The initial visual presentation of your kitchen is an important aspect of anyone’s immediate impression of the entire household. Are there simple methods and procedures that can be used, to present a more tidy appearance in the kitchen, without spending money or time? Here are ( 22 ) of the most inexpensive and common sense suggestions, to help you keep your kitchen neat and clean.
1.) Clean all horizontal surfaces with your, go to cleaner, or a combination of vinegar and water. Ensure that there are no sticky spots, or an area where the food has accumulated and has stuck to the surface. If this is the case, a simple scrubbing with your favorite abrasive sponge, will remove this sticky film. It is important when visually looking down the countertop, that there are no obvious areas of dirt or film. A clean countertop will give the impression of overall cleanliness.
2.) Wash the dishes. Although this appears to be common sense, the presence of dirty dishes, even if they are neatly stacked in the sink, will create a negative impression. If you have a dishwasher, the loading of the dishwasher, will place the dirty dishes out of sight and mind. Remember that, no one wants to see dirty dishes! If necessary HIDE THEM!
3.) Use large open containers, such as glass flower vases, or other types of inexpensive and creative containers, as storage space for all of the cooking utensils, such as wooden spoons, spatula’s etc. Place these containers on the back side of your countertops, to allow them to blend into the backsplash of the kitchen counter.
4.) Close all the drawers. A partially open drawer, conveys a lack of tidiness, and will create the illusion that your cabinets are misaligned or in a state of disrepair. Close the drawers.
5.) Close all of the cabinet doors. If there are stacked dishes or pans in the interior of the cabinets, which are not allowing the doors to fully shut, please rearrange the dishes and pans. It is very important that all of the cabinet doors are fully closed, to create a tidy appearance. Open doors or partially closed doors only make the inhabitants of the home; look as though they do not care about the appearance of the kitchen. Make sure the cabinet doors close!
6.) Clean the drain of the sink. Remove all of the food, and material that has accumulated in the bottom drain of the sink. When you wash the dishes, there will always be an accumulation of material in the drain. Please clean it, this will give the impression of both cleanliness and caring.
7.) If you have had a spill that may have caused staining or spatter on the walls, floor or even the ceiling of the kitchen, wash and clean the spill when it occurs. Do not wait, allowing the splatter to harden and adhere to the surface of the floor, walls or ceiling. This hardening will make the final cleaning, much more difficult. In addition, the obvious splatter will not add to the positive appearance of the entire kitchen, just clean the spill, when it occurs!
8.) Sweep the floor. The use of a simple broom and dustpan will keep the kitchen floor relatively tidy. There will always be an accumulation of crumbs and harden food that has fallen on the floor. A simple sweeping will remove the majority of these items. People do not give the broom and dustpan enough credit. Think of your grandmother and her use of the broom. It works!
9.) Wet a dishtowel with warm water, and use this damp dish towel like a mop around the corners of the kitchen floor, and over the entire surface. An easy method is to simply use the broom to sweep the towel over the surface of the floor. This will remove those stains and spills that a simple sweeping did not remove. This is a common trick that many professional maids and housekeepers will use.
10.) Wipe the sink down. In most kitchens there is a very simple, aluminum sink. The sinks surface is easily wiped down, and the absence of water stains and droplets around the sink will generate a cleaner and tidier appearance. The sink is a focus point in the kitchen, keep it clean, and its appearance will present an overall tidiness within the entire kitchen. In most cases, a simple paper towel wipe down, is all that is required.
11.) Use an air freshener in the kitchen. Whatever type of air freshener that you prefer, use one. Whether it is a free standing independent freshener that sits on the countertop, or a spray type of freshener the smells of kitchen cooking should be eliminated by the use of an air freshener.
12.) Light a candle. The scent of a candle burning in the kitchen will instill a clean and tidy atmosphere, for the entire presentation of the kitchen itself. Smells within the kitchen area are important to the overall sensory perception of the entire household. Clean and fresh is the goal for this area of the home.
13.) Hang decorative dishtowels off of the stove handle; drape one over the faucet at the sink or even lay one out on the countertop, to provide some color and variation to the horizontal surfaces of the countertop. It is always cute to use specialty towels that reflect the individuality of the homeowner, such as college logo’s, favorite teams, or even your interest in cooking.
14.) Do not allow accumulation of anything! This means recyclables, organic matter, garbage, plastic bags, etc. Do not allow the kitchen to become the receptacle for all of the household items that accumulate! It is very important to keep the kitchen, clutter free! A wide open appearance will give the sense of a more spacious and inviting environment.
15.) Hide the garbage can or disposal area. A great method of hiding the garbage is to use the specialty cabinets that are designed, under the countertop, and are provided by many kitchen cabinet providers. The use of these mechanisms allows, in the majority of cases, the space for two containers to be slide in and out from under the kitchen countertop. This will enable all of the garbage waste, as well as the recyclables to be out of site and therefore out of mind.
16.) Replace and be consistent with the selection of light bulbs. A bright and cheery kitchen environment will only be conveyed, if the area is brightly lit, and all lights are working with a similar type of bulb. If one fixture has a warm bulb and the other a cool bulb, the entire atmosphere of the kitchen environment will convey a mismanaged impression. Either choose warm or cool, but make all the lamps in the kitchen the same.
17.) Place live plants on the kitchen window sill. Live plants in the kitchen, especially if they are specialty herbs, is an inexpensive and easy method of creating a warm and inviting kitchen environment. Basil, Rosemary, parsley are just some of the live plants that can be potted and displayed in the kitchen, either on the counter or on a window ledge.
18.) Do not allow fruit flies or ants to infect the kitchen. It is extremely important to control ants immediately upon their arrival in the kitchen. Failure to control an ant population will lead to further and more difficult situations with the growth of the ant population. The same is pertinent to fruit flies. Do not allow fruits or vegetables to remain on the countertop of even in the trash. Establish a composting procedure that will consume any leftover fruit or vegetables. Once fruit flies start to invade the kitchen, it is extremely difficult to control the infestation.
19.) Control the mouse population. I will not recite the statistics of how many field mice are present on an acre of land; let’s just say it is very substantial. Any opening in the foundation wall or the exterior of the home will be an invitation to aggressive field mice. Once they get into the home, they can establish their nests anywhere within the home. They especially find the kitchen a very interesting and rewarding area of the home. Those little black, pepper size particles that you see within your silverware drawer, is a sign of mice. Yes, this is mouse excrement and it must be controlled.
20.) Display family photos or special invitations, etc. on a kitchen cork board. The use of family photos and all of the miscellaneous family mail, such as invitations, specialty notices, etc. that a typical family accumulates, if creatively displayed on an inexpensive cork board, can add a touch of hominess, without clutter to the kitchen environment.
21.) If your pan storage area is overwhelmed by large and heavy sauce pans, frying pans or other larger cooking pans, consider the use of a hanging pot and pan apparatus, specifically designed to accommodate the hanging of pots and pans from the ceiling. This type of display of pots and pans will add some character to the entire kitchen environment as well as free up, the much needed under counter storage.
22.) If you are a wine enthusiast the display of the wine bottles that you have purchased for consumption is a convenient method of adding décor to the kitchen and for freeing up any storage space that you would normally use for your wine. There are several inexpensive countertop wine racks, which will allow the display of your wine, and will add to the entire visual presentation of the kitchen countertop.
The kitchen is a very important aspect of providing a positive impression of the entire home. Simple, inexpensive care and responsible respect for the cleanliness and tidiness of the kitchen will show a general appreciation for the cleanliness of the entire home.
If the kitchen is neat and clean, visitors assume that the remainder of the home will resemble the kitchen.