How to Shop for Easy to Clean Furniture

There are certain things that are obvious about choosing furniture for a family. For instance, white sofas and children don't work well together. Please don't think that a house with children can't be classy, however! It often takes careful thought and lots of shopping to find something that you love and cleans well, but there are many wonderful options in all kinds of styles from Victorian to modern.

If you are in the market for some new furniture, here are some things to keep in mind as you shop. The dining room and whereever else you eat are where there will be the grubbiest hands most often. Take extra care in the the furniture chosen for these areas, because you will be cleaning it most often.

Upholstery is much more likely to stain and more time consuming to clean than plain wood, so think twice before choosing those elegant cushioned dining chairs. They won't seem nearly so elegant with peas and jelly handprints all over them. Decorative wood carvings are the bane of a mother's existence. Take a good look at any decorative features on a dining room chair. Will you have to keep a box of toothpicks in your cleaning gear to scrape the dirt out of that decorative medallion? Then keep looking!

That antique highchair may be gorgeous, but do you want to clean pumpkin off the 12 tiny spindles every day? I thought not. One popular decorative accent on a dining room table is to carve a tiny groove all the way around the tabletop, several inches from the edge. Unless you always use a tablecloth, that groove is going to get completely packed with crud that can only be cleaned out with (you guessed it) a toothpick. Many mothers have cursed the furniture designers with fetishes for tiny grooves. You don't have to be one of them if you avoid those tables!

As you look at furniture that you are interested in purchasing, pretend that you are cleaning it. Run your hand over it as if dusting, or take off the cushions and see how easy it is to remove Legos that the couch has eaten. You may discover that it isn't as easy to clean as you would have thought.

For instance, Mission Style furniture has a classic, uncomplicated look and is often easy to clean. But what if the trademark slats on the piece you are looking at are so close together, you have to use a Q-tip to dust in between? You will want to consider that in your decision.

Of course, if you find a piece of furniture that you love but is not so easy to clean, you may decide that is you want it anyway. If burnishing the hand rubbed oil finish is going to fill you with joy, then go right ahead! Simple joys are a beautiful thing, and caring for something you positively love can be a simple joy.

If you put time and careful thought into your furniture purchase, you are sure to find the piece that complements your family life perfectly. Happy shopping!