Cross Team Properties

When preparing for your new kitchen you will have had to remove the old one.  Many items in the old one, such as plates and cutlery and electrical appliances such as your toaster, will go back into the new one.  However, fixtures and fittings, such as cabinets and work surfaces, will need to be disposed of correctly. 

A Skip

Many people choose to hire a skip when doing such large DIY jobs.  Skips are great because you can fill them with all of your rubbish and the skip hire company will then simply remove the whole skip.  Additionally, they will take care of anything that can be recycled.  When hiring a skip be sure to hire from a well known reputable company.  A reputable company will ensure that everything is recycled or disposed of in the correct way. 

Skips are placed on your driveway.  However, if your house does not have a driveway you will have to put it on the road outside of your house.  The skip company will then ask the local council for a permit to place the skip on the road.

Let your neighbours know that you are having a skip delivered.  The truck will be large and you do not want to cause them any unnecessary stress or hassle.

Disposing of it Yourself

If you do not want to hire a skip you could opt to dispose of the old kitchen yourself by taking it to the local tip .  Be sure to recycle when you can.

You’ve decided to install a new kitchen, but first you will have to rip out the old one.  This article offers a guide to removing your old kitchen.

The first thing you should do is remove everything from the old kitchen, for example all crockery such as plates as well as electrical appliances such as your toaster.  However, if your cooker is attached to the gas line, do not attempt to remove it. 

Following the removal and storing of everything in your kitchen, you can now begin to remove your cabinets.  Start by removing the upper cabinets.  This is because you can then rest your tools on the lower ones.  Start by removing the doors and then the rest of the cabinet.  A lot of force and strength will be required to complete this task.  However, try not to leave too many holes in the walls. It’s also a possibility that the cabinets are attached to the walls with long screws or by brackets.  An electric screwdriver will be useful for removal if this is the case.

When all upper cabinets have been removed you can now deal with the water system and removal of the sink.  Turn off the water using the stopcock under the sink for the cold water and the valve in the loft or airing cupboard for the hot water.  Let the systems run themselves dry simply by turning the taps on.   The wastepipe can be undone underneath the sink and you can use a bucket to catch any drips. 

You can now remove the worktop and the lower cabinets.  Be careful, though, not to disturb the pipe work around the sink area. A professional should be called in to remove the gas cooker because they will be able to do the task safely and at the same time check for any leaks.  The radiator can be removed and the floor prised up.  When all of these tasks are complete you are ready to fit your new kitchen.

All modern fridges offer the option of choosing which way you want the door to open.  The manual will tell you exactly how to do this and it is a simple job that can make life in the kitchen a whole lot easier.  Also, if you redecorate the kitchen or area where the fridge stands, the new decor may require a different opening direction.

The basic idea is simply to remove all the door fittings at one side, where the door currently stands and swap them to the opposite side.  The holes will already be there to take door hinges, so there will be no need for any power drills; a simple screwdriver will suffice.

First, unplug the fridge and move it away from the wall.  The metal hinge plate is on the bottom of the door, and you can access it by leaning the fridge back slightly.  Unscrew it and take the door off.  Next, unscrew the fixing at the upper part of the hinge side and refit it on the opposite side, where the holes are already predrilled.  All you need to do is remove the protective plastic covers from them.

Place the door back on the fridge and replace the plates at its base.  When all is perfectly back in working order you can take the plastic caps and push them into the holes you have exposed by swapping the door hinges.

Your freezer or freezer compartment will need to be defrosted on a regular basis unless it is a self-regulating frost-free appliance.  Wait until it is nearly empty before doing this but in any case do not allow the ice to get thicker than 5mm.

Remove any remaining food in the freezer, wrap it in old newspaper and keep the removed items in a cool place, ideally in a spare fridge if you have one or in a neighbour’s fridge.

First, unplug the appliance or alternatively cut the fused connection to it.  Sometimes the power will have to be cut off at the consumer unit.  Keep the door standing open and spread old towels in front of the unit.

