Useful Tips for Kitchen Maintenance by the Experts of San Fernando Valley

Whether you’re a cooking novice or an expert chef, having a clean and organized kitchen can make food preparation safer and easier. Some aspects of kitchen maintenance, such as emptying the trash and washing dishes, are so commonplace that you’re almost certainly doing them already. However, these steps alone might not be enough to shape your kitchen into an ideal workspace. Here are some extra maintenance tricks you can use to bring your kitchen to the next level:

Wash Stained Surfaces

Splashes and spills are a normal part of cooking, but if they’re not taken care of, they can stain your kitchen walls or even cause mold accumulation. Therefore, you should wipe up food spills in your kitchen as soon as you notice them. The sooner you take care of a spill, the less of a chance it will have to harden and stick to your kitchen surfaces, and the easier it will be to clean up.

Furthermore, you should aim to do a spot check of your kitchen’s walls, backsplash, and floor at least once a week. If you notice any stains on the walls, remove them by gently dabbing them with a microfiber cloth and warm soapy water. If this doesn’t work, replace the soapy water with a solution of equal parts vinegar and water and try again.

Alternatively, stains on your kitchen’s floor or backsplash can be removed with a sponge and a mixture of one part baking soda and eight parts water. Following the above steps will help make your kitchen both safer and more aesthetically pleasing.

Deep-Clean Your Fridge

In addition to routinely cleaning your kitchen’s floors and walls, you should also perform frequent maintenance on your kitchen appliances. For example, not only should you occasionally go through your fridge’s contents to ensure that they aren’t growing mold, but you should also clean the appliance’s condenser coils at least once a year. If these coils become dusty, they will lose efficiency, meaning that your fridge will have to work harder to keep your food cold. This, in turn, will drive up your electricity bill.

Fortunately, cleaning your fridge’s condenser coils is an easy process. First, unplug your fridge and locate the coils, which should be located at either the back or the bottom of the fridge. If they are on the bottom, they may be covered by a grate, which you will need to remove. Next, use a vacuum, a duster, and/or a refrigerator coil brush to get rid of as much dirt as possible. Finally, replace the grate if needed and sweep up any debris that fell to the floor. This process shouldn’t take long, and it can save you a considerable amount of money in electricity bills.

Descale Appliances that Use Water

Food spills and dust aren’t the only messes that can accumulate in a kitchen. Mineral buildup can also occur, especially in appliances that regularly use water. These buildups aren’t particularly harmful, but they can have negative consequences for the efficiency of your appliances and the taste of your food. Therefore, if you notice a mineral buildup in one of your appliances, you should descale that appliance as soon as possible.

The exact descaling process that you follow will differ depending on which of your appliances have mineral buildup. For instance, if there is a mineral deposit in your coffee maker, the best way to eliminate it is by running three brew cycles: one with water and a descaling agent in the water chamber and two more with just water in the chamber.

In contrast, if there’s a buildup in your fridge’s ice maker, you can get rid of it by turning the machine off, scooping the ice into your sink, removing any loose parts, and scrubbing everything down with a vinegar solution.

Regardless of the steps you take to descale your appliances, always be sure to use a descaler that’s specifically designed for the appliance you’re cleaning, as failing to do so may cause the machine to malfunction.

Help from the Experts At Kitchen Emporium

In some instances, even your best efforts at kitchen maintenance might not be enough to make your kitchen’s appearance meet your standards. If this is the case, then it might be time for a kitchen renovation. For years, our team here at Kitchen Emporium has provided high-quality, affordable kitchen remodeling to customers in Southern California areas, including San Fernando Valley, San Diego, and San Marcos. We would like nothing more than to help you create a kitchen that you can be proud of, so give us a call today for a free estimate.