Easy Fixes to Keep Your Home Looking Fresh with Small Kids
You love your kids -- if you’re like most people, though, you don’t love the messes your kids are prone to making. Maintaining a clean, tidy, beautiful home is often an uphill battle when small kids are around. After all, simply taking care of your kids is a big enough task already. Adding even one more task to your to-do list might seem risky, if not impossible. With a strategic approach and baby steps, it’s completely possible to keep your home in great condition despite the chaos that goes on inside it. Let’s explore some easy fixes, tips, and tricks to keep your home looking fresh while raising small kids.
How to Keep a Room Fresh With Kids
Cordon Off Certain Areas, if Necessary
Depending on how young and adventurous your kids are, you might want to keep them away from certain areas of your home. The primary reason to block off rooms comes down to safety, of course. Staircases that aren’t concealed by doors are particularly dangerous if you lose sight of your child. Safety aside, though, restricting access to specific rooms at certain times is also a major help when trying to maintain a fresh home. Anyone who’s had experience with small children knows that toys, books, and other objects can end up just about anywhere given enough time. By installing barriers at key points, you can prevent items and residue from landing outside of the zone your kid currently inhabits. Ultimately, this makes tidying up a lot easier and reduces the need to examine multiple rooms for lost toys and messes.
Storage Containers Are Life Savers
Speaking of organization, storage containers are among the most practical pieces of decor you can have in a home with small kids. Having designated bins, baskets, or boxes for various objects makes cleaning up a no-brainer. These containers also incentivize you to de-clutter at regular intervals -- when these vessels are right in front of you, it’s easy to pick up whatever stuff is lying around and place it in its proper home. You can even teach your kids a lesson about organization and cleanliness by making a game of putting away their toys, books, blankets, stuffed animals, etc., in the correct locations after they’re done using them. Ideally, then, your kids will tidy up after themselves so you can focus on other ways of keeping your home fresh. Plus, if you’ve got a knack for interior design, you can select storage containers that match your existing decor and elevate your interior.
Stick to a Cleaning Schedule
Your kids’ objects of entertainment aren’t the only things to keep organized. In order to keep your kid-riddled home looking fresh, it’s imperative to organize your daily routine, too. More specifically, create a detailed cleaning schedule and do your best to adhere to it each and every day. The act of creating such a list can help you get your priorities in order and break down what may seem like a daunting project into small, digestible tasks. You might vacuum carpets every Sunday, do a load of laundry every other day, dust surfaces weekly, wash your walls once a month, etc. Everyone’s cleaning schedule will look different, and you can always adjust your regimen as you go. The important thing is having a document in front of you that you can access when you need it. Ticking off boxes on your to-do list is rewarding in its own right. Best of all, though, regular cleaning and maintenance will save you from cumbersome projects down the line.
Choose Child-Proof Paint Colors and Finishes
There are plenty of factors involved when determining how to select interior paint colors and finishes. Personal preference tends to reign supreme in this decision-making, but color and finish choices have implications beyond what simply “looks good” to you. While you obviously don’t want to go with paint colors/finishes that bore you or make you queasy, consider that some choices are inherently easier to maintain, less prone to damage, and “cleaner-looking” than others. Glossier finishes, for instance, are easier to clean thanks to their smooth surface, and their sheen gives off a sense of freshness. Of course, high-gloss paint can be gaudy on certain surfaces (you probably wouldn’t want it in your living room). Moreover, glossy paints reveal more imperfections than flatter finishes because they’re so bright and reflective. So, while it’s easier to scratch flat/matte paints, these issues might not be all that visible. Unfortunately, cleaning flatter paint finishes requires more effort than cleaning glossier paint. In other words, there’s a trade-off to every paint finish on the spectrum, so context is key. Read our previous blog, “How Long Do Painted Kitchen Cabinets Last?” to learn how to choose the best paint finish for cabinets.
As for color selection, it should come as no surprise that lighter colors (white, especially) can scuff and become visibly dirty to a far greater degree than darker colors. That said, sticking solely with dark paint colors can make your home feel smaller. Indeed, we often associate “freshness” with lighter, brighter colors, so once again, there’s a trade-off at play. If you want to keep your home looking fresh, then consider colors and finishes that keep your spaces bright and clean without making it so easy for dirt and scratches to make an appearance. Small kids can still do damage to your interior surfaces regardless of the paints you choose, but the severity of that damage will vary.
Install Durable Molding and Trim
One way to reduce potential damage to your interior house paint is by installing sturdy baseboards, chair rails, and other protective trim inside your home. These installations can elevate the appearance of a given room while also providing a protruding barrier that helps minimize scuffs, scratches, and other forms of impact against your walls. Baseboards are particularly useful for preventing small kids from scratching up your walls since they’re so low to the ground (where your kids will mostly be). The higher up your baseboards reach, the better. Also, be prepared to clean these features on a regular basis, just as you would your walls and other surfaces.
Have the Right Tools on Hand for Small Repairs and Touch-Ups
Lastly, it’s a good idea to arm yourself with the necessary tools and products to tackle minor repairs and touch-ups when the time comes. This way, you won’t need to hire house painting contractors whenever there’s a small issue. If you’re willing to learn and invest in the right tools, you can patch drywall, perform paint-touch-ups, erase scuffs, repair trim, and more, all on your own. Read our blog, “The Best Way to Store Your Paint and Tools,” for insights on the types of tools to have at your disposal and how to keep them in good shape. Of course, if you lack certain tools, expertise, or confidence, you can always hire a residential interior painting professional to restore your home’s appearance when needed.
As a family-oriented company, we at Nash Painting are well aware of the challenges that arise when raising small kids. Allow us to help you navigate these problems and enhance your Nashville, Brentwood, or Franklin, TN, home. To learn more about us, our services, and our values, call us at 615-829-6858 today!