In your kitchen, few things are as important as the countertop. A kitchen counter will dominate the room and be used every single day. You cook and prepare food on the counter, you place all sorts of things on it and it can be put under a lot of stress all the time.
With that in mind, if you don’t take proper care of your kitchen counter, it can start to wear down and look old. Stains may form, as will cracks and scratches if you’re not careful. Follow the three tips below to learn how to protect your countertop and keep it looking as fresh as possible:
Heat protection
The main reason kitchen counters start to deteriorate is that you keep placing hot things on the surface. You take a pan off the hob or a tray from the oven and just stick it on your kitchen counter. It’s no biggie, right? These things are designed to be heat resistant…right? No, they’re not. While instant damage might not be seen, constantly leaving hot things on your kitchen counters can burn them permanently.
The worst thing is, it is so easy to protect them. All you need is a clear glass worktop saver to keep your counter protected or a couple of cork mats. It keeps the heat away from your countertop, meaning it stays in perfect condition for longer.
Regular cleaning
Ideally, you should wipe down your kitchen counters every single day after using them. During the course of a day, you’re likely to get spillages or mess over the counter. Don’t let any spills settle in as they can cause permanent staining. Or, they can become so deep-rooted that you need to be aggressive with your scrubbing to get them out. In turn, this can damage the counter as you use abrasive materials.
Wiping your counters with a cloth and some water after you make a mess is an easy way to keep them in excellent condition. If you see any spills, mop them up instantly before they settle in.
Use chopping boards
It’s absurd to me how many people don’t use chopping boards in their kitchen. They keep their counters clean, assuming this means they can use them to chop stuff. Never do this as your knife can easily scrape against the surface and cause nicks and lines in it. It’s also highly unhygienic, so don’t slip into this bad habit.
With a chopping board, you protect your counter from the knife’s blade, as well as other kitchen tools. For example, if you use a meat hammer or are bashing things with a rolling pin, having the chopping board underneath adds a good protective barrier against the impact.
You see, it’s really not that difficult to keep your kitchen counters looking fresh. All you have to do is protect them from heat, keep them clean and use a chopping board when preparing food. This ensures that your countertops are protected from wear & tear and staining, leaving you with a gorgeous kitchen for life.