We went with corian in the bath and quartz counters in the kitchen. We went with black appliances (cooktop and ovens) and everything else was faced with panels that match the cabinetry. We went with high end vinyl flooring in most of the house and porcelain tile in the bath on the floor and in the shower.

Avoid dark or white flooring as both show every speck of debris. Amazing how much hair we all shed! White appliances and fixtures, however, are the opposite, as most dirt is light-coloured and air-borne particles don't noticeably rest on vertical surfaces.

I had stainless steel and hate it as every fingerprint shows; the rough finish on our Dacor stovetop held onto grease stains with the tenacity of a Third World dictator clinging to power.

Multi-coloured materials hide dirt best. I found this particularly true for multi-coloured granite, slate and quartzite used as flooring.

{{gwi:1401012}}

Granite flooring in foyer looks rich, hides dirt. Photo: Heather Joy Investments Ltd.

Use satin paints--or better yet--glaze over special treatment paint--to eliminate handprints. Four kids and six years in one home and our stairwells and hallways showed not a mark.

This post was edited by worthy on Tue, Jan 8, 13 at 17:26

I have found slate tile( or slate look) to be the best at hiding dirt. We have slate in the mudroom and it always looks good.

Surprisingly our carrera marble vanity counters wear pretty well.

I know what you should not get- honed black kitchen counters. I love them, but I am constantly wiping them to look clean!

I have walnut stained flors and they do show dirt much more than my previous red oak floors.

Like worthy said, anything in the medium range with speckles and pattern is probably best.

I am told the best way to choose flooring is to bring dirt from the building site with you when you go shopping and sprinkle it on the flooring you're considering, and then buy something where the dirt blends in to the pattern. The color of dirt can vary a lot from one place to another.

Obviously you shouldn't put dirt on the carpet samples. ;^)

Consider adding a water softener to your build if you are in a hard-water area.

Make sure your materials are not easy to etch and stain.

Generally speaking, whatever matches the local dirt and has a multi-shade coloration will work nicely. Extremely pale, extremely dark and extremely high-gloss surfaces show more dirt than matte finish mediums.

For tile, make sure you use grout sealer BEFORE you use the fixtures. Check out the new "epoxy" grouts that claim to not need sealing. And even if you have white tile floors, give them pale grey grout.

Wow, thank you! The idea of sprinkling the dirt on the tile and floor planks is amazing! :-) Should try and report the results!

Does anyone has any insights/experience with the metal choice for taps in the bathroom/kitchen? Our present taps are covered with water and/or soap marks next day after cleaning -- is it avoidable?

Thanks a lot everyone!
MTC

is it avoidable?

Consider brushed finishes--nickel, copper, stainless steel. Try your hand, so to speak, at the displays at your local "big box".

I don't know about a brushed finish - wouldn't be my choice because it does grab dirt. I still think polished chrome is the easiest for faucets. Yes, it will show water spots but it's so easy to quickly wipe off after you brush your teeth or rinse a plate for the dishwasher. When I dry my hands I just swipe the towel over the faucet and/or handles. My favorite for cleaning my kitchen and baths are the yellow microfiber towels that Costco sells in big packages by the automotive stuff. They are the BEST for cleaning glass, mirrors, chrome, glass stove tops..... I keep one handy in kitchen and bath always.

If you wax chrome it will stay looking good longer. You can use car wax, but they also sell wax intended for use inside the home. I like Gel-gloss. If you apply it once a month or so it makes upkeep much easier. It's good for shower walls and doors too. Don't use it anywhere people will stand, though.

I have faucets in the kitchen that have a "living" finish meaning it does change over time as it gets worn and it's supposed to look that way so uneven and variations in the finish are expected and welcome.

If you wax chrome it will stay looking good longer.

Same for painted appliances. I knew someone who waxed her furnace and water heater too. (Is there a reality show for people who are the opposite of hoarders?)

Hahaha worthy....like DH's friend who repainted the furnace room as he thought it was getting a tad dingy looking!

ha I need a show like that to motivate me. Hoarders just makes me say...Ok so it could be worse!! lol :)

When we bought our current house it was a spec so we picked the tile and grout ourselves. The kitchen grout was a lovely beige color. But they screwed it up. It was one color in the nook and much lighter in the kitchen. My husband made them redye it and it still bothered him. 10 years later it's all the same grayish brown color. I laugh that we were so picky about it. You can see what it's supposed to be in the backsplash. We are listing it for sale next month so I hope I can get it somewhat clean.

