A home that doesn’t need any maintenance and is always perfectly clean would be a dream. It’s also not possible. No matter what, someone somehow has to take care of your property to make it shine like it deserves.

That being said, some materials are simply so much easier to keep clean, and these are the materials that will make your life a breeze. To help you pick out what floors to pick up from our Balham flooring specialists, start by understanding just what makes a floor low-maintenance.

Top Low-Maintenance Carpet Designs

What Type of Carpet Weave?

There are many, many different types of carpet construction. In general, anything low-pile and woven is going to be longer-lasting and require less maintenance. Woven carpets, loop carpets, and low-pile carpets all tend to take on wear and tear like a pro and are usually far easier to keep clean since there’s less room for dirt and dust to hide.

What Type of Material?

The material you choose is also going to affect how easy it is to keep your flooring looking great. While wool is natural, breathable, and comfortable, it can also stain more easily. If you want a durable option that’s easy to clean, choose either nylon or polypropylene. Nylon is very easy to clean and can be refreshed with a steam clean to return its natural bounce. Even polyester is easy to clean since it’s difficult to stain.

Top Low-Maintenance Hard Flooring Designs

If you prefer hard flooring options, then you have a lot of different designs and considerations to make.

What are the Best Designs?

In general, anything that doesn’t have deep grain or sunken edges is going to be very easy to clean. Your floors could, therefore, be engineered hardwood, tile, LVP, or laminate. Where you’ll run into problems is with natural or original wood floors that feature a lot of texture, as that texture is where dirt and moisture can hide. However, you can treat original floors and fill in those holes and gaps to give yourself a smooth, easy-to-clean finish.

What are the Best Materials?

In general, anything that is stain-resistant and easy to mop up and hoover is going to be your best friend. Luxury vinyl plank, ceramic, and porcelain are the best options for tile designs, while laminate and engineered hardwood are the top choices for hardwood alternatives.

Protect Heavy-Trafficked Areas

To further protect your hard floors, especially original or engineered hardwood, you’ll want to add additional protection. A large doormat and rubber mat near your front door will help catch dust, mud, and water before it can damage your floors. Swapping over to a waterproofed tile option near your entrances is another great way to minimise wear and tear. You can use rug runners as well.

All of these will help minimise wear on your hard floors. When they do need a clean, they’ll be easy to wipe down and bring back to life.

These are our best tips for choosing floors that require less maintenance.

One of the biggest trends in the world of DIY is stripping back furniture and redoing the finish. While in the past the go-to was to simply paint the wood, increasingly people are looking to remove the stain and redo it in the trending styles of the day. Currently, you’ll see many people strip back the orange finish that was popular in the 90s and early 00s and whitewash the finish so it’s a pale neutral shade.

The key takeaway of this is that wood shade matters. The finish of the wood also follows trends, which means your hardwood floors can end up looking dated. The hardwood themselves is going to endure, yes, but will the finish? Finishes come and go. That’s why you need to really think hard about what your design tastes are so that you can choose a hardwood floor finish that appeals to your interior design tastes best.

Warm, Cool, or Neutral?

A great way to start your journey is to just look at what shades of exposed wood you currently have in your home. If you have a statement coffee table that you love, for example, consider what it is about that shade of finish that appeals the most to you. Is it cool-toned, almost greyish? Is it a pale yellow? Dark orange? Warm honey? If in doubt, take a picture of your favourite wood pieces in your home in bright, natural light. Use this when you visit our Balham flooring specialists to help you pick out a complimentary wood floor that suits your taste in wood.

For most, that taste will either lean towards warm, meaning honey or orange tones; cool, meaning grey or even ash floors; and neutral, which sits somewhere in between. If you have a mix of high-contract items like blacks and honey woods in your home, you’ll want to opt for the neutral floor to tie it all together.

Bring Home a Shortlist

Don’t make a big decision like floor tone right away. Instead, put together a shortlist and bring home samples. Compare those samples directly to your furniture and décor, and make a list. You can even write those points on the back of the sample. An easy way to do this is to go through different sections of your home and put a tick on the back of the sample if it works. The piece that has the most ticks naturally works best in your home.

Compare Your Options in All Lighting Conditions

Give yourself a week or so to get used to the shades and tones of each sample in all lighting conditions. The wood is going to look different in sunshine, on cloudy days, and even under artificial light. How you like the flooring in each of these lighting conditions will change. What you may love in daylight, you won’t like under lamplight. Choose the floor that looks best in all conditions so you can love your flooring choice all day, every day, no matter the season.

Is the carpet in your home looking a little worn and weary? If yes, then don’t despair, as there are a wide range of tips and tricks that promise to transform even the most tattered and battered carpet.

From how to get rid of any indentations made by furniture to vanishing stubborn stains, read on to discover how you can refresh your carpet for spring with minimal effort and maximum results.

How to get rid of furniture indentations in your carpet

If you don’t regularly move the furniture around in your home, you are highly likely to have unsightly furniture indentations in your carpet. Fortunately, these can be removed using some ice and a stiff brush.

Start by moving your furniture out of the way, and then grab an ice cube tray from the freezer. Next, take an ice cube and allow it to melt over the dent in the carpet. Once it has melted, gently scrub the pile with a stiff brush. Don’t brush too hard, as this can damage the carpet fibres.

Allow the carpet to dry naturally, and you should see a vast improvement in the indentations.

How to get rid of stains in your carpet

Stubborn stains can make your carpet look a lot older than it is, but most can be successfully removed using just a few store cupboard staples.

To remove food and drink stains from your carpet, all you need is some baking soda and vinegar. Start by rubbing baking soda onto the stain using a stiff brush and then allow it to sit overnight, as this can help to reduce any unpleasant odours. Next, vacuum up the baking soda and then spray a mixture of water and vinegar onto the stain. Brush again and then allow to dry naturally.

In just a few hours, your carpet should look good as new, and the vinegar smell should have disappeared.

How to remove snags from your carpet

If your carpet is filled with tiny snags that are often caused by pet claws or just general wear and tear, then this can make your carpet look worn out and in need of replacement.

Thankfully, these can be easily removed with just a simple trim. Take a pair of sharp scissors and then trim the top edges of the carpet snags. Take care not to pull the carpet threads – this can cause even more damage.

How to make your carpet fluffy again

Remember when you first purchased your new carpet, and it was all soft and fluffy? You can get this back using a carpet rake, which you can buy online or from a local hardware shop. To revive your carpet, simply lift up your pile and then fluff it up in different directions using the rake. Hey, presto! Your carpet is restored to its former glory!

If you have tried all of the above and your carpet is still looking like it’s seen better days, then you may have to admit defeat and head to your nearest carpet shop. Discover the best carpets in Dulwich and transform your home in time for spring.