Cooking is a daily routine, but the subsequent kitchen cleanup often presents a serious problem. This is especially true when frying vegetables or making donuts and pakora, as oil splatters can land on the stove, walls, countertops, and cabinets. Initially, these small spots are unnoticed, but after a few days, dust begins to settle on them, making the kitchen surfaces greasy and dirty, which requires significant effort to clean.
If you encounter such a situation, it is better to prepare the kitchen in a way that minimizes the spread of oil and grease, thereby simplifying the cleaning process. To do this, some sensible changes regarding tiles, ventilation hoods, cabinets, and storage areas can be made. Below are seven methods that will help keep your kitchen clean.
- Installing wall tiles behind the stove: Since oil and spice splatters most often land on the wall behind the stove, it is recommended to tile this wall up to the top. Tiles are easy to clean with a cloth and cleaning agents. Choosing large tiles will also reduce the number of joints where dirt accumulates.
- Choosing a hood that matches the stove: A small hood cannot effectively remove steam and smoke, leading to grease buildup on cabinets and walls. Therefore, you should choose a hood of the correct width corresponding to the size of the stove and the number of burners.
- Avoiding open shelves near the stove: A layer of oil can form on open jars and dishes on open shelves located near the stove. To avoid this, open shelves should be placed away from the stove, and daily used spices should be stored in closed cabinets. It is also useful to use lids while cooking to reduce splatters.
- Simple cabinet design: The more decorative elements and deep lines in cabinets, the easier it is for grease to accumulate there, and the harder it is to remove. Therefore, you should choose cabinets with flat surfaces and simple handles that are easy to wipe with a cloth.
- Choosing countertop color and grout: Oil and food stains often appear on the kitchen countertop. Dark marble with spots can make small stains less noticeable. It is important to minimize the number of seams on the countertop and ensure proper sealing around the sink.
- Creating pull-out storage for oil and spices: Storing bottles of oil and jars of spices on the countertop takes up a lot of space and contributes to grease accumulation underneath. To solve this problem, you can install small pull-out cabinets that can be accessed as needed.
- Choosing appropriate floor tiles: Oil spills on the kitchen floor create a slipping hazard. Therefore, you must choose non-slip tiles that are also easy to wash. The joints between the tiles should also be designed so that less dirt accumulates in them.