Lifestyle Content // 5 Tips to Design an Easy-to-clean and Super Maintainable Home*

We all want more time on our hands than we can get. We also want to feel comfortable and relaxed after a tiresome day at work or school. But how can you relax if your living space isn’t pleasantly clean and tidy? It’s not enough for your home to be practically designed, you also have to enjoy living in it, and above all, it has to be easy to maintain. Here are 5 steps to designing an easy-to-clean, super maintainable home. 

If you want floors that take minimal effort to clean, you have a few options: vinyl, hardwood or tiles. If you’re sticking to carpet, however, there is a way it can be maintained with as little effort as other options. In this case, it might be worth investing in a service that provides soft, but durable, selections of carpets, such as Stainmaster Carpet. This option is definitely worth considering if you have young children who walk safer on carpet but create mess easily.

Make sure you place your shelves, bins and other storage containers in an easy-to-access location. This means keeping them in places that are close to where you’d be working—for example, you’ll want your pots and pans above the kitchen bench, and your piano music in a piano stool, assuming that it has space underneath (furniture storage counts as easy-to- access, so think about it!). It’s also important that your storage is easy to reach, for example, investing in some pull out shelves would be beneficial, because not only are they easy to access, but they don’t get in the way. 

The trick to habitually throwing out trash is to enjoy the process. This is achieved through a fun means of disposal, or, put simply, a bin that is easy to reach but difficult to notice. Invest in a pull out bin—it’s accessible, and it’s fun to use (as fun as disposing can be, anyway). Alternatively, keeping your bin under the sink is equally as practical, though not quite as satisfying. The same logic applies to storage; in other words, it shouldn’t need to look like storage. As far as your guests are concerned, you maintain an immaculate household without any help. 

Cleaning supplies should be virtually on you, no matter where you are in the house. With this in mind, it is crucial that your laundry—or wherever you keep your supplies—is in a convenient location. Where might this be? Well, this all depends on what gets dirty the fastest, or the most often. For most people, this is their clothes and their kitchen bench. So find a room that will be easy to reach via your bedroom or kitchen. 

This applies to the kitchen mainly, but any room likely to cop a lot of mess will benefit from some protection as well. For a sink, stove, or any bench situated against a wall, backsplash wall is essential. In the simplest terms, this is a wall that is easy to clean after a day of cooking, crafts, or what have you. Again, vinyl or tile walls are sensible options, but stainless steel will also free up the rest of you day brilliantly. You won’t regret choosing this over wallpaper or paint. 

The above tips reveal not only what makes an appealing design, but what upholds an appealing design. Knowing how to preserve the interior of your house will, above all, give you more time to relax and appreciate your effort to provide a safe environment for you and your family.