Pull out the spout for draining off melt water if this is present and place a bowl directly under it to collect the water as it emerges and do not forget to keep an eye on it and empty it regularly.

When it comes to actually melting the ice, this can take hours but the process can be speeded up by using a freezer defroster spray and leaving it to do its work with the door open.  Chip away the ice as it melts in blocks and use a clean cloth to wipe away excess water.

Bowls of hot water placed in the freezer space will have the same effect but take longer to work. Wash the inside of the freezer with lukewarm water when all the ice has gone, then dry with a clean cloth or towel and switch the power back on.

Sinks commonly get blocked due to various types of waste and detritus getting trapped in them.  The kitchen sink is usually most affected by this, closely followed by the bathroom.

The u-bend beneath a sink is where blockages usually occur, and this is the first place to look when you find that water is still draining away but not as quickly as it usually does.  The u-bend is there so that larger pieces of debris become trapped before they have a chance to reach the foul water drain.  Incidentally, if you drop a ring or something similar down a drain it too will usefully trap itself in the u-bend and can be easily recovered.

Plunge the plughole as a first step as this is often enough to loosen the blockage.  If this doesn’t have any effect, the next step is to take out the u-bend itself.  You will need to place a bucket beneath the bend to catch the water as it escapes after you disconnect the pipes.

The u-bend will have threads at each end, connecting to the sink and also to the other end of the bend.  Start by unscrewing the end that connects it to the sink and then the other end.  Take the whole u-bend out, empty the water out of it and use a long piece of wire or a screwdriver to dislodge any material stuck inside that may be causing the blockage.

When done, screw the bend back into place and make the joints firm with waterproof tape from any DIY outlet. 

New kitchens can be very expensive and this article aims to provide you with a brief overview of how you can plan a new kitchen, without breaking the bank.

Firstly, you should consider your budget and how much you are prepared to spend in total, before you begin the work.  By doing this, you will have some confidence that the whole project will be finished within budget and you will avoid spending money you were not expecting to.

You should compile a comprehensive list of all of the things you need for the kitchen, down to the last nut and bolt.  It will not only include the appliances, wall and floor units, plumbing, worktop accessories, floor tiles, grout and tools, but also the labour costs required to fit everything in a professional manner.  Once the list is completed, you can begin to get actual quotes for how much it is likely to cost to buy and install your dream kitchen.

There are a number of ways you can save your hard earned money without compromising on quality.  One is to do most of the labour yourself, perhaps getting friends and family to help when extra hands are needed.  If you are not so good at DIY, another method of saving a few pennies would be to buy your kitchen from a manufacturer selling ex-display models.  Going down this route does mean that you may not get the exact look you were originally hoping for, but it will still leave you with a professional looking new kitchen.

Hand mixing is a thing of the past, forget all the hassle and pain that goes with this chore there’s a hand mixer that will suit your lifestyle and needs in store. Hand mixers are very convenient, easy to use and provide you with plenty of mixing speeds to choose from making it possible to get your job done in no time and with little effort.

The Dualit hand mixer is a stylish tool equipped with great capabilities and functionality to do your daily mixing tasks, and helps you whip up wonderful recipes in the kitchen. This product includes two multi purpose oversize flat beaters, two dough hooks and one balloon whisk, which makes it capable of doing the hard work that comes with creating everything from whipping cream to mixing dough.

It also features a unique, manual retractable power cord for easy storage plus a convenient beater ejector lever for easy release hence make it easier to clean.

The Dualit hand mixer has five speed settings to accommodate your various mixing needs, and a 300 Watt heavy duty professional motor to deal with the toughest of mixing jobs.

Available in 4 colours black, chrome, glacier blue and cream, the Dualit hand mixer is a perfect kitchen accessory that can be colour coordinated with your kitchen and other appliances.

Make your cooking and baking fun, there’s a Dualit hand mixer for everyone whether you’re a professional chef or a home cook just learning the ropes. Save your time and energy in the kitchen, purchase you own Dualit hand mixer today!