What is contraindicated to use for caring for kitchen furniture?
Housewives daily struggle in the kitchen with grease, limescale, soot, and dust.
Dust is not the only enemy of cleanliness in the kitchen.
To remove stains from the surface of furniture made of any materials, it is not recommended to use:
- Cleaning agents (soda, powder, solvent, alkali, acid) that corrode the coating.
- Hard scrapers, scourers with metal fibers that scratch the surface, making it dull and accessible to further contamination.
Use quality cleaning products.
The correct approach to processing the coating determines the safety of the set. It is necessary to choose detergents depending on the characteristics of the material from which the surface to be treated is made.
Each material in furniture requires a special approach.
Before use, check its effect by dropping the substance onto an inconspicuous area.
Rules for caring for kitchen furniture depending on its coating
It is necessary to transport furniture very carefully so as not to damage the coating (scratches, chips), which are very difficult and sometimes almost impossible to get rid of.
Involve children in cleaning the kitchen.
The functionality and service life of the kitchen depends on compliance with the following general rules:
- room temperature (from +10 to + 25 degrees);
- the humidity in the room should be within normal limits;
- presence of good ventilation;
- exclude exposure to steam, high temperatures, and mechanical damage to the surface.
Caring for kitchen furniture begins with its proper placement.
If these conditions are violated, deformation, swelling, and delamination of the surface of the kitchen furniture are possible. To preserve the beauty of texture and color, an individual approach and optimal methods of caring for the coating are needed.
Don't forget to clean the upholstered chairs in the kitchen.
Natural wood
Furniture made from natural wood is unique, captivating in its beauty and requires special care. How to properly care for wooden furniture in the kitchen and maintain its original appearance?
You need to wipe dust from wood products along the lines of the natural pattern, removing dirt from the coating. Wood can absorb moisture, changing color and deforming. To avoid this, if necessary, you need to ventilate the room in the summer, use a humidifier in the winter, eliminating direct sunlight on the headset.
There are special cleaning products for wood.
The wooden facade is coated with a special wax, so cleaning the surface with washable vacuum cleaners or steam generators is not recommended and must be wiped with a dry cloth after wet cleaning.
For a glossy surface, soft fabrics must be used.
For care, use soft cloth or suede and detergents containing wax, silicone, and oils. Fresh stains must be removed immediately with a napkin to prevent them from becoming embedded in the wood.
MDF
Let's look at the rules for caring for kitchen sets made of MDF (fibreboard), which are affordable. This material has a number of advantages (environmentally safe, practical, durable); furniture facades are made from it.
Chipboard and MDF, in fact, are also made from natural materials.
Matte facades can be washed and wiped with various detergents, except for those containing chlorine, which leave scratches and deteriorate the appearance and color. Polishes and waxes are prohibited. Caring for furniture made of MDF with a glossy finish has its own characteristics.
MDF is very sensitive to temperature,
For cleaning it is necessary to use a soft material, polish, window cleaner, wet wipes (not containing alcohol), warm water and wipe the surface dry after finishing the treatment. After removing the protective film from the surface, it is advisable not to clean it for a month.
To clean wooden facades, use a cloth soaked in water.
Long-term exposure to water, high humidity, and the use of a steam cleaner causes film peeling, swelling, bloating and a shortened service life of furniture, so it is not recommended to use them.
In some cases, you should call a professional who will replace kitchen parts.
Veneer
Veneered furniture has an attractive appearance, like natural wood. In its production, slabs of shavings are used with solid wood glued on them and varnished at the top. You need to look after her very carefully.
Just periodically wipe the dust off the veneer with a soft cloth.
Some tips will help keep your headset in shiny condition:
- installation of furniture should be carried out away from heating devices (fireplace, radiators) so that delamination and deformation do not occur;
- avoid the appearance of dried, old stains;
- to add gloss and shine, use polishes (silicone - protection from moisture, wax - from dust, oil allows you to hide small scratches);
- Do wet cleaning with a soft cloth soaked in a soapy solution, moving along the fibers, wiping the glossy surface dry (removing stains).
To clean stubborn stains, there are special furniture care products.
Other types
A modern and simple solution combined with exclusivity are kitchens with aluminum facades, made in the color of wood, metal or other shades. The matte surface looks original, suitable for classic and modern styles.
Abrasive powders and soda are not suitable for cleaning furniture made of any materials.
It has the advantages:
- resistant to external factors (humidity, scratches, shocks are not afraid of it);
- durability, appearance practically does not change over time;
- possibility of combination with other materials (wood, MDF);
- reasonable price;
- does not require special care.
Use all household appliances that can remove dust.
Solid wood furniture
Natural wood is a more durable material than chipboard. However, its weak point is the same: even a varnished coating does not completely protect it from water and high temperatures. Therefore, prolonged exposure of liquid to the surface of furniture should be avoided; You should also not place hot pots and pans on a wooden tabletop; for this you need to use special stands.
The varnished coating is best cleaned using special polishes. Dust can be removed with a vacuum cleaner, but the attachment must be soft: otherwise scratches cannot be avoided.
Traditional methods of caring for kitchen furniture
Effective folk remedies for caring for kitchen units are the following methods:
- dilute vodka or alcohol with water in a 1:1 ratio;
- Dilute ammonia (1 tbsp) in water (1 liter).
Use different products to achieve cleanliness in the kitchen.
These products can leave streaks on a glossy surface; they must be used carefully. A safe, non-harmful method is to use a solution of a little lemon juice, vinegar and alcohol to remove grease from the white coating.
During wet cleaning, you can wipe all surfaces with vinegar. To do this, mix 5 liters of water with two tablespoons of this product.
A liquid made from apple cider vinegar mixed with vodka is suitable for regular use and will leave your kitchen sparkling clean. Soap diluted in warm water is the easiest way, which is always at hand.
Distribute the weight in the cabinets evenly so that the sliding parts do not lose balance.
All the recommendations listed above will help you avoid problems in caring for furniture and will make your stay in the kitchen area comfortable.
With proper care, an Italian kitchen will serve you for decades.
Plastic facades
Such facades belong to the category of budget kitchen decoration due to the fact that the basis of the facade is chipboard slabs, which are covered with an inexpensive plastic sheet on top. The gluing process itself is based on high pressure and high temperature. Some manufacturers offer this type of facades made from MDF. They are more expensive, but at the same time their performance characteristics increase.
Plastic is a fragile material, so scratches form on its surface even from a light touch with a sharp object. And plastic cannot be repaired. So such kitchen fronts should be treated with caution. No detergents with abrasive substances are used, only gels or liquids are used.
One of the best options in this case is glass cleaning liquid. It is sprayed onto the glossy surface and immediately wiped with a rag, removing all dirt and traces. After that, you need to wipe it dry with a special cloth for glass, which is sold in a hardware store.
Read also: Methods for cleaning the inside surface of a microwave oven at home
Some household detergents contain chlorine, acids and alkalis. Be careful with them, because plastic loses color under the influence of active substances. Therefore, it is recommended to apply the selected product in the corner of the facade or on the edge and see what happens to the glossy facade. If nothing has changed, then feel free to use it to wash your kitchen furniture.
