How To Make Your Kitchen Functional
Your kitchen should be an efficient workable space in your home. Here are some suggestions that make your space, appliances and most used accessories work in a more functional way during your daily routines.
Obviously, the initial design will determine how your kitchen operates. But with some advances in technology, you can improve this work area to make life a lot simpler for you.
How easy is it to clean your kitchen?
Having a tidy kitchen is imperative for health and the overall operation. The three main surfaces are the floor, the benchtops and the splashback wall. Cleaning these surfaces is made more difficult if you have to wipe and spray around surfaces that stain easily.
Splashback Kitchen Wall – Tiles can look great on a splashback wall. But how much grease and grime is building up over time on the tiled joins? One single sheet made from glass, stone or acrylic would be much easier to clean. Consider the material of your floor, benchtops and splashback. For instance, a tiled splashback can be harder to clean with grease and dirt build-up on the grout. Instead, try a single-panel, glass, acrylic or stone splashback for an easier clean.
Vinyl Flooring – Luxury vinyl flooring continues to boom in popularity, and it’s not just because luxury vinyl floors can so easily pass for real stone and hardwood these days, at a fraction of the price. Cleaning luxury vinyl floors is also quite easy! Much like tile, your upkeep of luxury vinyl floors will usually be just a matter of sweeping or vacuuming to pick up any dust or residue, followed by a good mopping or dusting job.
Kitchen Benchtops – Your kitchen counter or benchtop will have a lot of use and will require constant cleaning. Granite or quartz or engineered stone are heat and stain resistant and therefore easy to clean. Engineered stone benchtops are non-porous and resistant to stains and scratches, and the only maintenance they require is a wipe-down with mild soap and water.
Smart Appliances – The advancement in technology for the kitchen is improving every year. You can have your own personal assistant in the kitchen that can narrate your favourite recipes and tell you when you are low on supplies in your refrigerator. There are also steam ovens that make sure you don’t lose the nutrients in the food you are cooking.
Storage – The more space you have in the kitchen the better. If you have room then keep everything off the bench and countertops. You might want to keep the kettle on the top as it can be used multiple times during the day but put the toaster in a cupboard. If your kitchen has overhead space you may want to add some cupboards.
Organise your cupboards and their contents. Try and keep all your pots and pans in the one area. Keep all your spices in labelled air tight jars. If you open any packaged foods such as chips, dried biscuits or spaghetti and do not use all the contents then remember to keep them from any exposure to the air.
Two Sinks and a Dishwasher – If you are a family of 3 or more then your should be operating your dishwasher only when it is full. This saves on detergents and water and will clean your dishes better than you can. Two is better than one and this applies to sinks. You may be washing some pots that are too large for the dishwasher and want to strain the vegetables you are cooking. Also, the second sink can act as an insinkerator when you are preparing food.
Some simple adjustments in your kitchen can save you time and money.
