For kitchens so clean, you can eat your dinner off them

Let’s be real here, have you ever thrown away a pan because you can’t be bothered to scrub off the burnt food that's welded to the bottom? Are your Pyrex dishes and gas hobs splattered with burnt-on grease because you simply aren’t prepared to break a sweat over cleaning them?

Well, here at Strive For Design we feel your pain.

The best way to make sure you don’t have to work your fingers to the bone cleaning up the busiest room in the house is either not to use this room at all (thank you Deliveroo!) or – probably more realistically – to plan a kitchen scheme that allows you to spend more time enjoying it than cleaning it.

The kitchen is often the hub of the home, a multi-purpose room that needs to be both functional and decorative. The happy news is that it's possible to have both. Whether you're doing a full renovation or just sprucing up what you already have, read on for some great advice on how you can effortlessly keep your kitchen clean enough to eat your dinner off it should you so wish.

With all the foot traffic, pets and kitchen activity it's important to ensure you can wash splashes off the walls without rubbing the paint off too. Opt for a hard-wearing paint, such as an oil-based eggshell, which is easy to wipe clean and won’t be damaged by rubbing. There are loads of kitchen-friendly paints available and larger DIY stores can even mix the exact colour you're after, so there's no need to compromise on style either.

Hardwearing tiles have long been a favourite for kitchen splashbacks around the world, but cleaning the grout is something that nightmares are made of. Much like the cupboard doors, choosing a smooth finish like glass will both look elegant and be easy to clean. However, if you have your heart set on tiles, go for larger ones so there's more surface area and less of that troublesome grout.

When it comes to kitchen flooring, it needs to be durable, easy to clean and waterproof, and we have the solution: vinyl flooring. Now, pull your mind away from the practical lino found in commercial kitchens and hospitals and take a look at impressive luxury vinyl such as Karndean Design Flooring. This type of flooring is ideal for kitchens and bathrooms as it's waterproof and, if it does get damaged, the affected vinyl tiles or planks can easily be lifted and replaced. It's super durable whilst also remaining comfortable and is a lot warmer than stone or ceramic tiles. Available in many designs, this flooring will look great in any home, from a traditional country cottage to a bachelor pad.

A major part of any kitchen is the cabinetry. Typically, kitchen cupboards have a void above them, which is a trap for kitchen grime and a great place to stash large items that we can’t fit anywhere else. Anything on open shelving – or stuffed on top of cupboards – and indeed the shelves themselves, will be a magnet for dust and grime, so avoid adding to the cleaning list by going for closed cabinets instead. Running the units from floor to ceiling will eradicate grimy cupboard tops and will keep the kitchen tidy and classy. Also, choosing no handle cupboard doors that have a smooth surface finish will stop dirt, grease and dust sitting in the grooves and lines of the more ornate and handled options. For the ultimate in easy clean you can line the bottoms of cupboards and drawers with a wipeable liner material that's wipe clean and can be removed for a more thorough wash.

In order to minimise spills and mess, think about where to position your bins. You want them close to where you'll be preparing food, so under the sink is a good location as the fewer the spills the less cleaning up you'll need to do.

When it comes to the worktops, it's important to opt for a non-porous material such as Corian, quartz or stainless steel to prevent staining. Aim to have as few joins as possible because dirt and grime can easily get trapped here and can be hard to clean.

So that just leaves the appliances. Much the same rule applies here as to the other areas of your kitchen, so keep the design smooth and simple. Rather than sweating over grubby gas hobs and support racks, make life more straightforward with a safe, flush-fitting induction hob. Make sure that oven knobs aren’t too close together, as that can make them hard to clean between, and that no special, expensive cleaning products are required for your appliance. So-called self-cleaning appliances have been readily available for years yet, despite their promises, we still find ourselves elbow deep in oven grease. However, by splashing a little more cash you can upgrade your package to appliances that include their own cleaning programmes. Look out for pyrolytic cleaning functions, where the oven heats up to burn off cooking residue, steam ovens which feature self-steam cleaning and drying, and automatic cleaning coffee machines. Finally, consider a water softener if you live in a hard water area. The hard water passing through your pipes and taps will cause limescale, which is not only unsightly but very hard to clean, even with powerful chemicals. Adding a water softener will not only stop limescale build up but will actually also serve to clean away existing limescale without you lifting a finger! A water softener could even save you money in the long run, as they can greatly reduce the amount of soap needed in your household appliances, doing the washing up and even in the shower!

For more help on how to transform your home into low-maintenance elegance, contact the expert Strive For Design team on 01223 622 688 or send us an email.

Leigh Hall from Strive for Design is an interior designer in Cambridge, so if you're looking to redesign your home, please contact us.