Could we start a 'low maintenance home' lessons learned thread?

[Oncemoreuntothebeach]

Our new home needs so much doing to it, new kitchen, new bathroom, insulation, new radiators. I work some silly hours sometimes, so I thought I'd use the renovations as an opportunity to introduce some things that would make life a bit easier.

What I've gleaned from the clever MNers on this board so far is:

•Don't have wooden worktops in your kitchen, far too much maintenance/faff to the keep them looking nice.
•Make sure that your toilet is wall mounted, far easier to clean the floor, but make sure you have easy access to the plumbing if something goes wrong.
•Make sure your kitchen cupboard fronts are flat, it'll mean less nooks and crannies for dust to gather in, and make sure your kitchen cupboards go right up to the ceiling too, so the tops of the cupboards don't become dust traps.

However, I'm sure there's loads more I could be doing to make my life easier! What are your favourite things about your home that make it less of a pain to keep tidy and functioning?

Ceiling airer is the dogs. We have 5 rooms only so ours is in the kitchen.

Think which jobs you hate most and minimise them. I hate hoovering so it was hard floors for me.

Think always about time and motion. I can put dirty plates on the side without having to get up from my dining table and that's because I designed it that way.

I have a laundry cupboard next to the washing machine - a kitchen unit with 2 IKEA pullout metal basket shelves - dirty clothes at the bottom, ironing at the top. Tis awesome.

Great idea for a thread. Back later!

We included a floor to ceiling larder cupboard in our kitchen reno. All ambient foodstuff lives there,all in one place.
Makes compiling a grocery list much easier.
Plus Alexa in kitchen for yelling "add mustard to shopping list"
Yes yes to robovac

Decent storage helps as it's quicker to hoover a tidy room

Ensure bathroom fans have humidistat as well as timer. Installing one later solved our mould problem, but was a complete pain to fit and make good again.

Following this with interest.
I need a system to organise toiletries because I buy the ones we like on offer but end up with a cupboard of assorted items.

OMG exactly! I lived abroad and enjoyed years of having my stuff to hand on the flat surface around the basin, I miss that every day but no-one gets it! 😩

Have lights installed on the undersides of kitchen cupboards over worktops and the sink. Directed ceiling spotlights are just not the same.

I saw a tip about frosted glass shower enclosures because of limescales. If you live in a hard water area, get a water softener fitted when you renovate your kitchen. Everything is much easier to clean without limescale.

Ottoman storage bed.
total game changer.

walk-in shower for when we get older
likewise downstairs loo

This - we had a massive butler sink installed - it’s made life so much easier (also great for washing out the undercounted bins).

I have an iron holder inside a cupboard door, importantly it holds a HOT iron so I never have to wait for it to cool before putting away. And it doesn't hold it the wrong way like some do, so the iron can be full of water.

I used to have a massive steam tank monstrosity iron and it was such a pain to store.

It’s my pet hate when I stay in hotels and I need to put the toiletries in the bidet.

Have the bathroom sink on a wall, not under a window, and have electrics for a lit, mirrored bathroom cupboard.

Second hard floors - way quicker to vacuum, never look messy.
Quartz kitchen worktops - quick to clean still look like new, don’t stain.
Warm dog shower by entrance.
Big pantry cupboard for organised storage of food.
When having any building work get builder to insert as much hidden storage as possible: under seating, stairways, understairs, under sinks etc to hideaway less used stuff.
Washing machine etc on same floor as bedrooms so don’t have to carry heavy linen baskets up stairs.
Cordless vacuum cleaner so don’t have to waste time plugging and replugging.
Great idea for thread as learning lots thanks all.

To be fair though, this is often due to size. A lot of bathrooms over here are teeny tiny and even a separate shower is a luxury!

You’re all brilliant thank you!
There's so many great ideas here I'm going to have make a spreadsheet! Please keep them coming!

I was umming and aching about both LVT floors and robovacs, so it's good to see so many recommendations for them here. And a big larder cupboard next to the fridge is so brilliant, and yet so obvious I can't believe its never occurred to me before!

@MerryMarigold I’m intrigued by your door in the bath enclosure but can’t quite picture it. How does it work?

Don't allow anyone to live with you. Far less mess & dirt 😁

You can fit more stuff in drawers rather than cupboards in the kitchen and it’s also easier to find stuff.

A little bit of bicarbonate soda on a cloth will remove marks on walls

When you renovate think about lighting. We have light switches at the entry door to our bedroom but also by the bed.

Probably covered above but here’s my list

Large tiles to reduce grout
Walk in shower - no metal bits/seals to get grubby
Patterned or mottled (ie not plain solid colour) floor in hallway kitchen and bathrooms
Avoid column radiators and shutters as they collect dust (but we have both as they look nice!)
Eggshell paint instead of emulsion in bathrooms and hallway, much tougher and wipes clean
Flat front cupboards
lots of storage
Have a stick vacuum somewhere easily accessible- built a charging point into a cupboard if possible.

Spare room, throw everything in there and close the door 😆

Cleaner here, don't get glossy cupboards they are high maintenance to keep them looking good. I'm all for wood floors but carpet just has to be hoovered whereas wood has to hoovered and moped. Black taps, show limescale so I'd avoid them. If space allows, utility room upstairs, no need to be going up and downstairs to do washing! Self cleaning oven and frost free freezer would save time. Storage.

I have under bed drawers.

I have a utility room but it’s really a cuboard with aspirations to be a utility room😂

not much room for shelves

So I put a washing machine /dryer rack over both the washing machine and the dryer

cost 30 from Amazon and it means I can store the washing stuff above it and other bits and pieces

I have a huge kitchen dinner
underneath the back kitchen window I got the same style but smaller kitchen cabinets fitted with the same work top
so I have loads of storage that matches the kitchen

beds with storage I prefer drawers to a ottoman bed

😂agree, the main issue with my house is everyone else who live there.