The master bath has blue/gray tile and grey grout. It looks much better. There is darker gray grout in spots but not a big deal. I love the idea of slate with gray grout for the whole house! (I have 4 kids from 2-13)

I definitely second the corian-type solid surface recommendation, and I love my integrated solid surface sink.

If I do another house, I will add that stuff to the tops of architectural ledges (so I can put plants there, worry free) and to window sills as well as the kitchen counters and bathrooms...

We did large cultured marble slabs inside the shower and around the tub deck because we couldn't do corian/solid surface. I will insist next time on proper solid surface stuff so that the joints can be caulk free. My caulk needs re-doing, but it wouldn't if I had had my way in the beginning.....

I will probably also find a way to do a corian top for breakfast and dining tables....coffee tables....end tables....work surfaces....

I hate grout. I hate grout. I hate grout. And ceramic tile needs wide grout lines. So a textured slate or honed mid-tone travertine floor plus a good floor machine will probably be part of my next house, if we still have a dog and if DH continues to hate wood floors. When I did have wood floors, I loved how easy they were to clean with a simple dustmop and the habit of taking shoes off indoors.

I use Miracle 2 soap, so soap rings in the tub are a thing of the past. Easy peasy. Now if I can get DH to get rid of his scum-making-soap addiction, the shower would be a breeze, too.

I love my Laundry Pure machine, which eliminates the need for soap almost entirely - big laundry emergencies need some spot-treatment (with miracle 2). I use essential oils to get scented laundry when I want it.

Our fridge is "faux" stainless look, and doesn't leave icky marks like stainless steel does. We've had it a few years, now, and it does great as a low-maintenance surface. But my white gas stove has been a horror to maintain. I'm ready for a stainless steel gas stove.

Solid glass backsplash - an expensive, elegant, easy-care option.

Less furniture is another key to less maintenance work.

Sleeping in a hammock instead of on a bed - simplifies everything about beds and bedrooms. I like the Olympus arc stand and Mayan style hammocks. I've used seasidehammocks.com. Now to get DH on board with ditching the traditional bed...

Another cool bed is the floating bed. I really like that option, too.

I don't use a bedroom dresser for my clothing, so that is one more surface I don't need to contend with, in public anyway. I do have surfaces in my closet, though.

I would get rid of office chairs, couches and chairs in favor of my new love-of-a-chair: the Swopper. Oh my, it feels wonderful.

Don Aslett and his daughter wrote a book on preventing housework. It is a bit dated, but may have some inspiration for you:
http://www.amazon.com/Make-Your-House-The-Housework/dp/0937750336

I have pared down my cosmetics and grooming items to keep my bathroom counters clear. I have been ruthless with knick-knacks and extras of things. More than half the hassle of cleaning is moving things around in order to clean under them.

Hope you feel inspired....

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to floating beds

plumfield, thank you! I really enjoyed your posting!

I've ordered the book and will try to follow all the hints that were made in this thread. However I am a packrat and so far all my attempts to be clutter-free were not successful. I do have a few tricks, learned even in the childhood, to hide as much as possible behind doors and at least to leave surfaces clutter free. So then the only thing I need to do is to make this surfaces carefree.

To me there are two major options: either to have smth when everything blends in (like granite for countertops) or to have a very easy to clean surface where the dirt is easy to notice (and then easy to remove). I am planning to have two different counters in the kitchen, and one of them possibly will be just white.

Does anyone knows most carefree white counter top material (heat,acid,crackand everything else resistant) and not infinitely ugly?

Again, thanks for all your input!
MTC

Well, everything I was going to say is already said, but I'll second a couple items:

I read the Don Aslett book years ago, and it is wonderful. If he were responding to this question, I'm sure he'd say that you should minimize the number of finishes in your house. That is, if you're going to have hardwood floors in one room, it's easier to continue hardwood floors throughout the house. Why? Because if you're already cleaning hardwood floors, you have the materials and the cleaners in hand, it's easier to just keep going with that type of cleaning. In contrast, if you have one room that's carpet, you have to get out your vacccum and do a whole different type of cleaning. This is true for other parts of the house too. Another thing he pushes strongly is having good door mats at every entrance so that the dirt never makes it into your house.

