Your Floors: The Bare Minimum

One household chore very few people enjoy is cleaning the floors. Yes, regular maintenance can make it less of a trial, but that’s still a far cry from fun. There’s little to love about the process of getting into the corners of a room, bending to pick up bits that the vacuum misses, and moving furniture out of the way. Nonetheless, we know it all needs to be done on a regular basis. But how regularly, exactly? In other words, how much can we get away with not doing?

Turns out, a lot of it has to do with what your floor is made of - which means jumping into the below examples of household flooring types and other variable factors can not only give you an idea as to how often you’re supposed to tend to them to keep them in tip-top condition, but also what type of floor might be ideal for you and your upkeep level. Because as counterintuitive as it sound, if you want your house to look good, easy maintenance should take priority over pure aesthetics. After all, what good is your dream floor if it’s constantly icky?

Carpets

As long as you are careful with what you do in a carpeted room - and this means wearing no shoes, as well as keeping food and drink away from the carpet - there is an argument that states that you should vacuum as seldom as you can manage. The more you vacuum, the more you’ll pick at the fiber of the carpet. Experts say that twice a week is perfectly fine to vacuum living room carpets unless otherwise advised. The one wild card here is if you have pets in the home - if you do, it should be a daily occurrence thanks to pet hair and dander. Additionally, opting for a vacuum that is tailored to pet owners is a solid move.

Hard Wood

Wooden floors are easier to maintain, and last for longer, than carpeted ones, so if you’re not keen on chores it might be worth replacing at least some carpets with solid wood flooring, particularly in high traffic areas like hallways. This doesn’t remove the need for care - shoes should still be kept to a minimum in the house - but a quick sweep or run over with the vacuum will keep mess from accumulating. For a deeper clean, you should use a damp mop - never wet - once a week to lift any dirt that may have built up. It may also be worth running swiffer daily or a robot vacuum once in a while if you have pets who shed hair.

Kitchen Floors

Due to the specific nature of a kitchen - which sees all extremes of temperature over the course of a day - the type of flooring used in this area is usually different from the rest of the house. Vinyl or tiles are most popular here, and they fare best being mopped with hot water and a suitable detergent. If the floor is otherwise generally clean, this need only be done once a week, but any spills need to be cleaned instantly. If left, they can attract pests, accumulate bacteria and cause lasting damage to the floor. 

Between mopping, a quick vacuum every once in a while can take care of what needs to be done in the kitchen - although if a lot of people walk through the area straight from outside, it’s generally a good idea to mop up after them. Smaller rugs are also great in the kitchen as they protect high-traffic spots like in front of the stove or sink and are easy to toss in the wash every week or two.