Kitchen & Bathroom Design Blog

Spring is here.  As color comes back into our gardens, we want our homes to be just as fresh and vibrant. The first room to spring clean is the kitchen. It’s used at least three times a day and an increase in sunlight often highlights a multitude of dirt and grime. The deeper you clean, the better the reward. Here are some tips to make your kitchen design sparkle and shine.

COUNTERS AND KITCHEN CABINETS

First, empty out kitchen cabinets and drawers and toss or donate broken or unused contents. Wash them all inside and out with warm, soapy water. Use a de-greasing product on top and underneath cabinets as well as on backsplashes. Wooden facades and metal hardware can be polished. When putting everything back, first dispose of food that’s expired. Move seasonal items to the very back and group similar things together at the front. This is a perfect time to assess your kitchen storage and better utilize available space or plan the storage you want to get from your next kitchen remodel. Scrub cleared countertops with soapy water or an appropriate solution, such as glass cleaner for granite. Thoroughly clean all the items returning to the countertop.

APPLIANCES

Food and cooking are still the heart of every kitchen design, so you want to make sure your appliances are fresh and sparkling and ready for spring cooking and summer barbecues. Wipe down all appliances with warm soapy water, rinse and then buff dry with a cloth. Empty your refrigerator and discard all out-of-date products before cleaning inside with a mild solution, like a mixture of dish washing liquid and water. Use baking soda to help combat odors and to get out stubborn stains.  Spray oven cleaner inside your oven and leave shelves, grates, griddles and burner heads from your cooktop to soak for 30 minutes and then shift any remaining dirt with a toothbrush. Remove tough stains on glass or ceramic cooktops by applying a baking soda paste for fifteen minutes and then gently wiping off. Steam clean your microwave by heating a cup of water with a dash of vinegar inside it for three minutes. Then wipe it down and wash the turntable. Likewise, leave water and vinegar to soak in tea and coffee pots overnight. Rinse the next morning for sparkling results. If you have an outdoor kitchen design or a barbecue area, make sure you deep clean this space as well.

FLOORS

This is the time to use all the attachments on your vacuum cleaner! Get into the crevices between appliances and kitchen cabinets and eliminate the tiniest of debris. Scrub your baseboards and then clear your floor of rugs (hanging them outside to air) and turn chairs up onto the table. Mop the floor thoroughly, working backwards so you won’t need to walk on it when it’s wet.

CEILINGS

Often we forget to look up when spring cleaning. Make sure there are no cobwebs overhead. Then, turn off the power to your light fixtures, remove any glass from lighting fixtures and wash it. Make sure it’s dry when you replace it. Dust light bulbs and ceiling fan blades, and replace any burnt out bulbs.

WALLS

Take down everything from your kitchen walls. Dust all pictures and mirrors and then clean the glass, leaving them smear-free and shiny. This might be an opportunity to re-arrange these things too, giving your kitchen design a fresh look in every sense of the word. While you are cleaning the walls, don’t forget to clean your kitchen windows inside and out, to make sure the spring sunshine will light up your kitchen design without highlighting dirty windows.

Once your kitchen has had a good scrub, you’ll feel happier being there. Spring cleaning is good for the soul and basic maintenance is all that’s needed until the next deep clean. After you’ve spruced up your kitchen you might be tempted to invest in a few key improvements to further enhance it. Why not stop by our showroom or peruse our kitchen design gallery today for further kitchen remodeling inspiration?