How To Design A Kitchen That Is Easy To Clean

The kitchen is the heart of the home, and is often the most used room in the house, therefore the room that needs the most cleaning and tidying too. Read our top tips to consider when designing your new kitchen, so you can spend less time cleaning, and more time enjoying the space.

Burlanes bespoke Wellsdown kitchen, Leigh-On-Sea. ©Sarah London Photographer.

1 - Create a good working triangle

The layout of your kitchen is such an important factor of the design to get right, and by ensuring the arrangement of your cooktop, sink and refrigerator is well considered, you will minimise the distance in which things will be carried, and potentially spilled or dropped.

Burlanes bespoke Hoyden kitchen, Chelmsford. ©Sarah London Photographer.

2 - Position your rubbish bins next to your sink and dishwasher

The majority of the kitchens we design, handmake and install have integrated rubbish bins and the dishwasher either side, or within easy reach of, the kitchen sink. Having them all within reach of each other makes for a really quick and easy 'scrape, rinse and load' action of the plates after meal times; significantly reducing the potential of spills, dropped food, and piles of dishes on the worktops!

Burlanes bespoke Wellsdown kitchen, Sevenoaks. ©Sarah London Photographer.

3 - Research and choose your worktops carefully

There are lots of different worktops available, so ensure you carefully research each material and choose the most suitable material for your home and lifestyle. Stay away from traditional tiles on your worktops, as the grout is difficult to clean, and stains easily. Quartz natural stone, Dekton man made worksurfaces and Corian are good choices that do not have grout to scrub, and never require sealing either. 

Burlanes bespoke Decolane kitchen, Upminster. ©Sarah London Photographer.

Granite is a popular choice for kitchens as it is a natural stone that is stain resistant, and has natural anti-bacterial properties too. It does require sealing and the occasional maintenance, but with the proper care it will stand the test of time well, and is quick and easy to wipe down and clean. 

Do not opt for marble if you do not want it to stain, mark and age quickly. Marble worktops are beautiful, but the stone is soft and porous, and is impossible to keep clean and pristine for long.

Burlanes bespoke Decolane kitchen, Sevenoaks. ©Sarah London Photographer.

4 - Choose a hardwearing floor

There are lots of different floor tile options available, so like your worktops, it is important to research which is most suitable for your home and lifestyle. Porcelain tiles are easy to sweep and mop, but opt for a darker grout to hide any stains or marks. Limestone tiles are beautiful, but they do require sealing and spillages and marks must be cleaned up straight away to avoid absorbing into the stone. Hardwood is also easily marked and stained, so correct installation and sealing is essential, and regular maintenance is advised.

Burlanes bespoke Hoyden kitchen, Tonbridge. ©Sarah London Photographer.

5 - Opt for flat door cabinetry

Although lovely, intricate mouldings and detail on your cabinetry will be a magnet for dust, and will require regular cleaning. Flat door cabinetry, such as our Hoyden or Decolane, is easy to wipe down and dust, and the hardwearing paint we use means marks and stains can be scrubbed well too.

Burlanes bespoke Hoyden kitchen, Crystal Palace. ©Sarah London Photographer.

6 - Avoid open shelving and opt for floor-to-ceiling cabinetry

Open shelving is lovely in traditional kitchens, but will need regular dusting and cleaning to keep sparkling. If you like the look of open shelving but want a more low maintenance solution, opt for glass front cabinetry. Floor-to-ceiling cabinetry also means there is less worktop space to get dirty.

Burlanes bespoke Hoyden kitchen, Greenwich. ©Sarah London Photographer.

7 - Choose an integrated to undermounted sink, and an additional prep sink if you have space

Worktop mess can be wiped directly into your kitchen sink if it is undermounted, and they are also easy to rinse regularly too. An additional prep sink can make it easier to keep your kitchen clean when one is used for prep and the other for cleanup.

Burlanes bespoke Wellsdown kitchen, East Sussex. ©Sarah London Photographer.

8 - Opt for an induction glass cooktop

A glass induction cooktop is probably the easiest to wipe down and clean, but be sure to use the correct cloths and cleaning products to avoid abrasion or scratches. The new Bora Pure (soon to be on display at Burlanes Chelmsford!!) has an amazing 9 second timer setting to allow you to wipe down the entire cooktop without touching or changing the settings on the touch-screen display buttons!

Burlanes bespoke Wellsdown kitchen, Sevenoaks. ©Sarah London Photographer.

9 - Allow for an easy-to-clean splashback behind your cooktop

Splashes and spillages are inevitable when you have a big pot of something yummy bubbling away on the stove! A glass or tile splashback behind the cooktop is much easier to wipe down and clean than scrubbing stains and marks from the kitchen walls! 

Burlanes bespoke Wellsdown kitchen, Burlanes Chelmsford. ©Sarah London Photographer.

10 - Allow for appliance space within your cupboards

Appliances on your kitchen worktops are dust magnets, particularly if they are not in use everyday (like the breadmaker you have had for 3 years and used once, or the blender that only gets switched on once a month!) By allowing for them within your kitchen cupboards (the larder is a really great place for the coffee machine and the toaster!), you are protecting them from dust and general everyday dirt. Power sockets are easily integrated within our kitchen furniture too, so no need to pull them out each time you want to use them.

Burlanes bespoke Wellsdown kitchen, Hythe. ©Sarah London Photographer.

Our design team are specialists in what they do, and our bespoke service means that we design, handmake and install your kitchen to suit your needs and lifestyle perfectly. If you are looking for inspiration or advice on your family kitchen, pop into one of our showrooms for a chat with our design team, or call us to book an appointment or home visit.

We provide a bespoke service from the first meeting to the final handover of a project. By listening to our clients' needs and working with them closely every step of the way; the result is a living space that works for lifestyle and budget.