After a remodel, we like to share some important care and maintenance tips with our clients to help them look after their space well. Designing and building a new kitchen or bathroom that caters to your unique preferences and requirements takes a tremendous amount of planning, decision-making, and patience. When the project is complete and the space all cleaned up, you finally get to see what you and your remodel team were working towards. It’s hard to imagine your kitchen or bathroom looking better than it does at that point, with its gleaming countertops, spotless cabinet doors, shiny fittings, and sparkling clean appliances. After all, life – with its spills and messes – is bound to happen.
However, the pristine finish of your freshly-remodeled kitchen or bathroom can last a very long time with the proper care and maintenance. As a full-service design-remodel firm, we work closely with our clients to create spaces they will love for years. Through our comprehensive design process, we help select all the components of their dream kitchen or bathroom, so we know how important each one is to them. That’s why we ensure our clients have the best care and maintenance tips for every aspect of their new space.
CABINETS
Cabinets vary tremendously in quality. In addition to the doors and drawer fronts, the quality of your cabinetry is determined by construction, including frames, drawer glides, and hinges. How well-made these components are will determine how long your cabinets will stay in perfect condition. Because we believe that cabinetry sets the tone for the entire kitchen, we offer our clients high-quality options from top-rated manufacturers in the US. These are designed to last and can look brand new for years with the right care, which means knowing how to maintain and treat them. Cleaning and making adjustments are two key parts of that:
1. Cleaning your cabinets
One of the best care and maintenance tips we can give you for your cabinets is this: question the product you’re considering using. Many products marketed specifically for cleaning cabinets can actually do more harm than good, as Plain & Fancy Custom Cabinetry explains in the video below. Watch it to see a demonstration of how to clean your cabinets the right way, without harmful products or water damage.
2. Adjusting your cabinet doors and drawers with ease
If you notice that any of your cabinet doors and drawers aren’t operating smoothly, you can adjust them quite easily with the correct method. Be sure to find out what works for the specific type of door and adjustment you are making before you start.
Dura Supreme, one of the manufacturers we work with, offers this series of hinge adjustment tips for different cabinet doors. Watch to learn how to access the adjustment screws and shift your cabinet doors and drawers as required:
Inset cabinet door with concealed hinges
Full overlay cabinet door
Frameless cabinet door
Lift door
Stay lift door
Drawer adjustment
Remove and re-install drawer or roll out
NATURAL STONE
Natural stone countertops
Sealing your natural stone countertops every 6 months is recommended. However, you may need to do this sooner. A care and maintenance tip that will serve you well is this: a good way to tell if it’s time to seal your countertops is if you notice that any water on the surfaces has started taking longer to dry. Eventually, over time, the stone will absorb the sealer and you won’t have to seal anymore, but that takes years.
Products such as this natural stone cleaner and sealer can help you keep your countertops in great shape. They are designed to work on natural stones such as granite, marble, travertine, and limestone, and will protect them against commonly spilled substances including oil, coffee, wine, and other food items. Take a look at this sealer guide by Black Diamond Stoneworks to learn how different products can work on your countertop.
For more countertop care and maintenance tips, take a look at this video by Marble.Com:
Natural stone tile and grout
Natural stone tiles, being very porous, can stain easily. That’s why it’s essential to ensure they are properly sealed. It’s also why they require extra caution when it comes to grouting. Ceramic tiles, for example, don’t require too much caution while grouting because the grout can be easily wiped off. Natural stone tiles, on the other hand, won’t be as easy to clean. This step-by-step instructional video on grout cleaning and sealing has some essential care and maintenance tips, and will show you the right way to go about it:
We also recommend getting a grout care package, such as this one by Black Diamond that includes a cleaner, sealer, and brush: http://amzn.to/2dMMWOt
GLASS
Glass stovetop
Worrying about cleaning your stovetop should never hold you and your family back from comforting home-cooked meals and fun culinary experiments. Your new kitchen should be a place where you want to spend more time with the people at home, creating old favorites and testing out new recipes. Even the most stubborn, burnt-on spills can be cleaned gently and effectively using this easy method:
Shower glass
One of the first things to make a bathroom look uncared for is a water-stained shower glass. A solution of 5 parts vinegar and 1 part water works well to keep it spotless. For more on keeping your bathroom looking its best, take a look at this video by Clean My Space:
MISCELLANEOUS
Metal fittings and hardware
Take care to clean drawer pulls, door handles, faucets, and other frequently-used fittings and hardware with the right material. Frustrating hard water stains might make you want to reach for something tough like a brillo pad, but try a microfiber cloth instead – it will do the job perfectly without scratching the finish.
Backsplash
The material you have selected for your backsplash will determine the appropriate care and maintenance required. Natural stone, as mentioned above, will need to be treated with more care than, say, a steel or glass backsplash. But, regardless of material, try to clean your backsplash regularly to keep your kitchen safe from mold and mildew. Remember to use a sealer as needed.
Appliances
It’s easy to forget about appliances that run all the time, such as refrigerators and freezers. That’s probably why they are not featured amongst frequently shared care and maintenance tips for kitchens. Without proper maintenance, these appliances could fail faster than they should. Clean the compressor coils to prevent them from running too hot for too long. For stoves and microwaves, the enemy is food build-up. Keep them clean so they work smoothly. Similarly, dishwashers need to be kept clean and debris-free. In addition, you must ensure they are sealed properly. Check the door gaskets to make sure everything is set up to work well.
Common mistakes to avoid making with your new kitchen or bathroom
- Not waiting for protective treatments to take effect. If you are doing the required maintenance on your countertops or bathroom tiles, be sure to follow the instructions completely and wait until the surface is safe for use again.
- Not fixing or replacing your appliances if you notice an issue with them. A faulty appliance could damage your home’s electrical system, so it’s important to address any issues there without delay.
- Ignoring loose tiles. Cracked tiles open up the floor to rot. If any tiles get damaged, attend to the grouting at the earliest possible.
- Using unsuitable and damaging cleaning methods. In this blog, we have looked at a few ways to clean different components of your space. This is because, quite often, people are not aware that certain cleaners (even when they are marketed for a certain use) can do lasting damage. Always look for the right method for each material or surface before you clean, and do a spot test first.
- Not calling a qualified professional to take care of a maintenance issue when needed. Sometimes, leaving it to the experts is the best idea, especially when it comes to certain repairs, modifications, and protective treatments. If there’s something about your kitchen you’d like to fix or modify, it’s best to consult an expert before you go the DIY route.
A note on proper sanitization practices for your new space: In recent months, many of us have incorporated a sanitization practice for our kitchen, bathrooms, and other common areas of the home. While this is advisable for health and safety, using the wrong products can damage surfaces. To help you avoid this, we compiled some tips for sanitizing different surfaces and other practices to ensure home safety for your long-term wellbeing.
Every kitchen and bathroom we work on at Bath Plus Kitchen has a customized design that incorporates a range of materials. We know it’s tough to think of everything while caring for them. We hope the care and maintenance tips in this quick guide help you find the best way to look after for each component of your beautiful new space, so you can enjoy the feeling of a just-remodeled kitchen or bathroom for longer!
Key references:
https://www.durasupreme.com/
https://cleanmyspace.com/
https://www.doityourself.com/
https://www.hgtv.com/
https://www.youtube.com/
