I'm a neat freak who secretly hates cleaning – these are my sanity-saving tricks for keeping my family home tidy, calm, and guest-ready

Home decorator Lara Winter is one of Ideal Home's new Open House contributors, sharing her thoughts on revamping a 200 year old cottage to make it right for modern family life. See the rest of her articles here.

I’ll admit it: I’m a bit of a neat-freak. I can’t stand clutter. Random junk with no home? Instant rage. Those tiny plastic toys that appear out of nowhere and disappear just as fast? Straight in the bin. If you follow my home on Instagram, what you see is more or less real. I’m not staging scenes or hiding mountains of stuff off-camera.

So, people assume I must spend all day tidying and cleaning. The truth: I don’t. I actually don’t like cleaning. I do the bare minimum - but somehow, our house usually looks pretty presentable. Not perfect (you’ll probably spot some laundry drying or dishes in the sink), but definitely visitor-ready.

And no, I’m not talking about the kids’ rooms. That’s their chaos zone. But the main living areas - those are mine to keep under control. Here are a few examples of how I do it in two of our most used spaces.

My Kitchen: Crumbs, Spills, and Sanity-Saving Tricks

Let’s be honest, this is the messiest room in the house. Does anyone know at what age children stop dropping half of their dinner next to the plate?

Here’s what helps:

1. Get a “rustic” dining table (read: old and indestructible)
Our kitchen table cost £40 on Facebook Marketplace. It came with dings and scratches, which I promptly called “character.” I sanded it back, gave it a lick of paint and wax, and now I don’t flinch every time someone drops spaghetti sauce on it. In fact, I sort of welcome the extra marks. They just add to the story, right?

2. Use a patterned vinyl rug - trust me
We have beautiful slate tiles in the kitchen. They’re also the worst to clean because they’re charmingly uneven (which means crumbs forever). Enter: a vinyl rug. Ours is from Beijaflorworld and it’s been a total game changer. It hides crumbs, takes two seconds to hoover, and mops up like a dream. Plus, it’s pretty.

3. Reupholster your dining chairs - in wipeable fabric
Another Marketplace win: four wooden dining chairs, slightly sad, totally cheap. I gave them the usual makeover (clean, sand, paint) and then reupholstered the seats in wipeable, stripey fabric (mine is Portree outdoor fabric from Just Fabrics). It’s cute and practical. Basically the holy grail of parenting-friendly design.

My Living Room: Calm in the Chaos

This is where I try to drink tea and sit still for five minutes. The goal: peaceful, not perfect.

1. Hide the TV - and everything else
We have a cabinet that hides the TV, board games, game consoles, and a jungle of wires. The best part? The bottom section stores logs and looks intentional. It’s practical, but still feels designed.

2. Storage furniture that doesn’t look like storage furniture
Our coffee table is actually a vintage wooden chest I found on Etsy. Inside? Cushions, blankets, and probably a few dinosaurs in hiding. Outside? It just looks like a lovely, solid bit of furniture. Bonus: it makes an excellent hiding spot for kids who insist on playing hide-and-seek 3 times a day.

3. Art frames with a secret stash
If you’ve got little artists in your life, you know the struggle. Every drawing is a masterpiece, and no one wants to throw anything away. Enter: art frames with built-in storage. You pop the latest creation in the front, and the older ones get tucked away behind it. Easy access, no clutter, and no hurt feelings.

The Secret? Tiny Habits, Not Big Cleans

The trick isn’t spending hours cleaning - it’s designing your space so it works with your real life. A few smart swaps, a bit of hidden storage, and letting go of the idea that everything has to be spotless.

There will always be crumbs. The cat will always nap on something he shouldn’t. And someone will leave a random sock in the hallway. That’s life.

But with a few tweaks, your home can still feel calm, intentional, and guest-ready - even when you’re running on strong tea and chaos.

So if you’re like me - a neat freak who secretly hates cleaning - this one’s for you. Do less, hide more, and make it look like you’ve got it all together (even if you don’t).