Making your home child-friendly

One wise man from West Africa observed that a home full of children is never lonely. But the lack of loneliness comes at a cost.

There are those fruit juice stains on the walls that come about because games got jumbled into meal times. Your doors may not escape the chocolate ‘greeting’ as the children run from one room to the other before washing their hands after a rare chocolate treat.

While the children may be trained to keep the surroundings clean, they will surprise you with a stain or two from the dust and mud after hours of playing in the yard.

Because children are a heritage from the creator, as the Psalmist says, we are so proud of them. But bearing in mind that it is within a child’s rights to play, we need homes that are accommodating to children while at the same time maintaining clean surroundings. DIY knows how.

The first step is the decision on the kind of paint or varnish to be used on the walls and doors. We need washable paints that make it possible for us to clean the stains with ease in a most cost-effective way.

It is, however, not enough to have the right paint or vanish, knowing the right material for cleaning and using it is key.

While most paints can be cleaned by ordinary laundry soap and water, it is better to check with the paint or varnish manufacturer on the exact requirements for cleaning a wall or a door with a particular product.

If you painted your walls with the materials that ‘shrug off’ marks and stains with the help of a simple swipe by a soft cloth dipped in a soap solution, then you have made your home child-friendly without creating a mini-prison.

While you remind your children to keep the walls, doors and other surroundings clean, it is your job to make it easy to clean the walls the DIY way. It starts with knowing what will happen when the inevitable stains have struck.

Wishing you a week full of activity as you make your home child-friendly, remember, if you want it perfectly done, do it yourself. n