What non-obvious things make a house feel clean?

[Custardapples]

Obviously you can have a clean sink, loo, etc. but I think there are some non-obvious things that help make a house look and feel clean and I want to know what they are! My house never feels like this and some other people’s homes do. I feel like I’m missing crucial knowledge of how this works.

One thing I’ve just discovered is that the grout between our kitchen floor tiles hasn’t been sealed and that’s why it’s always so grubby. Things like that.

What else can I do to help my house feel clean, fresh and pleasant apart from the obvious?

Thank you!

This sounds like magic. Thank you.

Tidy up as you go along and absolutely no clutter on show. Beautiful cushions, arranged neatly. Clean skirting boards and floors, so you are going to have to sort out your grouting! Nice bed linen and made up beds. Folded towels and accessories all placed in the right place. Do I have OCD - maybe! I blame training as a Nightingale nurse and having strict matrons. We weren’t allowed to leave the patient until everything was neat and tidy. So it is ingrained in me.

I used to think that my house was relatively clean and tidy.

Having glanced through this thread, I now think I should rename myself LivesInSqualor.

Not OCD just nice presentation.

I love interior design so for me having a house look good makes me happy. I like lots of styles though and it doesn’t have to be pristine just stylish but effortlessly so. I’m a big fan of storage!! You don’t need to see the workings of your life, just have places to put it all until you need stuff. Only leave the attractive bits out.

-Putting zoflora in the toilet brush holder makes the whole room smell lovely. Same in the sink.
-buy a scrub daddy damp duster, game changer!
-robovac is fantastic.
-stick hoover to quickly clean crumbs etc. I used to sweep it up, massive difference now. I was put off but the price, but now would not be without!
-nice smelling reed diffuser in the front porch, people always comment on it.
-hand prints
-fabulosa kitchen and bathroom cleaner spray, smell delicious for ages and clean easily. Spray and wipe.

no magic tricks just clean clear surfaces, no cluttter

fresh smell from fresh air circulating, not chemical scents which advertise smells needing to be covered up.

Simple, not necessary easy.

Good lighting shows up the dirt, on walls, floors, dust on things,

The advantage of that is you can then remove said dirt, if you are so inclined. But otherwise yes, it's only going to enhance an existing problem.

Still needing the laugh emoji back!
I was thinking my endless jugs of cocktails need to go! 🤣 🤣

Yes, there wouldn't be a "maybe" about it if they did have it.

We're not a domesticated household, DH does the cleaning to some extent, I do the cooking and washing. We've found that uplighters work well because they don't light the dust on upward facing surfaces. Same goes for desk/table lamps because they only light a limited surface area which can be wiped without much effort.

I think that clear (and ideally clean) kitchen work surfaces make a place look much better but we have an open plan living space so it makes more difference than it would in a separate kitchen.

May I ask, does that (open plan) impact on the transference of cooking smells and grease from the kitchen area?

I've got a very good extractor (not recirculating) with washable grease filters which I always use, without fail, so it isn't too bad. Also I always run the airfryer under the extractor. However I've found that some smells (such as smoked haddock) do linger so I cook things like kedgeree in a pressure cooker.
Grubby elderly DH in open plan living room is more of a problem though 😖

Floors swept/mopped/hoovered (not necessarily all three) makes a huge difference to how your house looks.

Skirting boards (am obsessive about those) and tops of door frames/pictures.
Baby wipes on doors to get the slightly grubby areas off, just where people's hands touch. (Baby wipes are amazing at household cleaning, not sure if they're a good thing for babies bums tbh.)
Not too much furniture, but definitely not too little.
I think furniture without covers (like bedspreads etc) is "cleaner" but always had things covered with toddlers about.
Floorboards and rugs vs nasty carpets. Hoovered every couple of days.
Nicely polished wood.
Freshly painted walls, maintained well.
Shoes all away, ditto bags and coats
No evidence of hobbies. But we like hobbies, so our house fails on that score.
In the kitchen, worktops very clear if possible - always looks well put together. (Hard if you love to cook.)
Books and magazines away
A really nice room scent - hard to find imo.
A few things in a room which tie together, whether it's colour or texture.
Controversial: no red anywhere in your decor. It doesn't go with a lot and ends up feeling like you just have stuff in a red room.

On my way out to buy sponges on sticks! 🙌

Minimalist even with punctuation! Lol, couldn't resist.
Jokes aside, this reminds me of something not entirely unrelated. An organised environment goes with an organised mind. Before embarking on any major writing project, the first thing I do is organise the desk (and desktop). I'm messy by nature but there are many benefits to minimalism other than aesthetics and cleanliness, is what i meant to say. 💐

Jokes aside i do try to do punctuation.
But i have a learning disability.
I dont see or write or type like others as i dont seen numbers letters or marks like one should.
I get called out on it alot on MN.
But i really cant help it.
Edit for spelling mistake.

Have you had your Dyslexia officially diagnosed? @Allergycream

What is the name of the window cleaning mousse please?

Check the OPs posts she must have put it up three times now

Yes i have.

Shiny taps, gunk free condiment bottles, no rotting veg in fridge or elsewhere, wipe down inside fridge once week, deep clean monthly

use old socks, dampened to dust/clean flat surfaces including tvs, ZOFLORA 4£0