The Heart Of The Home: Keep It Clean!

The kitchen is the heart of every home. Regardless of whether you cook like Gordon Ramsey or are more a microwave domestic goddess, this is a family gathering zone. Very few people don’t like to eat and when we eat, we love nothing more than to come together. It takes us back to our caveman days. Sitting around the campfire with all of our pack.

Your kitchen is a reflection of who you are. If you are a messy, creative individual then it is likely your kitchen will have bright, bold colours and will often be found with splashes of flour or loud and proud ingredients, you cook from the heart and you don’t mind a little mess along the way. If you are more logical your kitchen may feel like a clinical and calm area. One such as the home of celebrity chef, Nigel Slater. All your meals are considered with care, your ingredients perfectly measured. Recipes followed to the letter.

Whatever type of cook you are, it is important to have a clean and hygienic work space that looks tidy. It is different when we are merrily buzzing around in it. But if you aren’t cooking, you need to show your guests you are neat and clean. There are some great ways of ensuring housework in the kitchen is easier than it used to be.

Most modern kitchens will be fitted with an extractor hood and fan. This helps to suck up all the grease, steam and smoke that you create whilst making your next culinary masterpiece. However if you don’t keep on top of the cleaning, this will become clogged up which will result in your home filling with smoke and all that grease heading straight for your roof and walls. Within the extractor you will have range hood filters. Sometimes these can be removed and cleaned in your dishwasher. However you may need replacements. Check with the manufacturer of your hood if you aren’t sure.

Washing up is never any fun. It doesn’t matter who you are, there are very few people who can sit down to eat a meal. Enjoy great conversation and then jump up and feel good about getting elbow deep in dirty dishes. Even if you have a small kitchen you can install a dishwasher. Most top brands make slimline versions of their dishwashers. These are just as effective and in some cases, a little more efficient. The storage design has been thought out to maximise the use of space, so you could find you can get a lot more in than you might in the big boys. Keep on top of dinner parties by loading as you go. Putting the heavier greasy things in for a cycle on their own, then adding the plates after you eat.

If you choose to display your food then you need to keep a really close eye on it. A gloriously colourful fruit bowl may look amazing whilst everything is ripe and your bananas are a bright yellow. Less so when things start to rot.

Take time to keep your kitchen clean. It will make your guests feel more at home.