How clean is your kitchen?

How to keep your kitchen cabinets in their best condition

Isn’t it wonderful having a new kitchen! For the first couple of days, everything is brand new and in tip top condition. You hardly dare use it because you don’t want to spoil it. 

But use it you must.

Not only that, but these days our kitchens are often used not just for preparing, cooking and eating food, but also for many aspects of day to day living. So how on earth can you keep your kitchen really clean when it is being used so constantly?

In this article we look at five things that you can do to try and keep your kitchen as clean as it can be.

Worktops

At DIY Homefit we have an extensive range of premium quality laminate worktops. These have good stain resistance so are easy to keep clean. Usually a soft cloth and warm soapy water will do the job. But make sure you dry your worktops thoroughly, especially around the sink and any joints to avoid damp penetrating the seals. 

It is also important to wipe up any spills immediately, especially any from highly coloured food and drink. If you do end up with any residual stains, these can usually be removed by a mild bleach solution. But avoid abrasive scouring pads as these can damage your worktops. 

Sinks

Sinks can be very difficult to keep really clean because they are in constant use. Particularly if you live in an area with hard water, limescale is likely to build up quickly. So as well as cleaning your sink with either a kitchen cleaner or vinegar, use limescale remover regularly on your sink, particularly around taps. It is also a good idea to dry your sink with a clean tea towel after cleaning, to help prevent limescale building up further.

Don’t forget to clean in and around the plughole of your sink. Use either bleach or soda crystals, followed by boiling water. This should get rid of grease and debris, and leave everything clean and fresh.

Oven

One of the kitchen chores we all dread is cleaning the oven. The key success factor here is to take preventative action to stop it getting really dirty in the first place. If your oven is currently in a dismal state, it may be worth paying for professional cleaning for it this time round, then following the advice below to make sure it never gets that bad again.

Try to get into the habit of giving your oven a quick wipe after every use. A soft damp cloth will normally do for this, though if you notice any build up of grease or grime then either use a kitchen cleaner or try coating the inside surfaces with a paste of bicarbonate of soda and water and leaving overnight before wiping off.

Give your oven a more thorough clean at least once a month. Either use a specialist oven cleaner or a DIY ingredient such as baking soda, vinegar or lemons. Experiment and see what you prefer to use and what works best for you. 

Also take the opportunity to wash your oven racks and baking trays in the dishwasher on a high heat. If any baking trays are damaged, replace them rather than continue to use them and risk spillages.

You can help to keep the bottom of your oven clean by using an oven liner. You can now get heavy duty reusable oven liners that can also go through the dishwasher. Much better to use these and change them regularly than have a build up of burnt debris at the bottom of the oven.

Appliances

As well as your oven, it is important to keep all your other kitchen appliances clean too. This can be an ongoing battle! They seem to attract dust and dirt, and can feel greasy very quickly.

This is why many people prefer to keep appliances hidden away where possible. DIY Homefit’s extensive range of kitchen cabinets provide flexible storage solutions to enable you to configure your kitchen to be practical as well as stylish. 

Those appliances that are on your worktops will need regular cleaning. You will need to unplug the appliance, and wipe down with a soft cloth and warm soapy water. Try using a toothbrush to get into any nooks and crannies as needed. Also take out any removable parts, for example the crumb tray at the bottom of your toaster, and give them a good wash separately. 

Any kitchen appliances that use water – such as kettles and coffee makers – will also need regular descaling. Don’t put this task off: it only takes a few minutes and can preserve the life of your appliance by months if not years.

Floor

We’ve all heard the phrase about a kitchen floor being clean enough to eat off. And we’re not suggesting you try that! But it is definitely true that a clean floor can transform the look of your kitchen in minutes.

The only way to keep your kitchen floor really clean is to clean it very regularly. Especially if you have children and pets. It really is worth giving it a quick sweep or vacuum most days as this will help to prevent a build-up of dirt, dust, crumbs and pet hair.

Then try to give it a wet clean once a week. Yes you can leave it longer, but the dirt then builds up and it will be more of an effort to clean. A microfibre mop is a popular option because they clean floors well and don’t need rinsing. The mop head can then be washed in the washing machine. You may also want to consider steam cleaners for an additional level of cleaning.

If you can do all the above on a regular basis, you will be helping to keep your kitchen in its best possible condition. And if you are considering updating your current kitchen then why not take a browse through our gallery of kitchen pictures to see how DIY Homefit can help.

Remember to check back here soon for more lifestyle tips from DIY Homefit.