Top tips on cleaning your kitchen
21 July 2008
Once you have invested in a new kitchen, you will want it to look its best for as long as possible.
Follow these tips from the Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association (KBSA), to ensure your kitchen continues to sparkle!
Door fronts:
- Laminates and melamine - dust, non-encrusted dirt and finger marks can be removed by using an alcohol-based window cleaning product or clean, soapy water. When using the latter, quickly rinse with clear water and wipe dry with a Software duster or a kitchen paper towel.
- Solid wood – wood is a living material, even after harvesting. Solid wood fronts (doors & drawers) for example will continue to expand and shrink according to the humidity levels within the room. Obviously, in a kitchen environment, these humidity levels will vary according to a variety of influences. However, this should not be a major issue and furniture fronts should be able to withstand ‘normal’ usage. It is worth being extra vigilant in ensuring any water contamination is dried immediately.
- Varnished solid wood or veneer – do not let water penetrate varnished wood or veneer. This material is particularly sensitive to ink, alkaline cleaning products and solvents. Wipe clean with a slightly damp cloth with a small drop of washing-up liquid if required (for grease marks for example) and dry off with kitchen paper towel.
- Glass – Smooth glass can be cleaned with alcohol-based products. If it is etched, it is best wiped with a non-fluffy duster. There is a danger of encrusting the design if cleaning products are used. Always use a separate cutting or chopping board. Never cut directly onto the glass surface as this will damage the finish.
- Lacquer – this is arguably the most delicate of the surfaces used in kitchens and should be cleaned with as much care as varnished solid wood doors. Many cleaning products and organic products are harmful to lacquered doors so only use soapy water or products recommended by the manufacturer. It is possible to enhance the gloss finish with an occasional treatment from an application of furniture polish; ideally liquid wax rather than spray polish, or specialist polish from the original manufacturer of the furniture door.
Worktops:
- Tiles – tiles are resistant to scratching, however, the joints need to be looked after – you can buy waterproofing products and stains to restore the colour.
- Laminates – most marks can be removed from laminate worktops by just wiping with a damp cloth. More resistant marks can usually be removed with warm soapy water.
- Stone, granite and marble – Granite is a natural, strong, inert and slightly porous material and requires no particular maintenance. Use a micropore cloth impregnated with clean, warm, slightly soapy water to remove any splashing from cooking etc., then clean tap water to rinse, and dry off & polish with kitchen paper towel. An occasional waxing with traditional wax furniture polish will help retain the polished gloss effect. It can, however, be damaged and stained by oils and wine, so care should be taken to clean up spillages quickly. It can be chipped and might crack if exposed to excessive cold or heat. Stone is a natural material and marble is a porous stone that is damaged by staining and acids - vinegar, wine and lemon juice.
- In all cases, follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for cleaning individual parts and finishes.
Equipped with this advice your kitchen should look stunning for years to come.
ENDS
EDITOR’S NOTES
The KBSA is a national trade association founded 30 years ago to promote excellence within the interiors industry and champion consumer protection. Today 400 independent specialist retailers and corporate members support the KBSA.
KBSA members are dedicated to upholding the association’s high standards of design, supply, installation and customer service throughout the interiors industry. All members are carefully vetted prior to admission and they must have been trading for at least two years in order to be considered for membership. All members offer ConsumerCare deposit protection or ConsumerCare Plus, which protects the consumer from payment of the deposit to completion of the contract and includes an insurance backed warranty.
In addition, all members are subject to regular monitoring of their businesses to ensure levels of quality are continually maintained.