I'll second the idea of choosing flooring that matches "your dirt". We live in the land of red clay, which isn't the same color dirt as sandy loam by the beach. Along those same lines, always choose a flooring, a tile, whatever with a bit of varigation. Solid colors show dirt more.

Yes, there's a show for anti-hoarders. I forget the name, but I've seen it once. It's about people who are obsessive about cleaning. On the show I saw, one woman got up early every single morning to clean her floors FOUR TIMES: She'd sweep them once, then drop mop them once, then wet mop them once, then vaccuum them. Her rationale was that by cleaning them every way possible, they were at their cleanest. It was just as sad as hoarders, however, because these people couldn't function in society: Two of them tried to have gatherings at their houses, and they couldn't stand having people "messing up their house".

In closing, I like this thread! I see no reason not to plan things that're easy to maintain!

A detail that just occured to me while I was changing a light bulb -- it's not really about keeping the house clean, but it is in the spirit of this conversation:

Try to choose all light fixtures that use standard bulbs.

Here's what not to do: In my current house I have many light fixtures and lamps that use plain, standard bulbs . . . but I also have two "fat pendants" in the kitchen that use oversized bulbs, and I have candle-shaped bulbs in my dining room chandalier, and I have Hollywood lights over my bathroom vanity. Add in appliance bulbs for the oddities in the kitchen, and it adds up to a whole shelf of bulbs over my washer/dryer! And I always seem to buy a package of four bulbs, when I only need three, and then the next time I accidentally buy frosted bulbs instead of clear ones.

I have also been looking for easy clean floors especially in bathrooms and kitchen. So, I was considering concrete floors which came with issues like certain thickness minimum - how to match it with wood floors etc.

Last week I spoke to a gentleman from a company called cmpsp.com. He suggested a combination of products - one from his company and the rest are other companies.

(My notes - I may have some names incorrectly spelled)

This can all be done for a thickness even less than 3/4".

First layer is "rep star" to fill plywood seams and other cracks.

(For shower area ONLY- liquid applied water proof membrane)

Primer coat.

LP-1 (from cmpsp.com) to create 1/4 to 3/8" layer.

Primer coat

Aqua fin - stainable, micro top.

Sand a little bit.

Acetone based Stain, if you want.

Ameri polish is the last layer.

As you can see, in order to match hardwood height, you will have to add a layer of 3/8" plywood under this product.
If I can confirm that this indeed works as I was told, I would like to carry this into the bathrooms and shower walls.

If anybody has any experience with similar material, please do comment. Obviously, my biggest concern is whether it will hold up without cracking.

we've been in our house for 6 years, and i love my montauk blue slate floors in the wet areas. wood everywhere else. i HAD to have white cabinets for a modern airy look, but I must say that it's a pain wiping the kids fingerprints off of them EVERYDAY. I'm not sure I'd go white again in the kitchen. I'd probably go with an airy gray of some sort.

I think satin nickel hardware looks great all of the time. very maintenance free. i don't have a fingerprint problem with my stainless steel appliances as some say they do. I LOVE my stainless steel appliances and wipe them down probably once a month. I have a Frigidaire dishwasher, LG fridge, and KitchenAid Architect Series range. None of them have fingerprint issues.

I LOVE my Indian Vyara granite!!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE. It holds up very well to EVERYTHING. My mom complains about her granite, and I have trouble getting hers to look clean when I wipe it after a family get together. I'm not sure if it's the color (it's black) or if it's the finish or what. But my Indian Vyara is fabulous. Int the bathrooms, we have Venatino white and gray marble. It looks similar to the popular carrara, but I got the venatino cheap as a remnants. It shows stains from toothpaste, but they are gray, so it's not really a problem since the veining of the marble is gray. I don't wipe those counters down as often as I should, and you can't tell. They don't shine unless they are clean, but you can't tell that they are dirty. I'm embarrassed typing that.

