Expert tips: How to maintain the beauty of your birch plywood kitchen
Here at Koivu, birch plywood is our material of choice, not only because we love how gorgeous it looks and how tactile it is. Just run your hand across our beautiful cupboard doors and you’ll see what we mean!
But we also love it because it’s just so easy to look after and remains looking beautiful for a ridiculously long time. In fact, our Koivu kitchens have been proven to outlast the normal seven-year lifespan of a kitchen in the UK. And not just by a few years!
But of course, nothing stays looking wonderful forever if you don’t look after it at least a little bit. So we thought we’d put together some tips so you know how to maintain the beauty of your birch plywood kitchen.
We promise it’s not difficult.
Establish a daily cleaning routine
Don’t worry, we’re not suggesting you need to spend hours buffing and polishing every day. But if you’ve invested in a Koivu kitchen it is worth employing a few gentle cleaning techniques to keep things looking perfect.
First things first, if you spill something, wipe it up immediately, don’t let it sit there congealing on the side or dripping down the doors. Particularly if it’s something oily or greasy, there’s a risk you might end up with marks that are hard to get rid of.
Once or twice per day, perhaps after meals, spend 5 minutes cleaning round your kitchen using these top tips:
- Use a soft, damp cloth to wipe surfaces and cupboard doors
- Avoid abrasive cleaners and sponges that might scratch the surface.
- Choose a mild, non-abrasive cleaner that’s suitable for wood. This could simply be washing-up liquid diluted with water. Or perhaps a solution made with vinegar and water as a simple homemade cleaner that will cut through grease.
- Keep clutter off worksurfaces or tidied away in butler’s cupboards so you can clean quickly and easily, making it far more likely you’ll do it regularly.
Consider regular deep cleaning
Perhaps once every month, or every other month, depending on how heavily you use your kitchen, commit to undertaking a deep clean. That might involve moving everything off the worktops and really cleaning those hard to reach areas.
Include inside your cupboards. Or if you don’t have time to do all of them, choose a few that are particularly messy or have a rolling schedule so you get to each cupboard a couple of times a year. Clean shelves and the inside of the cupboards to keep those carcasses looking great for years to come.
Take protective measures to keep things looking pristine
While our birch plywood is extremely durable it is worth taking a few measures to keep things looking tip top:
Avoid direct sunlight
UV rays can cause fading and discoloration on many materials within your kitchen. That’s why it’s worth using curtains or blinds to limit sun exposure and prevent funny patches appearing.
Use protective pads
If you have appliances out on your work surfaces it might be worth adding sticky pads to the bottom or feet to ensure that when you move them around you don’t cause scratches on your worksurfaces. Modern surfaces like marble or quartz might be extremely hard wearing, but pads can help reduce friction and is it really worth the risk?
We also recommend using coasters or trivets for hot items, regardless of what manufacturers say.
Humidity control
Humidity can impact any type of wood, so if you live in a building that suffers with high humidity, or if you’re experiencing extreme weather it might be worth using a humidifier or dehumidifier as needed.
Long-term care to maintain the beauty of your birch plywood kitchen
With our birch plywood doors there’s no need to reapply a varnish or special finish regularly for protection or maintenance. They’re really durable and not easy to damage.
If, however, the worst happens and you do manage to cause some damage to one or more of your doors, simply get in touch. We’ll be able to advise whether there’s anything we can do to restore the door(s) or whether we’re better to replace them. Something that it’s extremely easy to do.
Ready to get started?
You can rightly expect your Koivu birch plywood kitchen to last for many, many years to come and we’re here to support you and help to make sure that happens.
Get in touch to start your Koivu design today.
