7 Easy Upgrades for a Low-Maintenance Bathroom

If you want to spend less time cleaning your bathroom and more time enjoying it, there are plenty of simple changes you can make that will take the effort out of upkeep. From smart tapware to a tidy layout, here are seven easy ways to refresh your bathroom.

Easy design tips for an everyday bathroom

We get it — no one wants to spend their weekend scrubbing the bathroom. That’s why smart design choices make all the difference. By choosing durable fixtures and long-lasting finishes, you’ll cut down on cleaning, dodge future repairs and keep your space looking fresh for years. Less mess, less stress — and more time to enjoy your home.

Simple ways to refresh your bathroom

While it’s tempting to design your bathroom based on aesthetics alone, some features may require more attention than others. We’ll show you some ways to create a fuss-free bathroom that you’ll love to look at.

1. Quality fixtures

Good bathroom fixtures start with solid base metals like stainless steel or brass. These materials create a strong foundation that will last ages, so you won’t have to replace them as often.

The coating on the outside matters more for daily use. PVD coating and electroplating resist fingerprints, water spots and the usual marks that tend to show up.

Finishes like Antique Brass, Warm Brushed Nickel, Brushed Brass, Matte Black and Gunmetal hide daily wear well. These coatings also stop rust and discolouration from happening, so your taps stay looking good without special cleaning.

2. Fewer grout lines

Bacteria and mould love to grow in grout lines. Switching to larger tiles with rectified edges and fewer grout lines means less cleaning.

Want to add character to your bathroom with smaller feature tiles? Focus on walls and areas that stay drier (or as dry as a bathroom gets!) and are less prone to build up. Use larger, easy-to-clean tiles for the floors and wet zones.

3. Low-maintenance surfaces

Making the right material choices means knowing the upkeep involved. If you want a low-maintenance bathroom, choose surfaces that look good without needing constant cleaning.

Smooth, non-porous materials such as porcelain or ceramic tiles are long-lasting and show fewer stains, giving you more time to enjoy your space. On the counters, something like engineered stone or acrylic is going to be the easiest to upkeep. Natural stone is beautiful but more porous, and comes with specific cleaning needs.

4. Combination showers and shower hoses

Give your bathroom a clever upgrade with a combination shower and hose. A built-in diverter lets you easily switch between the overhead shower and handheld hose, giving you more flexibility.

The handheld hose is especially handy for cleaning — just detach it to quickly rinse down walls, screens and tiles.

5. Frameless showers

Nobody wants to spend their Saturday cleaning grime out of shower door tracks with an old toothbrush. Frameless showers are low maintenance because they get rid of the spots where soap scum and dirt love to collect.

This isn't the easiest upgrade on this list, but if you're already planning to renovate your shower, it's definitely the way to go. The smooth surfaces wipe down quickly without all those corners and crevices to scrub around.

6. Built-in and corner baths

Freestanding baths look great in magazines, but in reality, cleaning around and underneath them can get old, fast. Built-in and corner baths eliminate this problem by connecting directly to your walls. It’s not as dated as you think — your bath doesn’t have to double as a shower.

Obviously, installing a built-in bath isn't a weekend DIY project, but if you're renovating anyway, it's an easy switch-out. These designs leave no space around them for grime to collect and mould to grow.

7. Ventilation

Good ventilation keeps your bathroom looking and feeling fresh. It prevents mould from forming, airs out odours and makes cleaning easier — all of which protect your fixtures, paint and grout from early wear.

If you want a low-maintenance bathroom, make sure your exhaust fans are up to scratch. In terms of cleaning, ceiling-mounted fans are easier to get to than inline exhaust fans.

Planning now means less scrubbing later

A stylish, low-maintenance bathroom doesn't have to be a pipe dream.

Choosing the right bathroom features makes upkeep way easier. We’ve got upgrades no matter what your definition of ‘easy’ is. Whether you want to switch out some taps or pick out new tiles, making these changes will give you a bathroom you love for years to come.

Need help picking out new tapware and hardware? Book a free design appointment

with us to see our product range and get started on upgrading your bathroom.