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Creating A Fun, Safe Garden For Your Children

As the mum of five young children, I know how important it is to have access to a safe outdoor space for your children to play. Being cooped up in the house all day isn't good for the kids or the parents, but you also can't let young kids play in a space that's hazardous. When we bought our new family home, there was a lot of work to do in the garden to make it childproof, and we also wanted to make it a fun place for the kids to play. We erected a new fence, fitted a combination lock on the garden gate, had poisonous plants removed, cordoned off the pool and created a play area complete with swings, a slide and outdoor games. I started this blog to share my DIY gardening tips, and I hope you find it interesting and useful.

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Creating A Fun, Safe Garden For Your Children

Kitchen Design | 4 Nifty Tricks To Design An Easy Maintenance Kitchen

by Darlene Jenkins

If you're planning renovations for your timeworn kitchen, then choosing an easy maintenance layout is an important part of the kitchen design process –– especially if you don't want to spend most of your free time cooking and cleaning. An easy-to-clean kitchen design layout will deliver the appeal of a fully functional kitchen, while minimising those mundane maintenance chores you despise. Here are some tricks to help you design an easy maintenance kitchen.

Choose Grout-Free Countertops

As part of an easy maintenance kitchen design, you'll want to stay away from small-format countertop tiles that require numerous grout lines. These grout lines will discolour over time and need to be cleaned constantly. Instead, choose full slabs of stainless steel, granite, laminates or quartz that don't have grout lines on them. Large countertop slabs keep grout lines to the bare minimum. This will ensure that simple surface wiping is enough to keep your countertops clean. Keep in mind that darker coloured countertops hide stains and imperfections more easily, so you'll want to introduce these darker shades for minimising your cleaning efforts.

Choose Low Maintenance Backsplashes To Prevent Wall Staining

When you cook, there's always a chance that food and drinks will spill on your walls –– causing unsightly stains that are difficult to clean. Backsplashes are excellent solutions for keeping stains away from walls. You'll want to choose low maintenance backsplashes for an easier cleanup process. Full sheet materials like glass, laminate and stone provide easy cleaning backsplash solutions for your kitchen design. These materials are much easier to maintain than mosaic tiled backsplashes in kitchens.                                                                                    

Introduce Large-Format Tiles

You'll naturally want to choose flooring that requires the least amount of maintenance. Large format vinyl or porcelain tiles have minimal grout lines and present a good cleaning solution for kitchens. These tiles are stain-resistant and can withstand moisture more easily than other types of tiles, making them good choices for kitchen floors. While hardwood is easy to maintain, it can be susceptible to stains, making your cleanup job more regular. Glazed tiles are also good choices for kitchens because they are impervious to stains and spills.

Choose Simple Cabinetry

You'll want to stay away from ornate mouldings on your kitchen cabinets if you're looking for easy maintenance solutions as part of your kitchen design. While ornate cabinets look attractive, keep in mind that it will take you more time to dust around the curves and grooves. Plain slab kitchen cabinets are easy to wipe with a single stroke. Simple moulding-free cabinets can look elegant when elaborated with the right colours for a cohesive kitchen design finish.

Use these nifty tricks for planning an easy maintenance kitchen design, and work with an experienced kitchen design company like Kitchen Connection

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