Tips for Keeping a White House
I get asked all the time about how I keep all the white in my house clean. I love white and how it makes a space feel so fresh and open. I also have two children and a lot of traffic that comes through our home. There is even more white at our new house than we had at our townhouse. So, I am letting you in on a few tricks I have learned.
Do not use Clorox wipes on your white cabinets. It will ruin the finish. It may take the dirt away for now, but over time it will leave a dulling film. Simple Green is your friend! It takes away the dirt without leaving a film. Simple Green has been a life saver. After every meal, I have to wipe down the island where my kids eat. Their dirty little footprints and food are covered all over the cabinets. I used to buy the spray bottles of Simple Green and paper towels to wipe down everything. Sometimes I would get lazy and not want to do that. I would just use plain old wet wipes. They didn’t really get the stains out. Or worse, I would use a Clorox wipe. Then I found these, Simple Green wet wipes! Seriously, changed my life by having these around. Wiping down everything is such a breeze. I also have white IKEA barstools. They usually are covered in the kids latest meal too. I can use Simple Green wipes to get the island and barstools all wiped down after every meal , quickly and easily.
The nice thing about having white bedding is bleach. I really haven't even had a problem with our white bedding. Our master bedroom is the hub for our nighttime routine. We hang out there, read, talk, pray, and play. We have had our white bedding for 2 years and it still looks as white as it did the day I brought it home. I wash it regularly and spot treat, if needed, with Oxi Clean.
Our Rugs USA rug in the living room has taken a beating. I would not recommend this white rug in a living room. It does tend to show a lot of dirt and stains. They always come right out when I clean it, but it is a pain to keep clean. I will not have this rug in the living room at the new house. It will be going to a low traffic area, such as our master bedroom.
Tile grout is my nemesis. In our townhouse, we did not seal the grout when we moved in. It was nice and white for a few weeks, then it turned brown. Lesson learned, seal your grout on day one. I spent countless hours on my hands and knees using Grout Renew from Home Depot. I love this product. It took our grout back to the nice white color it used to be, and sealed it, all at once. Our entire main floor was tile , except for the living room. So, it took some time to apply but the finished result was worth it! At the new house, I will be sealing the grout before we move in!
I always keep baby wet wipes handy. They work wonders for wiping down the walls and baseboards. Food and fingerprints always seem to be smeared across our walls. I just grab a few wet wipes and easily wipe them off. Wet wipes work great for walls, in my experience, but not so much for bar stools and cabinets.
Now, let's talk about sofas. I have always had leather because of durability. However, that changed a few years ago. I got my first, light colored fabric sofa. I was nervous and did not want to even sit on it. I would just admire it from afar. Let's be real, that did not last long. I bought the protection plan for an extra $100, that also came with the entire sofa scotch guarded. I highly recommend this! Scotch Guard is amazing. The protection plan gives me such a peace of mind with kids. It pretty much covers any damage and stains that won’t come out. It really is worth the extra money. The new sofas I have picked out are also a light fabric. I will definitely be adding the protection plan to these beauties too.
I think that covers most of the things that help me keep my white house looking white. If you have any other tips, please do share in a comment below!