Are you planning on buying a house soon? Maybe you have designs on becoming a landlord? Or, you’ve a new kitchen you want to keep spotless? If you are planning on owning a home or taking care of an apartment in the near future, you’re going to need to learn a few handiwork basics.
Kitchen maintenance is one of the most important skillsets to have for homeowners. Knowing what to do, what goes where, and how to fix problems can make life much simpler when an issue arises. For those looking to beef up their kitchen maintenance knowledge, here is a quick rundown of what is important; our 5 essentials of kitchen maintenance for beginners.
Not Every Job Should Be Done Yourself
First and foremost, not every job should be your responsibility alone. In fact, taking everything into your own hands can have dire consequences for your kitchen’s set up. Some jobs, indeed, are best left to the professionals, and it’s in the knowing when to admit defeat that a certain skill lies.
While there are a lot of ways to maintain your kitchen by yourself, some easy and some hard, not everything is within your skill range.
Things like plumbing repairs are difficult without proper guidance and knowledge. Putting your ego aside here might save you causing foundational damage to your property. Take this matter into your own hands, and those hands might end up wet, dirty and distressed rather quickly.
Read: Home improvement projects when only a professional will do
Keep Your Backsplash Looking Good
Now, onto those tasks which can be done by the layperson. One of the most simple but necessary renovation jobs in a kitchen is updating or improving the kitchen’s backsplash. This wall feature is prominent in many kitchens and it makes sense to have it shipshape and spanking.
Even a simple job like keeping it clean, continuously wiping it down and making sure that there are no chips or problems with the caulking (if it is tiled) can improve the overall impression of the kitchen.
There’s nothing more suggestive of a haphazard attitude to cooking than last week’s bolognese stains all up the wall. Don’t be that guy.
Give Your Appliances A Descaling
Descaling is meant to help clean the build-up of water-related minerals that scuff and mark your appliances. Coffee makers, kettles, dishwashers, ice makers, and anything in the kitchen that uses water are particularly prone, and will have to be descaled. This is essential to ensure the longevity and efficiency of these appliances, particularly.
Fortunately, it’s a simple process. Put two cups of white vinegar in a bowl in your dishwasher, soak your kettle in a mix of equal parts vinegar and water for an hour, and use a vinegar solution as a wipe for other appliances…all for easy do-it-yourself maintenance using items you’ll already have in the kitchen.
Cleaning Hood Vents
Blockages or dirt in a hood vent can drastically reduce the efficiency of airflow and put a damper on efforts to keep your kitchen’s air clean. While cooking, it is hard to keep aromas and airborne grease at bay, but the hood vent is crucial to this.
Cleaning it out thoroughly requires you to first de-grease the surfaces to dislodge any gunk that accumulates throughout your cooking. The problem with grease is how hard it can stick to surfaces and how it can leave a residue. Sometimes it can be as simple as wiping it down with hot water and soap, but other times might require you to take off the hood vent and remove the filter. You can submerge it in hot water, soap, and baking soda mixture and let it sit for a while until the grease lifts off.
Maintaining The Fridge
The fridge is one of the, if not the, most frequently used appliances in the kitchen. Kettle, you don’t get a look in, we’re afraid. Since it’s crucial in keeping hygiene levels up and food safety prioritised, it’s important to make sure that it is always running smoothly and is clean.
Emptying the fridge and doing a deep clean will prevent any mould or mildew build-up and allows you to throw out any uneaten food that could be taking up space. Sweeping below the fridge is important too because dust and dropped food can accumulate underneath it.
Making your fridge run better also means you need to clean the condenser coils, which are located at the bottom or back of the fridge and can be cleaned by vacuuming or hand-dusting them. When the condenser coils are clean, you can benefit from less energy use on your next utility bill.
Of course, it’s a wise idea to have some replacement parts for your fridge in the house, to ensure any issue can be quickly fixed… Before all of your food goes off!
The Bottom Line
Proper adherence to kitchen maintenance will make your life at home much easier. Instead of dealing with dirty and ill-working appliances, you can learn how to properly care for the kitchen to give yourself a better understanding of what it takes to keep everything clean.
Kitchen maintenance is an important skillset to have, and ensures a smoother running home in general. Good luck!