A clean house is a happier home. But keeping a house clean isn’t easy: The average person spends about five hours a week cleaning their home, and chances are, that’s not all. (There’s a reason they call it “chores.”) One reason it can take so much time and effort to keep your home tidy is because of the materials and design choices in your home. Some materials are just easier to keep clean, and some design choices that look cool can add minutes or hours to your cleaning schedule.

If you are planning a remodel or renovation of your home, you have the opportunity to address not only the style and usability of the space, but also how easy it is to keep clean. Making smart design decisions and selecting easy-to-clean materials can save you time and effort.

Sometimes the way your stuff is shaped or placed can have a big impact on how hard it is to clean. If you’re replacing furniture, fixtures, or more, here are a few things that will make your remodeled home much easier to clean and maintain:

Toilets with a wall or skirt façade are easier to access and less of a hassle to clean. One reason why cleaning a bathroom is such a hassle is that toilets often look like intricate sculptures, crammed against a wall with lots of nooks and crannies where dirt and grime can collect. A toilet with a wall or skirt façade like this eliminates both of these elements, making it much easier to keep your toilet clean. Or take it a step further and streamline your bathroom with a wall-hung toilet with a concealed cistern.