In 2010, 8.45 million American households remodeled their kitchens. That’s a good portion of the population! Spending time in the kitchen is necessary for all of us, so we want the space to accomplish what we want and need. In this post, we’ll go over tons of stuff about American kitchens: renovation costs and ROI, kitchen design trends, injuries in the kitchen, and the top spots for germs to hide.
When you renovate your kitchen, you’ll be spending more than you get back upon selling. Typically, a major renovation will run you about $54,000, whereas you’ll get $37,000 of that back. If you think your kitchen will be a make-or-break issue for buyers or you want to enjoy it for a few years before selling, go ahead and do the renovation!
The top changes that Americans want to make to their kitchens are new cabinets, new countertops and a new refrigerator. 3 of the most common projects for the kitchen are the installation of islands, implementation of roll-outs/pull-outs, and adding more drawers. We’re also opting for various kitchen design trends. Some of these in 2013 were gray color schemes, quartz countertops, glass blacksplashes, LED lighting, white painted cabinets, a blend of traditional and contemporary styles, the installation of a recycling center, and touch activated faucets.
With all the time that is spent in the kitchen and all the potential dangers of it, it’s no surprise that many accidents happen there. Let’s hit the top 9 things that caused accidents meriting a trip to the ER as well as how many injuries occurred in 2009:
- Knives – 409,590 injuries
- Cabinets/racks/shelves – 289,311 injuries
- Tableware and flatware – 97,389 injuries
- Drinking glasses – 81,552 injuries
- Bottles and jars – 75,340 injuries
- Refrigerator – 40,536 injuries
- Trash cans and other waste containers – 37,750 injuries
- Cookware/bowls/canisters – 31,294 injuries
- Ovens and stoves – 29,655 injuries
We don’t know about you, but some of those surprised us! That there would be more injuries from drinking glasses than ovens and stoves – who knew? It’s good to be aware of the most common accidents so you can protect your family from them.
Nobody wants germs in the kitchen, but when so much food is going in and out and sitting around, not to mention all the people and dishes, it’s inevitable that some spots are going to get dirty. Still, that doesn’t mean we have to stand for them staying that way, right? Let’s hit the top 6 spots where germs are hiding in your kitchen as well as what those might be:
- Refrigerator vegetable compartment – salmonella, listeria, yeast, mold
- Can opener – salmonella, E. Coli, yeast, mold
- Food storage container with rubber seal – salmonella, yeast, mold
- Refrigerator meat compartment – salmonella, E. Coli, yeast, mold
- Rubber spatula – E. Coli, yeast, mold
- Blender gasket – salmonella, E. Coli, yeast, mold
Now that you know, there’s no excuse right?
For more information about the American kitchen, check out the infographic below!
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