A new fully fitted kitchen represents a significant investment, and that’s understandable when you consider the high-quality materials and professionalism involved when having one installed.
Therefore, once you’ve had your new kitchen fitted, you’re going to want to take good care of it and guarantee it lasts you a lifetime.
One of the components of your new kitchen that will get lots of use are your kitchen worktops. These stalwarts of every good kitchen are designed to be robust and built to last. But failure to take care of them could lead to your kitchen worktops becoming old before their time.
The good news is that with the right care, you can ensure you get years and years out of your quality kitchen, which is why cleaning your kitchen worktops is not something you should take lightly.
Different materials require different care, and the amount of care required may be something you want to think about when choosing the materials for your flooring, counters and kitchen.
Here are our top tips for caring for your kitchen worktops and keeping them both clean and durable:
Cleaning Kitchen Worktops
How you care for your kitchen work surfaces will depend on what they are made of. With so many different detergents on the market today – many of which contain strong chemicals – caution should always be used when cleaning your worktops.
Wooden Kitchen Worktops
As you’ll know, wood is porous and this is why wooden work surfaces require regular oiling to keep them water resistant. Furthermore, even if you do oil your wooden worktops regularly, it’s still not advisable to leave any standing water on them for a long period of time.
Moreover, as wood can be damaged and marked by heat, you’ll want to make sure you always use a pan stand when placing hot pans down on your worktops.
One of the beauties of using wood for worktops is that it will change and pick up marks over time. The natural patina gives wood its characteristic uniqueness. But if you do want to freshen it up and clear off wear and tear, you can just sand back and start again.
Wooden work surfaces kept free from debris and washed with with low dilution of detergent and warm water will provide years of loyal service.
Granite Worktops
Granite is about as hard wearing as it comes and if you’re splashing out on granite work surfaces then chances are you know a thing or two about style. Granite keeps well and is easy to clean with gentle detergent, but care must be taken when using high acetic products and many of these are from the kitchen cupboard, not the cleaning cupboard. Products such as cooking oils, lemons and vinegars can stain granite and so it’s always best to ensure any spillages are cleaned up right away.
Veneer Doors
Many kitchens are now made of hard wearing veneer and this can be one of the easiest and simplest materials to care for. If you’ve got veneer surfaces you should be able to easily keep them clean with simple detergents and soft cloths. We advise against the use of bleaches and abrasive cleaners as these can mark or discolour your work surfaces.
Knowing how to care for each surface before you make any final decisions on your kitchen really is essential and allows you to make an educated decision when planning. We are, of course, always available for a chat and can advise you on the ideal work surfaces for your new kitchen.
