What makes a kitchen “easy maintenance”?

This is one of the goals for most of us when considering our ideal kitchen. Who wants to spend half their time in the kitchen cleaning? So, let us consider what would make a kitchen easy to maintain.

Flooring:

• Vinyl (also called resilient flooring) feels more comfortable if you must spend a lot of time standing on it. It is completely waterproof and stain-proof. It requires only sweeping and mopping. Textured vinyl provides some traction – consider getting this type, as it is safer when water is spilled.
• Linoleum is a low maintenance option, also resilient, resistant to stains and spills.
• Wood flooring is popular, and while it may be called “low maintenance”, it is not “no maintenance”, sorry. Wood flooring looks awesome, but does require more effort to keep it clean and refinished from time to time.
• What about tile? Stone or tile are very good selections for hard-working floor areas. Ceramic tile is easy to care for; sweep and mop are all that are usually required. If a stain does set in, most heavy duty cleaners will not damage the tile.

Countertops:

• Laminate is a very reasonably priced material that is easy maintenance.
• Recycled glass is also easy-clean and completely non-porous; no sealing required.
• Solid surface materials clean easily with soap and water and are low maintenance as well.
• Stainless steel is low maintenance and easy to clean.
• Quartz (engineered stone) has the look of granite or marble, but is non porous and won’t stain.

Sinks:

• Undermount sinks are attached under the countertop. It is easier to clean the countertop then, as crumbs can be brushed into the sink with no residue stuck around the sink rim.
• Solid surface sinks can be molded out of the same material as the countertop, for a seamless look and has the same advantages as the undermount sink for cleaning.
• Stainless steel is a popular material; it is easily cleaned and does not stain. Check for thickness of the steel, as thicker steel is sturdier and does not “ping” as the thinner SS will. Go with 18 gauge or lower (contrary to what you might think, the smaller the number, the thicker the stainless steel, don’t ask me why).
• Acrylic sinks are easy to maintain and resist stains; it is a molded plastic, usually reinforced with fiberglass. Solid surface sinks are made of the same material as the solid surface countertop, (see above).