?How to Keep My Desert House Clean?

[zech13_9_goforgold]

I am about to move into a house with a super sandy yard. We're in the desert, but I was hoping some beach house families or desert families could give me some tips for keeping it clean.

I have a small covered porch by the front door which I'm thinking about making into a "shoe zone." Any thoughts?

I'd love your idea.

[bigteamug]

Um, depending on where you live and what kind of creepie-crawlies live there, I might hesitate to keep shoes outside. We used to live in NM, where they have all manner of scorpions, tarantulas, etc that I would not want making a home in my families' shoes, even for a night. Not to mention the roaches - ugh.

Is there a way to keep your shoes at the door somewhere inside?

[wendyland]

Are there certain types of matts that help brush the sand off of shoes? Like tall bristles or astroturf-like?

[Drummer's Wife]

vacuum, vacuum, vacuum. We don't use a broom, even though a big part of our home is ceramic tile. We have a floor attachment for the central vac and that gets used a ton.

[scbegonias]

We do shoes off right inside the door (to keep critters out). We'll soon have a mudroom (really a dustcloset) between our exterior door and an interior door. We'll keep shoes there...and I'm hoping the added layer will help keep some dust at bay.

[Jackies Ladybug]

i agree with not leaving shoes outside. i lived in the desert for a year and one general rule is NEVER leave your shoes outside.
you get some really nasty creepy crawlies that like to live in there.

vacuum, stick vac, broom vac and make sure you have hard floors. at least for the first level of the home.

i personally didnt have a shoes off rule, and when guests came over i would ask them to keep their shoes on so they didnt have to feel the sand on their feet. plus the tile was always FREEZING. there is only so much vacuuming any human can do, so not having our shoes off made it not bother me so much. if i cant feel it crunching around under my feet i can kind of pretend its not there.

oh, and try not to run your central system too much until it really starts to get hot/cold.
my utilities bills were OUTRAGIOUS. that was the determining factor for moving. i thought i was saving money by living in a cheaper house, but when you spend $600 a month to heat and cool your house, it does NOT even out to less expensive.