Growing up, mom did all the cleaning. Every time a mess was made, the cane would sometimes appear along with the cleaning cloth or the broom. I always wondered what the huge fuss was about until I had my own space to clean. 

Oh yes, now I get it. 

If you share your home with tiny roommates, especially those under the age of 7, you want to ensure it is as low-maintenance as you can possibly design it to be, so you don’t spend your days on your hands and knees feeling you’re starring in a lousy remake of Cinderella, with no prince waiting to save you.

Photo : Much Room Interior (Unclutter the space to make it look clean and neat!)

Living Room

Clutter is your enemy. While a few accents here and there may break up the monotony of a minimalist space, if you’re going for a bohemian or eclectic look… Well, don’t. Cluttering your living room with too many accessories or unnecessary furnishings will make it a nightmare to clean, dust, and mop. Less is more; the cleaner the lines of your home, furniture, and furnishings, the lower your home maintenance will be. Also, lay off the textiles. Throws, cushions, carpets, rugs, these may make a home look and feel cosier but unless your hobby is vacuuming, this is going to get old real quick. Fabric couches also require higher maintenance than leather ones, so go for waterproof or dust proof materials wherever you can. 

Maintaining a simple colour scheme will lend to a visually cleaner space. You don’t have to go all white, but keeping the colour palette to lighter neutral tones will go a long way to making your space feel bright and airy. 

You also want to keep surfaces sleek and smooth. Elaborate forms in furniture encourage dirt and dust to get trapped or accumulate in hard-to-reach nooks and crannies. This means cleaning a lot more regularly, probably with tools designed to reach all these crevices that may cost you more too. Who wants that?

Photo : Posh Home(Platform bed comes with extra storage!)

Bedroom

Get a bed frame or divan without that gap between the bed and floor so you can do away with vacuuming or mopping under your bed. If you MUST have a gap, probably for feng shui reasons, make sure the gap is wide enough for your cleaning tools to reach in and clean thoroughly. A win-win situation is a floor-sitting bed frame with hidden storage space. You get to simultaneously hide clutter and avoid the hassle of cleaning under your bed. Opt for floor to ceiling closed wardrobes so you don’t have to dust the wardrobe tops. Built-in wardrobes and closets may come with a heftier price tag but will give you bang for your buck; solving multiple problems like fitting beautifully into tricky corners in irregular-shaped rooms, and better catering to your lifestyle needs with custom shelves and hanging spaces.

Photo : NJ Concepts (Natural light + natural ventilation = naturally beautiful!)

Kitchen

Sure, an open kitchen may seem like a great idea. You can even throw in a bar counter for those who love to kick back and relax with a drink after work in the comfort of home. But if you’re also a great cook, and you can whip up mouth-watering Asian dishes, that means you’ll be dealing with a lot of grease and oily fumes, both of which will definitely settle into all the spaces and fabrics of your attached living room. Go for a semi-open kitchen or use sliding glass panels so you can have your open kitchen when you can have your open kitchen when you want it, and conveniently section it off when the heavy cooking starts. A win-win-win situation; the third win for saving on mopping time. You are welcome. 

While granite and marble may be pretty options for your countertops, their porosity doesn’t make for very low-maintenance choices. Non-porous options include quartz or KompacPlus or solid surface tops that can look just as classy as marble or granite. Stainless steel backsplashes and integrated or flush mount sinks also ensure a fuss-free wipedown. You can simply sweep all the filth from your countertops straight into the sink for an easy disposal.

Photo : KOZE, Zenith Arc (Large format tiles for lesser grout lines!)

Rub a Dub Dub, Try Not to Scrub

If you absolutely must have tiles in your bathroom, go for large ones so you have less grout lines to deal with. Pick simple tiles with no patterns or textures so they look cleaner and trap less dirt and filth. You may want to install an exhaust fan or plan for a large bathroom window to keep this highly used and abused space well-ventilated. This reduces pent-up moisture which leads to mould and mildew, which are no fun to remove at all.

Meanwhile, glass shower enclosures, while allowing for separate wet and dry bathroom areas, which we highly encourage, can be tedious to upkeep since glass requires regular cleaning to keep mould and grime at bay. Glass panels, as with kitchens, are a great option to partition your bathroom without cramping up the space or requiring laborious upkeep. 

Photo : Met Interior (Seamless surfaces like cement screed looks way too cool!)

A Strategically Seamless Sweep

Grout is out, and seams are a pain in the bum. Tiles require way too much scrubbing, with the need to keep grout looking fresh. Go for seamless surfaces, which like flush kitchen countertops, are much easier to clean and maintain. By seamless surfaces, we also mean your kitchen cabinets, work surfaces, bathroom vanities, and any large areas that require wiping. By picking materials that are scratch and impact resistant, you reduce the amount of work that goes into maintenance. This means avoiding textured wall surfaces or 3D wall panels, fancy cabinet designs or any unnecessary built-in designs with recessed or protruding edges, so you can make your life easier. 

Posted on 13 May 2022

Rachael Sia,

SiXiDES Writer