Home Design Ideas - Dirt Control

[RobertN]

Oh man, you got that right! Carpet and padding hold stuff like you would not believe. About 5 years ago, we took all the carpet out of the hallway and living/dining/family rooms. Oh my goodness!!!

We kept the carpets cleaned and vacuumed regularily and from the top, you could tell. From the bottom though, it was terrible with fine silt and dust and ickyness. It went through the carpet, and on top of the pad. It went through the pad to the underlayment. I was really amazed.

Now, with tile we see things more, but it is easy to stay on top of it, especially if there is a spill.

 

[anojones]

Having just finished our home, and now surrounded by mud awaiting landscaping in the spring and with a couple of dogs, we have had some thoughts on controlling mud. Sidewalks and gravel are important, a lawn will help. A mudroom with a bathroom, with either a shower or dog tub is helpful and if I were to do it again I'd do as another poster suggested and have a second door to avoid weather entering the rest of the house. If I were to do it again, I'd make the mudroom bigger as well. We also have an area for shoes etc as you walk in, but still keep the workboots in the garage. We also went with solid surface floors- our first place was hardwood and we vowed that it was too hard to clean with all the dust bunnies made of pet hair, our next place was carpet- still dust bunnies but the capet was disgusting- just can't keep it clean with pets- so back to solid surface floors. This all reminds me to replace the filter in our furnace (and oh yeah, as another poster suggested, radiant heat would be pretty nice).

anojones

 

[Henro]

Well...

I can tell you how to do it, but I doubt you will be able to pull it off...

Just absolutely, positively never allow a shoe in your home. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

That is the way we live. Comes from my wife being Japanese and our having lived for six years in Japan. I guess it is a philosopy of life or something. We treat our house like many here treat their bed. That's how I think about it anyway.

We have lots of windows and probably the only carpet in Western PA that keeps getting lighter with time. It started out about 15 years ago as medium brown and is now approaching very light brown. UV does come in through window glass, even 1/4 inch thick glass! (two panes of 1/4 plate glass).

An entrance with a step up of about 16" also helps keep dirt/duct down well below the house floor level. It is an old style Japanese entrance (more or less). But even 4" is enough if you take off your shoes... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Really, even if you let a shoe in occasionally (since that is the American way) taking off shoes most of the time is the key to keeping most of the dirt out.

Nuts like us just carry it to the extreme. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif We do provide slippers for guests if they desire them. Actually, when my brother comes around we encourage him to wear them (he's not mister clean socks). /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

PS...country dirt may be cleaner than city dirt. I think it is anyway... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[DaveNay]

Martin,

Are you going to be in a producing agricultural area? We are surrounded by thousands of acres of corn and soybeans, and when the farmers are harvesting, the crop dust gets everywhere. If you have the windows open in the fall, you will have a fine dust on all horizontal surfaces. We live with it because we don't have central A/C.

The spring can get pretty bad too if they are plowing, and the fields are dry.

Dave

 

[Bird]

Bill, when we bought our place in the country, the first neighbor to come visit pulled his shoes off just inside the door. My wife and I started that habit right then, and still do it even after moving back to town.

 

[SLOBuds]

Dave,

We are kind of in the farmer-wannabe section of country. Cows yes. 300 acre crops no. But believe me there is PLENTY of dirt in the air come summer. Even dirt caused by the smallish projects I do around the 10-acre parcel.

So that is going to be an issue. To leave doors and windows closed means that we miss the natural ventilation. With them open, dust storms.

Henro/Bird - are the shoes left outside on the porch, or ??? And ... what do the Japanese do with their animals?

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( are the shoes left outside on the porch, or ??? )</font>

At our house, they're left just inside the door.

 

[MMM]

<font color="yellow"> It is such a pain to take the boots off for a two minute visit. </font>

You musty have neighbors. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Gatorboy]

<font color="blue"> We are city folks and could notice right away that country living presents a real challenge regarding intrusion of OUTSIDE into INSIDE. </font>

I didn't realize that the city has no dirt.


<font color="blue"> What are some of the other ideas and techniques you have used to build an effective transition from plowed field into clean kitchen? </font>

Stop plowing before you hit the kitchen. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[SLOBuds]

City, dirt? Sure - those little square places between the concrete that have popup sprinklers which only work during rain. Our biggest cleaning task is replacing the element on our hepa total-house air filter which gets clogged from the smog.