I went with white Kohler for sinks and baths and they clean up nicely. I used the brand Aquaglass for shower inserts. I think they might be fiberglass?? They were cheap, but a breeze to clean. I didn't want to fool with cleaning tile. But to jazz up the fiberglass, I got a seamless glass door. Way easier to clean that glass with seams, of course!! Lastly, I put white subway tiles as backsplashes in the kitchen and all baths and I've been pleasantly surprised by how easy they are to keep clean. I never really touch them except occasionally in the kitchen if something splashes on them while stirring.

Good luck!!

Through the years, my hands down favorite floors have been solid wood. Red oak in a former home and reclaimed pine in our current home. Super easy to maintain, handled the occasional abuse by children and grandchildren, and always looked amazing.

One more thing: whatever you do, DO NOT buy a smoothtop electric range. Those things are MISERABLE to keep clean. We're going to have gas in our next house, but if we weren't I don't know what I'd do-- the only electric ranges I've seen that don't have a smoothtop are the very cheapest rental-grade.

I have a smooth top electric...induction cooktop and I have no trouble keeping it clean...it's all about polishing it off. I take my soapy sponge with dawn in it and rub it and wash it down with that, soapy and wet, then take a dry linen towel and polish off the liquid...takes all the grease with it and leaves the glass dry and shiny. It takes less than a minute. With induction, too, you can lay paper towels down around a fry pan to catch the spatters and it won't burn as the only thing that gets hot is the pot.

And having cooked on gas and electric, by far, induction is the best.

That sounds great, Annie. My experience is with the non-induction style electric smooth top, and what it means is that if someone lets the rice boil over, the starch burns on immediately and you've got 15 minutes of hard scrubbing ahead of you. Bigger messes (like anything with a lot of sugar) take substantially more work. When we had our old (sold!) house on the market, getting the range really clean was one of the worst parts of preparing for a showing.

Great suggestions, I've found having less furnishings, and make everything absolutely functional. If you have treasured knick-knicks and such, keep them in a bookcase cabinet with glass doors (at least upper, glass doors) for less dusting. Plantation shutters with at least 3" slats are easy to clean, solid quartz kitchen counters are great as never any staining or high upkeep, keep to lighter patterns. Corian type counters in bathrooms with integrated sink, so easy to clean. Wood floors are so easy to clean with wide dust mop, we use area rugs in sitting areas.
Replace your HVAC filter as frequently as required!

To the person who said they hate grout - I used to hate it too. My first house had light gray grout lines and I was forever bleaching and scrubbing to keep them clean. My next house, I decided that every problem "stain" that I had in my first home, I would choose colors that looked like the stain. This might seem gross, but I have a cat that I love who was constantly having stomach issues. Prescription foods, everything, this guy from time to time would just get sick. My floors and carpets were ruined. Next house, everything was the perfect brown and I easily clean every mess away with no problems. I even have the brown grout color which I was told would be a nightmare. Fortunately, they make grout paint. From time to time, I just whip out my artist brush and do touch ups all over the house. The first floor is mostly tile so I have no problems with pets or stains. Mottled brown tile, brown grout, and a big bottle of grout paint (actually called Polyblend Grout Renew). You can get it in the exact color as the grout you pick and I bought it at Home Depot. As long as it's the same company that makes the grout, it will match perfectly and no one will ever notice a problem. No white stains on my dark grout and easy clean up after pets. When the dishwasher leaked in the kitchen or the toilet leaked in the bathroom, I was able to easily repaint the grout lines and everything looked like new. And I get tons of complements on the tile all the time. For people with small kids and pets, it's really the only practical choice.

This post was edited by shifrbv on Wed, Jan 16, 13 at 18:49

UNDERMOUNT SINKS!!!!! no one has mentioned this. however, sometimes I wonder what's lurking under that little rim. eeek

"I have a smooth top electric...induction cooktop and I have no trouble keeping it clean...it's all about polishing it off."

I have had both: electric and induction. There is a huge difference between them. I agree that smooth electric cooktops are not carefree and are tough to clean.

By contrast, my induction top turns off when too much spills (water from pasta.) That gives me time to address the situation before it's a bigger situation. Also, the cooktop only heats where it detects metal. Whatever spilled isn't getting heated and cooked on, which means it's really easy to wipe off.

So... I'm voting to put "induction cooktop" on the carefree list. :)

RE: undermount sinks: I don't agree. I'd rather spray it with bleach every now and then and not worry than deal with the lip of an overmount making it difficult to wipe the counter.