After months of planning, designing and installing, your dream kitchen is finally finished. But now that your space has been transformed, it’s important to make sure that you care for your new kitchen correctly to ensure it looks beautiful for many years to come. As exciting as the design process of bringing your dream kitchen to life is, it’s also really important to remember to take care of your new kitchen and its surfaces, making sure all worktops are cared for correctly, so they stay looking beautiful and shiny.
So, it’s essential to understand the type of material your worktops are made from and how to properly care for them.
One of the busiest rooms in the home, kitchens see plenty of use daily and surfaces are often exposed to hot pans, grease, and sharp knives, which can cause damage.
To help keep your surfaces safe, our expert design team have shared some top tips on how to care for them properly…
Marble
Marble is a highly durable surface and relatively easy to clean. To keep your marble worktop looking as shiny as it did on the day you installed it, simply using warm soapy water on a damp cloth is advised. For those extra-stubborn stains, add a drop of multipurpose cleaner on a damp cloth. It’s important to remember to avoid harsh chemical-based cleaning products, such as bleach, as there’s a risk it may corrode the stone. Once cleaned, marble surfaces need to be dried well with a soft cloth to ensure that all traces of stubborn grease marks and smears are gone.
Granite
One of the most popular worktop materials, Granite is an avid chef’s dream as it is extremely durable and doesn’t wear over time, providing you care for it correctly.
Hot soapy water paired with a soft cloth should be used for day-to-day cleaning. If you want to go the extra mile to achieve a glistening streak-free finish, a chamois leather cloth is advised to dry off the surface. Dusting the surface regularly is also required to keep the shine on the surface, especially if the surface is dark in colour as dust tends to show more clearly. It’s also important to remember to use coasters for hot drinks to prevent any staining to the surface.
Wood
Wood is a traditional favourite when it comes to surfaces, perfect for adding warmth and a rustic look to your kitchen space. Oak is a hardwood that is mainly used for worktops as it’s much stronger and durable than other wood. However, they do need quite a lot of upkeep and maintenance to preserve the surface and to protect it against general wear and tear.
As the kitchen is used daily by the whole family, wooden worktops need a coat of protective oil every so often. To check whether they need to be re-oiled, the water test is useful. Slowly drip water directly onto the surface, if the water forms a bead, the surface does not need any oiling. However, if the water sits flat on the surface, it’s a sign you need to re-oil as soon as you can.
When cleaning wooden worktops, a damp, lint-free cloth should be used to wipe surfaces down regularly to prevent any food residue from being absorbed into the surface. Multi-purpose cleaning products should not be used as they can damage wood. It’s also important to note not to use scouring pads for any stubborn marks as these can cause marks and scuffs.
To prevent knife scratches, all food should be cut using a chopping board, and extra care should be taken when using spices such as turmeric as they’re tricky to get out of the surface once stained. When dealing with hot pans, trivets or surface protectors are recommended to prevent the wood from getting scorched.
Quartz
Quartz worktops are a perfect addition for adding that extra sparkle to your kitchen. Surfaces such as Silestone and Cimstone are non-porous, meaning that they are much harder to stain when cooking. However, it must be noted that the shiny surfaces can scratch very easy if extra care isn’t taken.
Everyday cleaning of quartz surfaces just needs a soft cloth with warm water and an antibacterial surface spray. Make sure to rinse off all soap residue with warm water and then dry the surface off with a soft cloth to see those sparkles glisten in the light. For those stubborn stains, use a purpose made cleaner.
If you begin to notice that the worktop is losing its shine, a purpose made polish can be used to buff the shine straight back into the surface.
If you’re considering making your kitchen dreams a reality and would like to begin your renovation journey, pop down to our showroom to take a look at our range of beautiful kitchen worktops to see which kind of surface is perfect for you and your kitchen needs. We can help you through the whole process, from designing your dream kitchen based on inspiration, to installation.
Book an appointment with us to begin your dream kitchen journey. You can also find more kitchen inspiration on our Instagram.
