A lot of the fancy interior stuff you see in design magazines isn’t as easy to take care of as it looks. The top 10 luxurious but problematic items include marble and concrete countertops (porous, prone to staining from acids and coffee), intricate chandeliers and stainless steel fixtures (which instantly collect dust, grease, and fingerprints), and glass shower doors that quickly become covered in limescale. On top of that, parquet floors (which scratch easily and get wet) and uneven slate surfaces (where dirt gets trapped in cracks) are a pain. And exterior wall plaster is prone to peeling due to moisture. Things like shag rugs and velvet furniture can get pet hair all over them, and it’s hard to get rid of those stains. They also start to look beat up pretty fast.
When you look through online store catalogs and design magazines, a lot of the items look elegant and luxurious, making you want to buy them. But some of them are best avoided, because in practice they’ll turn your life into a nightmare. Backyard Garden Lover has put together a list of popular interior items that require a lot of effort from their owners to keep looking their best.
1. Marble countertops
This porous and soft stone quickly absorbs stains from wine, lemon, oil, or even water. Acids can leave dull marks (etching) and scratches from knives and pots. If you don’t keep up with it, a perfect surface will start to look neglected in just a few months.
2. Chandeliers with intricate designs
Every part of a chandelier is bound to get dusty, dirty, and greasy. It’s no joke when a shiny chandelier gets dull and cloudy — cleaning each pendant individually is a real challenge.
3. Stainless steel appliances
You can see every fingerprint, every drop of water, and every smudge on them. It seems like no sooner do you wipe them down than they get dirty again. You’ve got to keep wiping it to keep it looking “professional.”
4. Glass shower doors
If you don’t take care of them every day, they’ll get all gross with soap scum, lime deposits, and mold. After a week or two, the clear glass gets cloudy and looks dirty, even if you’ve been careful with the shower.
5. Hardwood floors can get scratched up pretty easily by furniture, pet claws, and sand on shoes. Water is the main enemy: spill it, and you’ll get warping and stains. If you’re not careful, you could end up with a sanded floor.
6. Shag carpets
These rugs are great for trapping pet hair, dust, and crumbs. Spilled liquids go deep into the fibers, and a regular vacuum cleaner just can’t handle it. After a year or two, the carpet looks greasy and loses its volume.
7. Velvet furniture
It’s pretty easy to make it crease, and you can see the seat marks on it. Pet hair sticks to it like glue. One spilled glass of wine—and you’re stuck with a stain you can’t get out.
8. Slate Floors
Slate can peel away and chip. The surface is porous and uneven, so dirt gets trapped in the cracks. A regular mop doesn’t do the trick—you have to clean the crevices by hand.
9. Concrete countertops
They’re porous, so they absorb everything: oil, wine, coffee. If you don’t get a perfect sealant, stains are permanent. Little cracks start popping up, and it’s a pain to fix.
10. Exterior wall plaster
Exterior wall plaster can crack for a couple of reasons. It might be because the house is settling, or it could be due to moisture. If you don’t fix that crack soon, water will seep under the plaster, and you’ll end up with mold and peeling in big chunks.