How To Design An Easy-Clean Kitchen In 5 Steps
There are a lot of stylistic decisions you have to make when designing a new kitchen space. You have to figure out how to make it look sleek and aesthetic while also making it easy to navigate. On the other hand, you shouldn’t forget about the practical aspect of its design. Kitchens can get dirty and most of your house cleaning will be aimed at making it spotless. It would be very smart to keep efficiency in mind while you’re coming up with your kitchen design. There are a plethora of ways to make sure that your kitchen is easy to clean and applying them will make the job a piece of cake.
There are a lot of stylistic decisions you have to make when designing a new kitchen space. You have to figure out how to make it look sleek and aesthetic while also making it easy to navigate. On the other hand, you shouldn’t forget about the practical aspect of its design. Kitchens can get dirty and most of your house cleaning will be aimed at making it spotless. It would be very smart to keep efficiency in mind while you’re coming up with your kitchen design. There are a plethora of ways to make sure that your kitchen is easy to clean and applying them will make the job a piece of cake.
Minimize the number of gaps
An easy to clean surface is usually uniform and smooth to the touch. Some materials and tiles require gaps between them in order to be properly assembled. If you have a specific kind of tile that needs cement or glue, you’re going to end up with a lot of low spaces between your tiles. These can accumulate quite a bit of dirt and grease. The fact that they are lower than the rest of the surface also makes them very difficult to clean properly.
Your countertop should be as uniform as possible. Any time you clean dirt you should be able to do it with one swift movement that encompasses the entire length. Your stovetop probably won’t be connected to the surrounding countertop or tables, but there’s no reason you can’t model them to fit it as close as possible. It will make cleaning it easier and your kitchen will be a lot more hygienic.
Make sure the countertops and stovetops fit snuggly near the walls too. You won’t notice the dirt buildup behind them, but your wall will get pretty messy if you disregard it.
Go green with towels
Paper towels have long been hailed as the saviours of kitchen cleaning. You wipe up some dirt and just throw it away in the bin. Unfortunately, they aren’t the eco-friendliest option. While it might be convenient, it’s still made of paper. Millions of trees are cut down every year to make way for this kitchen-cleaning convenience.
You will find that regular kitchen towels should do the trick. They are washable which makes them an environmentally friendly option compared to paper towels. On the other hand, you also get to go green on your wallet. Not having to purchase paper towels every week can be a great way to save money.
Don’t forget about the role of your bins, either. Paper towels generate a lot of waste and that means having to take out the trash just about every single day.
Add well-placed cabinet spaces
Your kitchen can’t go without cabinets. You need someplace to keep your cutlery and clean dishes. Picking the right spot can mean the difference between a clean kitchen and a cluttered kitchen. If your cabinets are awkward and difficult to reach, you probably won’t be too enthusiastic when it’s time to set the clean cups and plates.
Try to find the golden spot between your stove and dishwasher where you can reach for any item in your cabinets without much difficulty. Not only will this allow for quick disposal during cooking and cleaning, but you’ll also be much quicker and more efficient when you need to make something.
Cabinets should also be easy to clean. Don’t overdo any intricate designs that have unusual angles or protruding parts. This can be a nightmare to clean and the kitchen is one place you want to be able to clean easily.
Make your floor manageable
Kitchen floors might not cross your mind often, but they are extremely important when it comes to cleaning. The kitchen is an area with a lot of foot traffic. One minute you’re cooking and getting grease stains on the floor and the other minute people are walking around spreading dirt. Without a properly managed floor, most of your surface cleaning will be aimed downwards.
Grease and water are common sights on the kitchen floor, which makes it a pretty dangerous area to tread while cooking. You need some kind of easy to clean, non-slip surface to keep you from tumbling down. Rubber mats, like the ones at Mat Shop, are a great way to prevent yourself from slipping on the floor.
Picking out the right material is just as important. You want to make cleaning the floor as easy as cleaning the countertop. Unfortunately, this requires specific materials that are both tough and manageable. Engineered wood of vinyl might be your best bets. Anything that doesn’t have grout lines would be appreciated. The good news is that you also get something that looks nice to go with your kitchen aesthetic.
Focus on your sink
Every kitchen needs a sink where you either wash or rinse your dishes. Even if you have a dishwasher at hand, you still need a readily available source of water to help you clean things up. A lot of people opt for a double bowl sink in order to have a separate area for cleaning and drying. This way, you can be sure that no dirt is spread from items that were not yet cleaned.
One of the most important decisions you can make regarding your sink is making it integrated or undermount. This makes cleaning miles easier than the overmount option. You get to wipe off any dirt from your counter or stove directly onto the sink and save yourself the trouble of picking it up.
Conclusion
When you’re designing your dream kitchen, you have to take every single detail into account. If luxury is on your mind, making it easier to manage should be one of your top priorities. A lot of people don’t consider the practical aspects of the design choices they make and they’re left with a kitchen that is a pain to clean. If you keep some of these pointers in mind, you’ll be blessed with a kitchen that is not only beautiful but also very easy to manage.
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