As anyone with children and pets will tell you, keeping up with daily housekeeping is no easy feat. The design choices most people make during renovations are often based first on aesthetic preferences and second on functionality. While the look and feel of your home are important, don’t forget to think about how much time and energy you’ll have to spent to keep these features clean and looking new.
Wondering what design principles you should follow? Here are some of the major material and style choices you can make during your renovation project to avoid getting burned out from upkeep post-renovation.
Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay
The Bathroom – With all those crevices where soap scum, dust, and debris like to collect, it’s no wonder that the bathroom is most people’s least favorite room to clean. When designing your bathroom, avoid all features that may cause water to become trapped and cause needless scrubbing later. Opting for simple, clean, and modern designs for your shower, bathtub, toilet, and vanity is the way to go. And while those subway tiles look chic, the bigger the tile, the less grout – making them much easier to keep clean.
Image by Ryan Doka from Pixabay
The Kitchen – As despised as cleaning the bathroom is for most, the kitchen is likely to be the room that requires the most of your time to keep clean. A long, hectic day followed by an evening spent tidying up the aftermath of dinner can leave you with little to no time to unwind. In addition to wiping up easily, quartz waterfall countertops are scuff resistant, making them extremely low-maintenance. They’re also antibacterial, so you don’t have to worry about regularly disinfecting them to keep your little ones safe. It’s also a good idea to make sure your kitchen design is full of storage solutions so that you can find and put items away efficiently.
Image by StockSnap from Pixabay
The Flooring – Sweeping, vacuuming, and washing the floors in your home can take up several hours just on their own. Having kids and pets in the home means you’re constantly combatting spills, crumbs, and pet hair. The addition of durable glazed ceramic tiles in the kitchen makes sweeping and moping quick and easy. If tile flooring isn’t your thing, it’s still possible to have that warm, wood look without the upkeep that often comes with hardwood floors. Engineered hardwood is a great alternative to traditional wood flooring, as it’s waterproof and free of grooves. You’ll find cleaning it a breeze, and it won’t warp, making it longlasting.
The baseboards you choose also matter. Pick a design with angled molding to prevent dust from collecting on top. The angled design will allow the dust to drift to the floor where it can easily be vacuumed up.
While these major renovation designs will help reduce the time you spend on upkeep, remember that your home might not look perfect all the time, and that’s okay too. It’s important to remind yourself that sometimes, it’s okay to say no to maintaining your idea of the perfect home. When life gets a little bit crazy, put your mental health first.
What design principles have you implemented to make your space low maintenance?
Kori
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