Tag Archives: understanding kitchen countertops

How Not To Clean Your Kitchen Countertops

As a responsible homeowner, you want to keep your kitchen countertops, don’t you? As much as this is a great move, you should note that some things might not work to your advantage, and you shouldn’t do them. Which are these things? Here they are:

Using vinegar And Baking Soda On Grout

You might think using vinegar and baking powder to clean grout can benefit your surfaces, but this isn’t the case. In fact, it often ends up being more harmful.

This is because vinegar and baking soda have been shown to make the grout harder to clean.

Another trick that doesn’t work is using abrasive scrubbers or steel wool on tile surfaces because they can scratch and damage the tile.

The solution is to stop using cleaning hacks that don’t work and use a pH-neutral cleaner made for tile and grout. This is a great way to eliminate dirt and grime without damaging the surfaces.

Cleaning kitchen counters with bleach

Many homeowners will use bleach after handling raw meat, poultry, or fish. While this might seem like a great idea, it isn’t. the reason is that bleach is dangerous for people, pets, wild animals, aquatic life, and the environment.

The harmful nature of bleach comes from the volatile organic compounds made by bleach fumes which can cause asthma, COPD, chronic lung problems, allergic reactions, and headaches.

Instead of using bleach to clean your counters, use 3% hydrogen peroxide to kill germs on a surface after you’ve cleaned it.

Using lemon juice

Using lemon juice to clean might seem like a cheap way to keep things shiny, but lemon juice is acidic and can damage many surfaces, like marble and granite countertops.”

Instead of using lemon juice, which could make things worse, try using natural ingredients like baking soda and vinegar to clean and scrub in the kitchen and bathroom.

Putting baking soda and vinegar together on countertops

Many homemade cleaning products use vinegar and baking soda together, but you shouldn’t do this because these ingredients have been shown to work much better when used separately.

When you mix the two, you get nothing but water and salt after a fizzy show that promises shiny counters. You might be wondering how this happens, but it’s basic chemistry. Baking soda is a base, and vinegar is an acid. As a result, they cancel each other out when they’re together.

The best way to use them is to use an equal amount of vinegar and water in a spray bottle to clean the kitchen and bathroom.

Vinegar is a great disinfectant. Ensure not to use it on natural stone, as the acid can damage your surfaces. If you have stains, baking soda is a great way to eliminate them.

Tricks to make it easy to clean your countertops

The first step to making your kitchen easier to clean is to get rid of things that don’t belong there. Once you’ve removed things you no longer use and rearranged your cabinets to make things easier to find, find a way to clean your surfaces daily.

The cool thing is that you don’t need any special things—all you need are the right habits, like wiping down surfaces everyday and washing and putting away dishes as soon as you have used them.

Some homeowners have the impression they need different cleaners, but this isn’t the case. All you need is one good quality surfactant or soap to clean everything. As you can tell, you keep your kitchen clean and have an easier time as you don’t need to think about different products.

Getting a kitchen organized in a way that works well will also help. For example, store the cups, bowls, and plates in cabinets within arm’s reach of the dishwasher. This makes it easy to unload because everything is right there.

If you have a lot of work to do in the kitchen, like mopping, wiping down surfaces, or scrubbing tile grout lines, break up the work into smaller pieces and do it over several days if you need to. This will not only prevent you from getting too tired, but it also helps you to stay motivated.

Parting shot

These are some ways you shouldn’t clean your granite kitchen countertops Raleigh or any other ones you might have installed in your kitchen. The key to keeping your countertops clean is to keep it simple. When dirt happens, move fast and get rid of it. While at it, ensure that you are using the right cleaning products.

 

How Do I Keep My Kitchen Counters From Cluttering? Here’s How To Go About It

You can install marble, granite kitchen countertops, or any other countertop, but your kitchen will never look good if it’s cluttered. Do you have stuff lying everywhere, and you are wondering how do I keep my kitchen counters from cluttering? There are plenty of ways to go about it, with the popular ones being:

Take the appliances out of the counters

There is no way your counters will look clean and organized if there are appliances all over. So, to maintain a clean look, remove the appliances from your counters.

A good rule of thumb is to remove all the appliances you don’t regularly use and store them in the cabinets or any other place. This means that your surfaces should only have the units you use for your daily needs. These include: a toaster, dish rack, coffeemaker, fruit basket, a crock of cooking tools, and microwave.

For the items, you regularly use, find a permanent home for them in a convenient and logical spot. For example, you can put the coffeemaker under the mugs cabinet, put the crock of cooking tools near the stove, etc.

This is to prevent the items from spreading all over the kitchen when using them.

Keep the items in the cabinets.

Your kitchen will look neater when the various items are behind closed cabinet doors—they don’t look good when in the open.

If you love shelving, avoid having too many items on the shelves, as it gives your kitchen and counters a dirty look. Instead, take up a minimalist style and only have what you need.

When choosing the various kitchen items, settle with a unified color palette. You can also opt to display the items in nice-looking containers that will keep the various items looking intentional and tidy.

Come up with ground rules to keep the counters clutter-free

There are several ground rules that you can use to keep your counters clutter-free. They include:

  • Ensure that the dirty dishes go directly into the dishwasher or sink. They should never go on the counter
  • Before you go to bed each night, wipe off the counters
  • Never place papers on your counters
  • Even if no one can see them, keep the cabinets and drawers properly organized so that every item in the kitchen has a designated space.

Group similar items together

When you group similar items, you make the kitchen appear less cluttered and provide easy access to the various items. There are plenty of things you can use to keep the various items organized—you can use cutting boards, cake stands, trays, etc.

Minimize the decorations

As much as you love art and decorations, you should be cautious of the number you display. This is because they can easily turn your counters into an eyesore. To be on the safe side, keep the decorations to a minimum.

It’s okay to have a picture here and there, but it should be in a strategic area. If you aren’t sure where to place it, get the input of a professional.

Have a messy drawer

Even if you aim for a clutter-free kitchen, it’s impossible to have completely clutter-free counter surfaces. The same way every good diet requires a cheat day is the same way you should have a cheat spot which is a messy drawer.

Here you stash everything until you find a better location or purpose for it. It makes more sense putting it in the cheat spot than leaving it out and giving your counters a cheap look, right?

To maintain decorum in your kitchen, be specific and intentional about the location of the cheat spot. A good rule of thumb is to choose one shelf or drawer and don’t let it spill out into the entire cabinet.

Add storage options

If you have items that are giving your marble countertops NC a cluttered look, add storage options for them. Great options include:

  • Installing a wall hanging fruit basket or wall mounted paper towel holder
  • Having magnetic strips on the backsplash for knives and other utensils
  • Installing hooks for keys
  • Having a wall mount rack for the commonly used spices.