Influencer Speak – Décor Cleaning Hacks

Who doesn’t want a pretty abode? But home decor is not just about beautifying your space with colors and accessories but also maintaining it with perfection. A clean, fragrant home has its own charm, hence we take you through various decor cleaning tips straight from the expert- Preethi Prabhu who talks of DIY cleaning and organizational tips.

Could you tell us about the kitchen ingredients that make up as the best home décor cleansers?

My favorite kitchen ingredient is soft tamarind pulp. With a little bit of salt added, it’s the perfect solution to shine all brass articles.

Don’t throw away lemon halves after squeezing them. Rubbing them on the stainless steel water faucets takes away the hard water stains.

Could you give our readers 5 organization tips for their décor space?

A place for everything and everything in its place is the first rule of organizing. Allot a space for everything, even if it is a basket in a drawer, do it.

Identify the root cause of the mess and then fix it. For example, if shoes are piling up in your entry way, ensure everyone puts their shoes back in storage after they take them off. Or have a tray to keep shoes in for airing before they go back to the shoe rack.

Make best use of the storage that you already have. Using stackable bins inside your cupboards can make use of the vertical space available. Trays in drawers ensures better access to stuff when you are looking for it. Hooks on the insides of the cupboard doors can be used to hang things. When you make best use of your space inside your cupboards, you have lesser things to deal with on the outside.

Get your décor item to do double duty. Store remotes in a decorative box on your coffee table.

Make space on your bookshelf by taking out the best looking books and displaying them as a stack on your side table. Store things in your decorative jars that are on display.

Deal with mess immediately. Freshly laundered clothes can be folded and put in its place as soon as they are dry.  Drop keys in the keybowl rather than leaving them around. Being organized saves a ton of time.

Take us through the easiest cleaning DIYs

One part liquid dish washing soap and 5 parts water mixed in a spray bottle is a very handy cleaning agent. It can be used on counter tops, appliances and even bathroom tiles.

Always have a putty knife in your cleaning kit. This is helpful especially helpful if you have small kids who love to make a mess. Use the putty knife to scrape almost anything from any surface.

When it comes to cleaning, what intricate details should be taken care of?

Look at cleaning as a package. Organizing your cleaning will save you a lot of stress. Segregate them into Surface cleaning, deep cleaning, seasonal cleaning and preventive measures (I will tell you what this is) and how often you need to do them (Daily, weekly, monthly and yearly)

Adding plants in your décor that purify air and getting a round of professional pest control done is a part of your preventive measure.

Stay away from chemical cleaners, most of the cleaning can be managed with ingredients found in the kitchen. Also there are fewer chances of chemical reaction when the cleaner comes in contact with the material when you are sticking to natural ingredients.

Treat cleaning as a zen experience than a chore. It is one part of life that is inevitable and there is no getting away from it, so it only makes sense to turn it into a therapy than stress over it.

Could you give us certain décor hacks that curb the house from getting dirty?

Have a junk drawer or a junk trunk or a junk cupboard. It may seem counterproductive at first, but is a blessing in disguise. Things that you don’t know where to put goes into the junk drawer. Once a month or whenever you have the luxury of time sort it out. When you need your space decluttered in 5 mins, this is a life saver.

And finally, don’t beat yourself up. Sometimes its ok to have a messy house and not do anything about it. Don’t compromise on your family time or your me time and deal with cleaning, believe me its not worth it. What you could do is turn it into a family bonding activity and have fun.

Preethi Prabhu

Rummaging in the attic of my dad’s ancestral home in search of some pretty stuff must have been the first signs of my love for home decor. Spending hours gawking at old editions of Interior Decor magazines was a favourite pastime. I must have been about thirteen or fourteen then, i would give my precious finds a good wash and put them in different corners of the house. I think the only thing I missed then, and would have loved to do was take pictures.