Kitchen cabinet is the essential part of a kitchen. You cannot imagine a kitchen without a kitchen cabinet. Generally it is used to store foods, cooking equipment. You can also keep your utensils and dishes inside this.
With proper care, a kitchen cabinet can last for a long time. But the environment inside the kitchen is not ideal for the kitchen cabinet to last long. It gets affected by many things. And steam is one of them. To enlarge the lifetime of the cabinet you need to deal with steam properly.
Now, the question is, how to protect kitchen cabinets from steam? In this article, we are going to answer this question in detail.
How To Protect Kitchen Cabinets From Steam: Some Effective Steps
We have described the possible sources of steam in a kitchen. Then we introduced the ways to deal with those and to protect the kitchen cabinets.
Search for steam source location:
In a kitchen steam can be produced in many ways. Though cooking on the stove is thought to be the main reason behind the steam, there are other reasons as well.
Few dishwashers have a side vent to release steam. Since the dishwashers are kept close to the base cabinet most of the time, the steam released through the vent can create damage to the cabinets.
We use a lot of countertop appliances such as toasters, coffee makers, pressure cookers, rice cookers, electric kettles. These are often placed directly below the wall cabinets. The steam produced from these appliances can cause steam burn on the surface of wooden cabinets. Melamine and thermofoil cabinets start to melt due to the heat of the steam.
Some microwave ovens and in-wall refrigerators feature tilt-up vents to release steam upward. This can cause premature damage to the bottom of the wall cabinets.
Necessary steps:
These are the steps that you can take to protect your kitchen cabinet from steam.
Ensure proper ventilation:
Providing proper ventilation is the easiest way to protect the kitchen cabinets from steam. This will allow the steam to escape from the kitchen without damaging the surface of the cabinet.
Keep the windows (if there is any) of the kitchen open while cooking. It will add fresh air to the kitchen and help to pull out the steam as well
To improve ventilation, using a range hood is the best option. Just turn the range fan on at the start of cooking. For better performance you must clean or replace the filters regularly.
You can also use an exhaust fan in your kitchen, if there is a lack of space to set the range hood.
Use heat shields:
You can use contact paper, cabinet liners as heat shields. These are made from high quality PVC. These are waterproof and resistant to heat and moisture. You can also decorate your cabinets using heat shields of different colors and patterns.
Melamine lamination:
Melamine laminate is a hard synthetic resin often added on particleboard and as an overlay while making plywood. These materials are often used to make kitchen cabinets. Melamine lamination helps the cabinet to become water and steam resistant.
You can also use oil-based paint to reduce the effect of steam on the surface of the cabinets.
Use the kitchen appliances carefully:
Though a lot of the kitchen appliances produce steam, installing and using them with extra care can save the cabinets from getting damaged.
You must install appliances in the right places so that the amount of steam reaching the cabinets is minimal. Always check the direction of the vent of the dishwasher, oven and in-wall refrigerator. Change the direction of the vents as the steam released by the vents moves towards the cabinets.
When using steam releasing appliances below the upper cabinets, pull the appliances forward. This will not let the steam touch the cabinet surface directly. You can also take those appliances under the range hood while using them. Thus you can get rid of the steam burn of the cabinet surface.
Final Verdict:
We have discussed the reasons behind the steam inside a kitchen and the measures that can be taken to protect the cabinets from steam.
Now you know how to protect kitchen cabinets from steam. I hope this article will help you to protect your kitchen cabinet from the unwanted steam.