It probably gets to the point where you’re so sick of cleaning, like you’re so sick of cleaning, like you’re doing spring cleaning, having to do maintenance here and there. While a home shouldn’t be effortless, it shouldn’t be hard to manage either, right? Like, really, what gives here? Well, it’s usually in the finishes; this is usually what people struggle with (and a good chunk of the time, they don’t even realize it either).
But choosing finishes sounds like it should be the fun part, right? Like, you just pick a colour, pick a texture, feel like an interior design genius for five minutes, done. But no, it just doens’t work that way because of hard water marks, food drops, cooking splatter, finger prints, it’s those sorts of things. While you can’t have an effortless home, you should be able to have a low-maintenance one, but how?
It Starts with Gloss Versus Matte
If you don’t know anything about finishes, then it needs to start right here. So, gloss also loves to show every smudge, every fingerprint, and every streak from a cloth that wasn’t perfectly clean. If a household has kids, pets, or just anyone who touches cupboards with actual hands, gloss can become a full-time job, which honestly sounds like a silly exaggeration here, but it’s actually not.
So, what about matte though? Well, matte is more forgiving for fingerprints, and it tends to look calmer and more modern without trying too hard. But matte can show grease marks in certain lighting, and some matte finishes don’t wipe as easily if they’re more porous or textured. But you’re still better off with matte, because a good quality matte hits that sweet spot.
Dealing with Grout in the Kitchen?
Well, the problem with grout is that it starts out looking fine, then it slowly changes colour, and somehow it always looks worse around the hob and sink. Well, that, and you should keep in mind here that light grout gets stained, dark grout can fade, and either way it tends to collect grease and splatter in a way that’s hard to make look fresh again.
Now, sure, bigger tiles can help because they reduce grout lines, and sealed grout helps too, but the most maintenance-friendly approach is using finishes that don’t rely on loads of grout in the splash zone. Now, that does probably sound really obvious here, right? Well, you could look into Toughened Glass splashbacks, for example, actually, they’re popular for a reason, because they’re smooth, easy to wipe, and don’t come with a grid of grout lines waiting to discolour. There are plenty of options out there, and this is a great one if you’re struggling with the grout.
Don’t Forget the Stainless Steel and the Fingerprint Situation
Well, honestly, this one deserves some attention, too, here. But stainless steel is one of those materials that feels like it should be practical, because it’s used in professional kitchens, and it is practical, but it’s also a magnet for fingerprints. Most appliances tend to be stainless steel too, so it makes sense that this should be practical. Technically, yes, it is practical. Sometimes there are fingerprint-resistant options out there, so you could look into those.
Anything with Groves
Be it wood or stone, well, anything with groves looks gorgeous, and it can make a kitchen look unique, too. So what’s not to love there? Well, dust, grease, and crumbs get caught in all the little dips, and cleaning turns into scrubbing instead of wiping. Now, clearly, that’s far from ideal here. So it’s best to stick with smooth surfaces.
