Your kitchen is probably the hardest-working room in your home. It’s also the one most likely to be quietly falling apart while you focus on the obvious stuff – wiping down surfaces, emptying the bin, maybe giving the hob a once-over. But beneath that surface-level clean, limescale is calcifying inside your kettle, grease is coating your extractor fan, and the seal around your sink is slowly giving up. These aren’t dramatic problems. They’re the slow, creeping, ultimately expensive kind.
The good news? Most kitchen maintenance is genuinely simple – it just requires you to actually do it. Here are seven jobs you’re almost certainly neglecting, what happens when you don’t bother, and how to sort them out.
Descaling Your Appliances
If you live in a hard water area (and most of England does), mineral deposits are building up inside every appliance that touches water. Your kettle, coffee machine, dishwasher, steam iron – all of them. That chalky residue isn’t just unsightly; it forces your appliances to work harder, uses more energy, and significantly shortens their lifespan. A kettle caked in limescale can take up to 25% longer to boil.
The fix is satisfyingly easy. White vinegar or citric acid will dissolve limescale in minutes. For kettles, fill with equal parts water and vinegar, boil, leave for an hour, then rinse thoroughly. Dishwashers benefit from a cup of white vinegar placed in the top rack and run empty on a hot cycle. Do this monthly if you’re in a hard water area, every couple of months if you’re not.
Cleaning Your Fridge’s Condenser Coils
There’s a reason your fridge hums away constantly – it’s working to keep things cold. But when the condenser coils (usually located at the back or underneath) get clogged with dust and pet hair, the compressor has to work overtime. The result? Higher energy bills, inconsistent temperatures, and a fridge that dies years before it should.
Pull your fridge out from the wall once or twice a year and vacuum the coils with a brush attachment. If they’re underneath, you’ll need to remove the grille at the front. It takes ten minutes and could add years to your fridge’s life. While you’re at it, check the door seals – if they’re not creating an airtight closure, cold air is escaping and your fridge is compensating.
Looking After Your Sink
Kitchen sinks take a battering. Hot pans, abrasive scourers, acidic foods, standing water – it all adds up. Stainless steel scratches and stains if you’re not careful with cleaning products. Composite sinks can discolour. And if your sink is showing its age, no amount of worktop polish will make your kitchen look put-together.
Different materials need different care. Stainless steel should be cleaned along the grain with a non-abrasive cloth; avoid bleach, which causes pitting. Composite sinks need regular cleaning to prevent staining but can handle most household cleaners. If you’re due an upgrade, consider a vintage-style ceramic kitchen sink that’s resistant to heat and scratches – they’re experiencing a comeback for good reason, combining classic aesthetics with genuine durability.
Checking & Replacing Sealant
The silicone seal around your sink, along the backsplash, and where worktops meet walls is doing more important work than you’d think. When it fails – and it will, eventually – water gets underneath. What follows is mould, rot, and potentially expensive structural damage. It’s the kind of problem that starts invisibly and reveals itself dramatically. For more on when to tackle these jobs yourself and when to call someone, see our guide on DIY vs professional repairs.
Inspect your sealant every few months. Look for discolouration, peeling, gaps, or areas that feel soft. If it’s compromised, remove it completely (a Stanley knife and some patience), clean the area with a mould-killing solution, let it dry thoroughly, then re-apply fresh silicone or caulk. It’s a job that takes an afternoon but prevents problems that could cost thousands.
Degreasing The Extractor Hood & Filter
Every time you fry, roast, or sauté, grease particles become airborne. Your extractor hood catches most of them – which means it’s also accumulating a sticky, flammable layer that reduces airflow and, if left long enough, becomes a genuine fire hazard. A grease-clogged filter can reduce extraction efficiency by over 50%.
Most metal filters are dishwasher-safe, so start there. If yours is particularly gunky, soak it in a sink of hot water with a generous squirt of washing-up liquid and a couple of tablespoons of baking soda – the grease will lift within an hour. The hood itself can be wiped down with a degreasing spray. If you cook frequently, this should be a monthly job. If you rarely use the hob, quarterly will do.
Read: Chef’s secrets to keeping our home kitchens sparkling clean
Clearing The Dishwasher Filter & Drain
That lingering smell when you open the dishwasher? It’s probably the filter. Tucked at the bottom of the machine, it catches food debris so it doesn’t clog the drain. Problem is, most people never clean it, leaving a festering collection of decomposing food scraps that makes ‘clean’ dishes smell vaguely unpleasant.
Remove the filter (it usually twists out), rinse it under hot water, and scrub with an old toothbrush to dislodge trapped gunk. Check the drain area beneath it too – you’d be surprised what accumulates. Do this weekly if you use the dishwasher daily, fortnightly otherwise. Your glasses will sparkle and your kitchen won’t smell like a school canteen.
Deep Cleaning The Oven
Nobody enjoys cleaning the oven, which is exactly why most people don’t do it until the smoke alarm goes off mid-roast. Burnt-on grease and carbonised food residue doesn’t just smell bad – it affects how your oven heats, can taint the flavour of food, and makes the whole appliance work less efficiently.
If you have a pyrolytic oven, use the self-cleaning function every few months. For everyone else, a paste of bicarbonate of soda and water, spread over the interior and left overnight, will do most of the work – wipe it away the next day and follow up with a vinegar spray for shine. Don’t forget the door glass, which usually has a hidden layer between the panes that collects drips.
Most ovens allow you to remove the door entirely for access. For a full rundown of keeping your kitchen spotless, see our tips for efficient home cleaning.
The Bottom Line
None of these jobs are difficult. Most take less than half an hour. But collectively, they’re the difference between a kitchen that runs smoothly for decades and one that nickel-and-dimes you with repairs, replacements, and rising energy bills. Set a reminder, pick a weekend morning, and work through the list. Your future self – and your wallet – will thank you.
