How to Keep a Room Makeover Looking Like New

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of BISSELL Homecare, Inc. for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

After recently completing our sunroom makeover, I have been trying to keep the space looking as nice as it did the day I photographed it for the room reveal.  Obviously, it’s not going to look like new forever, but I have found a few ways to keep it looking as new as possible.  Today, I’d like to share them with you.

1.  DESIGN THE ROOM FOR REAL LIFE.

The rooms that will stay looking newest the longest, are rooms that either A) are never used or B) are designed specifically to BE used.  As beautiful as they may be, white fabric is going to get dirty, silver finishes will tarnish, glass can break.  When you are redoing a room, ALWAYS consider how the room is going to be used before you begin working.  Choose furniture, fabrics, and finishes according to the room’s function!

BHG.com

 

2.  INCORPORATE STORAGE INTO THE DESIGN.

 

This tip piggybacks on the previous one.  When you design a room for real life use, you have to add storage into the space.  Whether you choose a storage ottoman instead of a coffee table or wall shelves in place of wall art, you are setting yourself up for success by adding in clutter hiding spots.

 

Hometart

 

3.  COASTERS.

Since I believe a home is for living in, we don’t limit eating or drinking to specific areas in the house.   How are you going to entertain friends and family in your home if you have designated no-eating-or-drinking zones?   Make peace with the fact that spills are bound to happen, throw out some extra coasters for good measure, and enjoy your living spaces with your loved ones.

 

 

4.  CLEAN LESS MORE OFTEN

 

As a stay at home mom, I have the luxury to clean the house every day.  I mean that in the same sense as that people with good dental insurance have the luxury to get root canals whenever they need to.  Even if you are working 10 hour days (God bless you for that.  You deserve an extra cup of coffee.), it is still better to do an end-of-the-day “tidy-oop” than to have to spend your whole blessed day off deep cleaning your home.

Flickr user – Wickerfurniture

 

5.  DON’T WALK NAKED.

 

I wish I could remember where I first saw this cleaning tip, because it certainly made an impression on me.  It doesn’t mean what you think it means.  The gist of the sentiment is that you can piggyback cleaning with walking.  If you are heading upstairs, take a basket of clean laundry with you.  When you come back down, bring a load of dirty laundry back down with you.  Heading to the kitchen for a snack?  Take all the dirty cups from the living room with you.  By multi-tasking your movement around the house, you save on unnecessary trips.  PS This is a rule everyone in the household should abide by.

 

 

6.  NO SHOES IN THE HOUSE.

 

Don’t turn into one of those crazy, uptight people that freak out if guests happen to wear their shoes into the living room.  Let’s put that out there from the start.  Don’t be that person.  BUT, for normal day-to-day living, encourage your family to take off their shoes as they enter the house.  Shoes track in all manner of disgusting things into your home.  Wrangle the shoes with a shoe rack or storage bench.

 

 

7.  BE GRATEFUL FOR THE MESS.

 

In the end, things are just things.  They will break, soil, and stain.  If you have children who break your belongings, pets who dirty your floors, and friends who stain your furniture, you have a blessed life.

If you are still looking for more cleaning tips you can visit the BISSELL website for tons of great ideas.  I have been using my new BISSELL Pro-Glide to keep all of our redone rooms tidy.  The lift-off pod is fantastic for reaching hard to clean areas and the swiveling head makes cornering so easy.

To enter to win your own Pro-Glide, visit the BISSELL facebook page.  If you are in the market for a new vaccuum, BISSELL is offering a $20 off coupon code for their PowerGlide Pet vaccuums.  Just enter the word POWERGLIDE at checkout.