Design Tips to Plan an Easy-to-Clean Kitchen


As one of the most renovated areas of the home and a space that you spend a significant amount of time each day, revamping a kitchen can bring a fresh new look to the home and make preparing food much more enjoyable. Functionality of the kitchen should be at the forefront of any new kitchen design, and instead of simply planning colour schemes, appliances and aesthetics, a major factor in any new kitchen should be how easy the space is to work in.

A major factor of achieving this is designing easy to clean spaces and surfaces and there are many strategies to plan and build an easy to clean kitchen:

Choose Tiles Carefully

Tiles are a popular choice in the kitchen, however smaller tiles also mean more grout lines. Because grout is porous, these lines can show up dirt and other deposits quickly, especially in a high traffic area like the kitchen. To overcome this problem, consider using larger tiles and a darker coloured grout such as grey or terracotta that will not show up dirt as easily. Epoxy grout will be more resistant to stains and dirt and its important to ensure all grout and tiles are sealed during installation.

Also avoid tiled benches and splashbacks as overtime these will look dirtier than one continuous single surface. Stainless steel, acrylic, laminate and quartz are all grout-free materials that can be used for benches and splashback surfaces. 

Use Extractor Fans and Range hoods

Stove top cooking in a kitchen can create a thick film of grease and fat deposits on cabinet tops and counters. A ducted range hood will extract smoke and steam during cooking and prevent lingering cooking smells. Removing this moisture and grease can help prevent mould growth as well as help avoid pests. Definitely something worth considering to maintain a clean kitchen.

Install a Double Undermount Sink

For kitchens without dishwashers, a double sink will make life a lot easier when it comes to cleaning up. Not only does it give space to rinse dishes, a double sink can be a place to keep dirty dishes before they are washed, freeing up bench space to make the area feel tidier. Consider installing under mounts sink that will integrate into the kitchen bench seamlessly, allowing you to wipe mess off the bench straight into the sink. Under mount sinks will also avoid food and other debris getting caught between the lip of the sink and the bench, which is notoriously a difficult area to clean.

Avoid Ornate Handles and Trimming on Cabinets

Flatter surfaces are easier to wipe down and present less opportunity for debris to get caught between nooks and crannies of trimming, handles and other decorative features throughout the kitchen. Avoid elaborate moulding on cabinet doors as these will catch grease from dirty fingers and consider cabinet doors that require just one or two fingers to open.

These are just a few ways homeowners planning their new kitchen can ensure a functional and maintenance free kitchen design. A professional kitchen designer will be able to provide further advice on how to keep cleaning to a minimum, giving you more time to enjoy the space and less time cleaning it. 

About Me

Megan's Home Improvement Blog

Hello! Are you interested in home improvement? If so, you are in the right place. My name is Megan and I live in Melbourne, Australia. I should probably explain that I am not a professional home improvement contractor. I am just someone who wanted to improve the space in which they live and who had to learn all kinds of crazy new skills to do so. Thankfully, my dad and my brother are both expert DIY guys, so they gave me a lot of help and support during the renovation project. I love my home now and I want to help others to love theirs.

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