How to Achieve a Low-Maintenance Home

You may have noticed the designs you see in home interior magazines all seem to look pristine and spotless. This is because they are either brand new or well-maintained. To add to this, they have been prepped for the cameras. For some of these designs, a lot of work and upkeep is required. If you’re someone who wants to achieve this look but isn’t a fan of housework and would like to keep chores and repairs to a minimum, follow these design tips!  

The Kitchen 

Kitchens quickly accumulate a noticeable amount of oil, grease, and stains with daily use. The best way to mask these spots is by choosing darker cabinets. Cabinets with wood grain are better at hiding stains than those painted with a flat color.  

The same rule holds true for countertops with a pattern or veining. This is one reason marbled and variegated surfaces continue to be popular.  

While open shelving is an interesting design element, it requires frequent dusting to keep clean, so it is not the best choice for minimal upkeep. While glass is great for showing aesthetic serveware, it also tends to attract dust and show scratches, smudges, water spots, and fingerprints.  

For the oven, use a drip pan or liner to prevent burnt-on food that is tough to remove. And not all oven-cleaning products are created equal. Some products (such as Heavy Duty Easy Off) should never be used in ovens with enamel surfaces as this will ruin the finish.  

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The Bathroom 

The bathroom is one of the dirtiest and least pleasant places to clean in the house. But there are some measures you can consider during a renovation to ease the job in the long term.  

For example, purchase a bathtub with a non-textured bottom. The nooks and crannies of a textured bottom can make it more difficult to clean. If the non-slip feature is essential to you, then opt for a removable one which you can either remove and clean or replace when it gets worn out.  

Homeowners typically don’t give much thought to their toilets, but it is essential to do so if you would rather not spend too much of your time cleaning them. Getting a toilet with a concealed trapway can prevent dust from getting trapped and make the exterior much easier to clean. Choosing one with a deep bowl that is absent of any large angles and crevices will also go a long way to ensuring the interior stays tidy. Also, keep scrubbing at a minimum with a continuous toilet-cleaning product.  

If you find that the surfaces in your bathroom are constantly dusty, your exhaust fan/vents may be to blame. Make sure it is working properly and change the filters regularly! 

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Throughout the House 

There are additional home design decisions you can make to keep it low maintenance. Choosing lighting that is enclosed instead of open will keep dust from getting inside. That way, you will only have to dust the exterior.  

As for flooring, choosing a medium tone will ensure stains, debris, and dust are not too obvious. This is because light-colored flooring easily shows stains and debris, but dark floors show dust. Also, avoid shaggy rugs and choose easy-care or washable rugs. High pile shags are high maintenance and require special care. Debris gets caught in these types of rugs and keeping them clean is quite a challenging task. Easy-care rugs are designed to be shed-resistant and easy to vacuum. Machine-washable rugs are an especially good fit for kids’ playrooms. Whichever rug or carpet you choose, a protector spray (like this one from Scotchgard) may help prevent stains.  

You can also make a maintenance-friendly decision for your wall paint. Select a high-quality, glossy paint or one that is formulated to be scuff resistant. Standard matte paints show scuff marks easily and often require touchups. Glossy paints have a scuff-resistant coating that prevents such issues.  

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More Ways to Minimize Upkeep 

Real plants have their positives (they are a budget-friendly way to keep your home cool), but they take some work to maintain. With faux plants, you do not need to worry about a watering schedule or lighting conditions. They only require occasional dusting. And nowadays, you can find a broad selection that looks very realistic! 

Candles are a popular choice for setting the atmosphere and add to the ambiance of a home. However, real candles are not the safest choice. Flameless candles are becoming very popular and look realistic, with a moving flame. Many models can be remote-controlled and set on a timer. You no longer need to worry about blowing out the flame (just change the batteries!)  

For similar reasons, electric fireplaces are also replacing wood-burning fireplaces. They typically come with automatic shut-off and timer features to prevent accidentally neglecting to turn them off.  

Finally, if you find your home in a constant state of disarray, your house may be too cluttered. You may need more organization, or it may even be time to purge. We have some kitchen organization tips for you here! 

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Spring Cleaning is Right Around the Corner 

Strike the perfect balance between high style and low maintenance (yes, you can have both!) Get a head start, bring in the new, and refresh your home this upcoming season. Call The Cabinet Doctors and turn your spring cleaning into a full renovation!