Cleaning Tips for Log Cabin Living

I’ll admit it – I’m a neat freak. And having a dislike of house dirt while living in the country is, let’s say, a bit challenging.

Living in a country house while building a self-sufficient lifestyle can invite a lot of dirt, muck and clutter – not so comfortable for someone who likes things clean and orderly. Then there’s the biggest challenge of living in a small rural home – the lack of space. All those beekeeping books and rural living magazines have to go somewhere. Without some attention paid to storage and organizing, the house could get incredibly cluttered incredibly quickly.

So how does a neat freak stay sane living in a country home, without spending hours a day cleaning or completely giving up, living in filth and tripping endlessly over clutter?

There are definitely a few tricks, and I’d love to share a few of them with you. I’ve arranged them by topic based on the things I find myself cleaning and organizing most often in our cabin in the woods:

Floor Dirt

It goes without saying that a house surrounded by gardens and gravel will end up with dirt inside. But there is a way to keep it in check without having to haul out the vacuum every day.

Get a simple Asian broom (these looks nicer and work better than the plastic variety) to do a daily sweep, and purchase a few colorful cotton and hemp rugs in strategic spots on the floor that you can easily shake outside, then throw in the wash when they get dirty. I love wool rugs – I’ve got a few gorgeous ones in storage – but they’re just not practical… unless you have a penchant for dry cleaning bills. And it goes without saying that shoes should stay outside or go in the armoire.

Finally, an effective, attractive doormat outside the front door – one you can wash – makes a huge difference to the amount of dirt that ends up inside the house. With these tactics in place, I’m not constantly washing the floor, which is great, because there are many other things I’d rather do with my time!

Cobwebs

If there’s one thing that shocked me about moving to a house in the country, it was the cobwebs. They seem to spring up instantaneously after vacuuming. In fact, last fall, we really didn’t need Halloween decorations. The cobwebs appears so quickly and so fiercely that it was all I could do to keep them from weaving themselves into new drapes. Leave the ‘clearing’ for two days and I was living on the set of a horror movie.

So how does one battle the webs of armies of spiders you can’t see? I guess you could get rid of the spiders, but I kind of like the fact they’re on patrol, catching all the other bugs that could actually do damage (ants, moths, wood bugs). I won’t use toxic insecticides, anyway, so I’m sort of stuck with them.

The best way I’ve found to deal with the cobweb draperies is with one of those cylindrical dusters (wool or polyester) attached to a telescoping handle you can buy at most hardware stores. This allows you to reach up to the peak of cathedral ceilings – way beyond where the vacuum can reach. Then just vacuum the duster off after each clearing. The cylindrical duster works great for flat walls, but not so well on rough, hand-hewn logs, so for the walls I use the flat floor attachment on the vacuum. This keeps us pretty well cobweb free for most of the year – in the fall, I just have to do double duty… or pretend we live on a movie set.

Bugs

Creepy crawlies creep a lot of people out. When we first moved into our cabin, we were finding cave crickets in the oddest places, and there were wood bugs everywhere. Maybe it was a ‘spring’ thing, but after living here for awhile, and allowing the spiders to do what spiders do, we seem to have less and less bugs. We do, however, get big brown house spiders that give me the willies. They have a habit of crawling on the ceiling right above the bed as we’re going to sleep at night. Needless to say, I’ve become a bit of a spider wrangler – into a plastic bucket with a piece of cardstock to keep them from escaping and outside they go.

Sealing up any insect access points, keeping food secure and ensuring there is no rot in your home will go a long way in keeping the bugs at bay. Finally, screen doors are critical in our mosquito infested corner of the world, and they keep out the flies and other flying bugs. I purchased some cheap wood screen doors that fit with the look of the cabin, and they’ve been more than adequate for the job. Living in the city, we just didn’t have many bugs. Flies, and the odd ant, but that was about it. In the country, it’s a whole other story.

Mice

I’ve written previously about mice in the house, so won’t expand on it (you can read the original article Reducing Your Kitchen’s Attraction Factor here). That said, do know that mice are ubiquitous in the country, and that they’re actually sort of cute. Messy, but cute. Best way to keep them from making a mess in your house is to ensure anything edible is sealed up, vacuum regularly, check drawers and other places they might try to nest, and don’t discourage predators like owls, hawks and other animals who like mouse snacks. Of course, if you have chickens, some of those predators may not be welcome, but that’s a balancing act for another article. Some have suggested peppermint in sachets or peppermint essential oil in the corners mice frequent, but I haven’t tried that yet.

Clutter

If you’re lucky enough to have a larger home in the country, this won’t be as much of an issue, but even still, living on a homestead can mean collecting books, storing food, and keeping your tool shed stocked with extra handles and equipment. If you’re a neat-freak like me, you need a plan and a method of keeping it all organized. Inside, use baskets, armoires, and under-stairs storage to keep small items both concealed and easily accessible.

Outside, use storage sheds complete with hangers, racks and shelves for food and tool storage.

Bottom line – the more stuff you have, the more time and energy it takes to look after it. I actually find it a blessing to live in a tiny home, as it keeps me from collecting stuff I don’t need.

Even though keeping a country house clean and organized is a bit of a challenge, especially when storage space is at a premium, it’s well worth the effort. And by following some of the tips listed above, it’s easier than you might imagine.

The Author:

Victoria Gazeley is a designer and communications professional living in an 80-plus year old restored log cabin homestead on a 6 acre rural property in coastal British Columbia, Canada. She created her website for anyone who is wanting a more resilient, self-sufficient lifestyle, whether it be in the city or the country. It’s ‘simple self-sufficiency – with style!’ modernhomesteading.ca