7 things to do to ease the maintenance of your newly-renovated abode

7 things to do to ease the maintenance of your newly-renovated abode
PHOTO: Obbio Concept

As most seasoned first time homeowners would tell you, keeping a new abode fresh and pristine clean is not going to be an easy affair.

However, you can achieve that by doing the right thing, that is to include preemptive measures during the renovation, so that it is not going to be a stressful and nightmarish affair to maintain your newly renovated abode.

Without further ado, here are some of the preventive measurements you can do.

1. Ensure your bathrooms are mildew-proof

Aside from a slew of health issues, such as allergies, asthma and respiratory problems, this fungus typically leaves hard to remove unsightly stains on the ceiling, walls, tiles and grout. 

In addition, when unchecked in its growth, Mildew eventually develops into the mould. This is caused by the moisture and the heat generated by hot showers and stagnant water left on the walls, shower shelves and floor which spurs the mildew growth.

What this means to you?

Choose a mildew resistant paint for your walls and ceiling, and use mildew resistant grout for your bathroom tiles.

Ensure that the bathroom is well ventilated with the help of a ventilating fan, which enhances the airflow and keeps the bathrooms cooler and drier.

Aside from these, steer clear from using shower-niches in your bathroom design and if you are building shower floating shelves, drill holes in them to ensure that the water can be drained properly.

2. Ensure your shower glass door swings the right way

“Which way should the shower door swing open? Should the door swing in or out?” This is a common question which every homeowner faces.

Typically, the layout of the bathroom dictates the direction the shower door should swing open.

However, having a shower door that swings in means lower maintenance and more safety for you, since the dripping shower door will not wet the floor, and make it slippery.

What this means to you?

The general recommendation is to get a seamless shower door, since it can swing either way. However, if your property comes with a preinstalled glass shower door that swings outwards, you should change its direction to swing inwards.

3. Ensure that your kitchen walls are stain and grease resistant

The kitchen is the workhorse of the house, and hence making sure that its walls are stain and grease resistant should be your top priority!

When the paint used for the kitchen is durable and makes it smooth and easy for you to clean, you get to save a lot of time, money and effort over the long run!

Therefore, having the right paint will make sure that even the busiest kitchen still look fresh and pristine clean for a longer period.

What this means to you?

You should be careful in your selection of paint for your kitchen since using the wrong type of paint will show up food stains and stubborn grease much more easily. 

As a stain and grease repellent paint performs better than a multi-purpose generic one, the best performing kitchen paint should come with a grease-proof formula, which makes tough stains easier to wipe off.

In addition, some kitchen paints are also specially formulated to withstand rigorous scrubbing, while retaining its shine and colour. Watch out for labels such as “Easy Wash” for Nippon Paint, “Wash and Wear” for Delux Paint when choosing the kitchen paint.

4. Use an undermount, non-porous kitchen sink for easy maintenance

The style of the sink impacts its ease of maintainability as using a top-mount, drop-in, or self-rimming sink makes it more difficult to clean up the countertop.

This is because the protruding rims get in the way when you sweep the surface water and dirt from the countertop into the sink.

Furthermore, these protruding areas need to be cleaned too! In addition, the kitchen sink material matters too, since using a porous material also makes it a challenge for you to keep it stain-free and bacteria-free.

What this means to you?

Using an undermount sink design makes cleaning up is a breeze; all you need to do is to sweep the countertop kitchen debris directly into the sink.

The stainless steel is one of the best choice for low maintenance, kitchen sink since it is non-porous, stain-resistant, impervious to corrosion and anti-bacteria.

Furthermore, the stainless steel has been the most popular material choice for the modern kitchen sinks due to its sleek and contemporary look.

5. Seal drafty doors and windows

Most household dust in the form of pollen, mould spores, and other airborne pollutants, enters the home through the cracks of the doors and windows.

Hence, this is why your property gets dusty, even when the doors and windows closed all the time. Aside from dust, drafty doors and windows make your home energy inefficient, since it takes more effort for the air-con to cool down your home.

What this means to you?

The drafty doors and windows can be sealed either with a door or window seal, or with an edge strip.

An edge strip is made up of rubber or plastic, designed with U, V or P profiles, to be fitted onto the edges of the door or window panels.

Most seal or edge strips come with a self-adhesive backing to make them very easy to fix and remove. Edging strips are usually preferred since they offer higher performance due to the added support from the internal steel wire inserts.

6. Keep debris and dust out of your balcony and windows with outdoor blinds and window mesh

Balconies are exposed and vulnerable to insects, debris and dust, This meant that a lot of effort is required to keep the area and the outdoor furniture clean

Furthermore, leaves and discarded cigarette butt, thrown out by inconsiderate neighbours, land onto the floor through the open windows too.

What this means to you?

Using enclosed track-guided outdoor blinds, such as Ziptrak, and window mesh offer balconies and indoors respite from outdoor elements.

Aside from keeping the place clean, these installations are also very effective in keeping the nasty insects and pests out of the house.

7. Give the windows and glass surfaces a Hydrophilic, Hydrophobic or Oleophobic treatment to make them easier to clean

Self-cleaning, window technology protects the glass surfaces from external weather, by keeping them clean longer and making them easier to clean when required.

The hydrophilic coating works by using natural weather elements, such as the ultraviolet (UV) rays and rain water. The UV light generates electrons, that interact with water molecules in the air to create agile hydroxyl radicals which break down the dirt through oxidation.

Once the dirt is oxidised, it is easily washed away by the rainwater.

However, such solutions are currently only available for commercial purposes, such as skyscraper windows.

What this means to you?

You can still make the windows and glass surfaces easier to clean by coating them with a similar Hydrophilic or water-repelling Hydrophobic or Oleophobic coating

The water repelling coating makes use of silicium dioxide, which makes the water bead and slide off the surfaces more easily. This prevents the water and dirt from adhering to the surfaces and keeps them cleaner for a longer period of time.

This article was first published in Renonation.

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