:
Easy Swaps for a Low-Maintenance Home
01. Swap small decorative items for larger ones
Ok, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but from a low-maintenance perspective, small and intricate design elements had to GO!
Ain't nobody got time to be dusting and wiping 10 figurines each with different surface textures and crevices collecting dust.
Larger and smoother items have greater design impact and are a lot easier to keep clean.
So get rid of the clutter and watch how much less dusting you have to do.
Check out my favorite system for Decluttering like a Professional Organizer here.
02. Swap traditional rugs for machine-washable rugs
I've never been fond of rugs, I remember my mom obsessively checking the rugs at home to make sure she didn't have to spot-clean a stain or vacuum dirt off of it. Always annoyingly setting aside time to properly clean and maintain them.
That kind of worry and work, I can do without. So get a machine-washable rug instead! This way your washer/dryer does all the work.
If you have kids or a fur-child, you need to get Ruggable. Very few times do I find that products live up to the hype. But this... this I've seen it in action.
It WORKS and as soon as we move I am getting a few of these.
The same logic should be applied to all things fabric: bathroom mats, rugs, liners, curtains and pillows should all be machine-washable!
03. Swap delicate kitchenware for dishwasher safe items
I once bought an amazing set of canisters for my cabinets-pantry. I later realized (a little late) that they were NOT dishwasher friendly and the tops deformed after putting them through a cycle. UGH.
I've realized that I want to be able to set the dishwasher and forget it. So every time I go shopping for kitchenware I make SURE everything is dishwasher safe.
I swapped my old plastic Tupperware and canisters for glass canisters and mason jars now.
They're easy to clean and they make it extremely easy to keep your pantry cohesive because there will ALWAYS be mason jars available just about anywhere.
04. Swap small bathroom tiles for larger bathroom tiles
I've been itching for a custom-built home for a while now, and while that may be a little further away then I'd like, I furiously jot down every little detail I don't want to forget for when the time comes.
One of the things that will have a HUGE impact on the amount of time I spend cleaning my home: Tile Selection.
I currently have the standard white subway tile in my bathroom but in a new build, I'm going for larger tiles with minimal micro-grout to prevent having to scrub between every... single... tile.
05. Swap your traditional Vacuum for an iRobot Roomba
Why was I spending so much time pushing a vacuum around when this little guy can do it for me?
Sure, Roomba needs to charge and takes longer to clean a room than I would, but while it cleans a room I'm happily doing something else going about my happy life.
It's a multi-tasking win. Disclaimer: I always recommend iRobot Roomba because this is the brand I personally own, there are many robot-vacuums you can try but I've had mine for 3 years now without any issues and recommend it without reservations.
06. Swap high maintenance plants for low maintenance plants
Easy care plants will make you look like you are able to keep plants alive even when you forget to water them for weeks. Im talking cactuses, bamboos and fake plants.
Make your home SEEM like you're putting a lot of effort into it without putting any effort in at all aside from #shoppingsmarter.
My favorite indoor plants that will never judge you for failing to water them are ZZ plants, Monstera Deliciosa and Sansevieria.
If you want to simply forego water or any type of upkeep, Nearly Natural's plants are natural-looking and require ZERO effort.
Need extra help getting organized? I love to answer all of your questions!
Contact me here.
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