Your kitchen remodeling project will make your home look better, but did you know it can help make your home smell better, too? When you replace kitchen cabinets, either upper, lower, or both, you can remedy some issues that may have plagued the kitchen in the past. These help control odors in the kitchen, and at least one will help control odors in connected rooms. The targets of this project are gaps that can be left in and around the cabinets, allowing odors to build up or travel around the house.
Watch Out for That Top Space
First, when you replace upper cabinets, ensure that they either reach and are attached to the ceiling or that you add a veneer to seal up any space that might be left on top. Yes, that top space can act as handy storage, but it's also a spot where dust can accumulate rapidly because people rarely clean up there. And greasy residue can land there just as it can land on cabinet doors. If you often have to wipe residue off the fronts of the cabinets, some of that residue is likely on top of the cabinets, too. That plus dust can lead to stale smells over time. By sealing up that top space, you eliminate that hidden source of bad odor.
Ensure Gaps and Joints Are Filled In
This next one is a little more involved and takes more work, but it's worth it. If you're replacing the bottom cabinets (and not just refinishing them for cosmetic improvements), at one point you'll have access to the parts of the wall and floor that are usually blocked from view by the cabinets. This is your chance to ensure that those sections are solidly built and in good shape.
The connections between plumbing in the wall and in the sink, and even the spot where the wall meets the floor, can all have tiny gaps that allow for excess airflow. Leaving these gaps can allow cooking odors to flow into other rooms even if you keep the doors to those rooms closed. You're best off stopping the odors at the source by ensuring the kitchen is in as good a shape as possible.
If you sometimes feel drafts from electrical outlets, it's likely because air freely flows through tiny gaps in the outlet boxes that are behind the sockets and outlet plates. When you have the cabinets replaced, this is your chance to ensure outlet boxes are well-insulated, small pin holes in the wall are filled, and walls meet the floor in a solid line with no gaps.
Getting new, custom-made cabinets is a dream for many, so you want yours to last and make your kitchen a comfortable, practical space. Their installation should include preparation and repair of the wall and floor behind them and the elimination of spaces that could let dust and grease collect. When you ensure that's done, your entire home will benefit.
Reach out to a contractor that supplies kitchen cabinets for more information.
