No one likes a messy kitchen, especially having spent thousands of pounds overhauling your old design into the culinary environment of your dreams.
After such a substantial investment, it’s only natural that you’re going to want to keep your shiny, impressive cooking area in ultra-good condition. As passionate bathroom and kitchen suppliers, our experts at Appletree Interiors absolutely agree, therefore we’ve put together our essential maintenance tips to keep your kitchen in tip-top shape.
Just like keeping your car happy and healthy with regular service checks and oil changes, so too does your kitchen need a bit of love. Ultimately, investing a little bit of time on a weekly or monthly basis will help you to save money in the long run, preventing the need for any expensive kitchen repairs or even furniture replacements.
How can you do this? A good bit of old-fashioned maintenance. The kind that involves a bit of creativity, drawing up a maintenance calendar reminding you to carry out those pesky chores, whether it’s on a weekly or monthly basis. Remember though, they’re worth it.
Clean the kitchen sink disposal
That gurgling waste disposal chute in your sink is a fantastic way of disposing of waste food; rapidly disintegrating solid matter and carrying it away. In the main, the chamber inside the machine tends to remain relatively clean. It’s those areas that don’t get cleansed by the disposal’s grinding action that can incur a build-up of foul-smelling slime. Not nice. These areas more often than not include the rubber baffle at the opening of the drain and the slanted surfaces at the head of the grinding chamber.
So how can you clean your kitchen’s sink disposal? Vinegar and ice. Freeze some vinegar in an ice tray and run the cubes through the machine. The acetic nature of vinegar makes it a fantastic cleaner and disinfectant as it can dissolve mineral deposits, dirt, grease and grime, freshening up the waste disposal chute. What’s more, it’ll also sharpen up the blades. Bonus!
Cleanse your range filter hoods
Range filter hoods, what even are they? These terrific little components often sit above your stove or oven, capturing the smoke (for when teenagers burn their toast), grease and any other debris that you don’t want getting into your ventilation system. Otherwise, all of these materials can accrue in the air ducts and become a fire hazard. Naturally with constant use, these hoods are likely to become blocked with residue and matter, therefore limiting their effectiveness. That’s why it’s quite important to stay on top of these.
Check out this blog from Kitchn explaining how to clean a greasy range hood filter.
Look after your refrigerator coils
It’s an unusual suggestion, but it makes so much sense once you read why. This one will help keep one of the most important appliances in your kitchen – and indeed house – in tip-top shape. Furthermore, it’ll also help your household bills, potentially saving an astounding £75 a year. Just by cleaning your refrigerator’s coils!
So why is this so important? These coils are a vital component that expel heat, therefore cleaning away any dust and dirt enables them to power the cold environment of your refrigerator more efficiently. As a result, you’ll use less electricity – hence the monetary savings. Apartment Guide has produced a great blog on how to vacuum your refrigerator coils here.
Clean while you wait
A simple but certainly effective tip. How often do we stand around waiting for the kettle to boil or the toaster to pop? If you find yourself with a bit of time to kill, take advantage by doing a bit of cleaning! Small jobs like cleaning the counters, wiping down the sink or putting away the washing up all make a difference, rather than leaving it to accumulate into one monster, time-consuming job. Also, regularly doing this will continuously remove any dirt from these areas, preventing anything nasty like grease from taking a hold. Every little helps.
Care for your cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are a focal part of your kitchen and play a major role in the visual impact of your room. High-quality kitchen cabinets don’t come cheap, therefore it’s well worth investing the time into keeping them pristine.
If you have gloss or matt cabinets, we recommend regularly cleaning the cabinet interiors with a mild solution consisting of kitchen detergent and water. Don’t soak them though and make sure you dry them immediately after to prevent any water damage such as staining or warping. Got a tight spot that your cloth can’t reach? Gently use an old toothbrush on areas with deep grooves or cabinet handles and knobs. It’s a great way to extract dirt from those hard-to-reach places.
Our experts at Appletree Interior’s recommend deep-cleaning your kitchen cabinets at least twice a year. This means not only cleaning the surfaces but completely emptying the cabinets, wiping down any shelves, the inside of draws and cabinet interiors too. You might as well have a quick stock-take before you put all of your belongings back in. Is there anything you don’t need? Dispose of it responsibly to ensure it doesn’t end up as another item lurking in the depths of your kitchen cabinetry.
Drawer runners and hinges
We all get annoyed by kitchen drawers than don’t close properly, it’s one of those things in life that never fails to irritate. It is, however, completely avoidable. Frequently removing dust from draw runners is a great way to prevent dirt clogging up and keeping them from closing smoothly.
A bit of love also needs to be given to your kitchen cabinet’s hinges. Slamming the doors every time is never going to do them any favours, so make sure you avoid doing this to keep them in good working order. Alternatively, if you’re a little too strong for your own good, consider kitchen cabinets with a soft-close mechanism – they’re also ideal for heavy-handed teens and children!
While we’re on the subject of hinges, don’t let any water or cleaning solutions run into them. The last thing you want is rusting hardware. Appletree Interior’s kitchen experts recommend using a dry microfiber cloth to remove ant dust and grime from the metal. If you do have some stubborn grease or dirt that is refusing to budge, spray a little bit of cleaning solution onto your cloth and scrub away. Don’t forget to immediately wipe the metal dry to avoid any rust forming.
Quickly mop up splashes and spills
It’s the kitchen and accidents happen. We’ve all been there. That is why kitchen worktops are designed to withstand any spills and splashes. Don’t leave them there though, as they can quickly soak in and stain the surface. Particularly take care of porous materials such as wooden and granite worktops. You can oil the former three to four times a year, whereas granite worktops often need a re-seal every five years.
New kitchens don’t come cheap, therefore it’s so important to keep them in the best condition you possibly can. It’ll help keep your kitchen looking as fresh as the day it was installed, as well as save you a substantial amount of money in the future. Use our essential maintenance tips to keep your kitchen in tip-top shape and it’ll remain one of your favourite places in the house for many years to come.
If you’re looking for a new bathroom or kitchen, give our experts a call today on 01905 936260 or email us on info@appletree-interiors.co.uk. We look forward to hearing from you and helping to design the bathroom or kitchen of your dreams!
