Today, kitchens are so much more than just rooms where we prepare food. They’ve transformed into the centre of our home, a place where we spend quality time with our loved ones. That’s why it’s so important to always keep your kitchen clean, tidy, comfy and functional. You don’t need much time or much money to do so, just follow these tips and tricks and your kitchen will always look its best.
Everything starts with a plan
Having a good cleaning and maintaining plan will save you a lot of time and keep your kitchen spotless. There are chores you should do daily, such as dishwashing, wiping counters and stovetops, sweeping floors and changing your kitchen towels. Some chores you can do once a week, such as mopping the floors, reorganising, and disinfecting the counters. Monthly chores include cleaning the appliances and kitchen drains, dusting light fixtures and making sure your cabinets, doors and drawers are properly screwed in. This is a plan you can stick to since it doesn’t require much time and effort, while it will keep your kitchen clean and tidy.
Take care of your counters
If you often find those pesky coffee and juice stains all over your countertops, you can easily remove them with some hydrogen peroxide, water and a few drops of ammonia. However, if you start seeing some damage on your stone countertops, you can use a buffer and a fine steel wool to remove small scratches and dents. If that doesn’t succeed, you can easily give your kitchen a small remodel and opt for some high-end finishes to make it clean, functional and above all, elegant.
Keep your tiles spotless
The best and the most natural way to clean your floor tiles and backsplash is to use baking soda. To make this homemade cleaner, you need only half a cup of baking soda. Mix it with five to six litres of water and there you go. Your tiles will look just like new.
Clean your pans
Even though professional chefs swear by them, it’s a fact that cast-iron pans can be tricky to clean. The best and easiest way to clean it is to add warm water to your already heated, greasy pan and scrub it gently. Once you remove the oil and water, add three tablespoons of salt and use a paper towel to scrub. Once you’re satisfied with the look of your pan, apply a coat of vegetable oil. Additionally, you can rely on some non-toxic cleaners, if your pans have been through a lot.
Maintain your kitchen utensils
Every now and then you must look at your utensils. Usually, you’ll find some burnt-on stains, rust spots and other little issues that need to be addressed. You can go through your cutlery and pots once a month, remove stains and blemishes and give them a good polish. If you avoid this chore, you might need a lot of money for new chopping knives and eating utensils.
Get organised with smart storage
You can never have too much storage space, especially in the kitchen. However, kitchens often have dead corners and spaces that are hard to reach, so you must look for some clever storage options. For instance, you can fill up the unused space with custom storage or corner cabinets. Another great storage option is a pullout spice rack that’s small and can fit in most spaces, no matter how awkward they are. Go all-in with storage, because even if your storage solution isn’t the best looking one, it’s still much better than clutter.
Store small appliances
Rows of small appliances placed on your countertops rarely look good, plus it’s impractical. Consider installing storage cabinets for your appliances, especially those you don’t use every day. This way, your kitchen will be organised much better and you’ll have much more space for food preparation.
Be smart with garbage
Today, people care a lot about recycling and composting, and in order to make it easier and more practical, you should organise your garbage. You can set up a “garbage station” with multiple bins each with a different purpose. This way, you’ll not only have a cleaner kitchen but also help the environment. You can label your bins or use different colours for easier distinguishing.
Take care of leaks and drips
Kitchen leaks and drips might look innocent, but actually, they can waste a lot of water, cause stains, rot and other expensive damage. As soon as you notice you have a sink or faucet leak, it’s best to get to work and fix it. Most of the smaller problems you can take care of yourself, but if you think you have a bigger issue, it’s best to consult with your plumber who will rid your kitchen of all plumbing problems.
Let there be light!
Kitchens need good lighting more than almost any other space in the house. No matter how much natural light your kitchen gets, you’ll still need a little help from electricity. One of the most popular kitchen lighting options is an undercabinet light. It gives ample light and eliminates shadows, which makes it perfect for different kitchen tasks.
So, if you want your kitchen to be the heart of your household, you should follow these easy cleaning, maintaining and organising tips. That way, your kitchen will always be ready for tasty meal preparations and welcoming your family and friends. However, if you don’t have that much time on your hands constantly, you can even consider house cleaners from time to time.
