An electric garbage disposal unit with its powerful whirling blades and constant operation close to both water and the sink faucet (electrical ground), is potentially one of the most dangerous home appliance if it is improperly designed or installed. These guide will help you in the proper choosing and operation of a garbage disposal unit.

a. Look for a machine that safeguards you and your children by shutting off automatically whenever the cover is opened. This will also give you a chance to retrieve any jewelry before it is too late.

b. If the store permits, listen to the machine in actual operation especially when grinding a lot of kitchen garbage.

c. If installing in an older sink, it may be necessary to buy a complete sink unit designed to accomodate the machine.

d. The disposal unit must be grounded.

e. The switch should be located in a completely unobstructed position.

f. If you have small children, placing the switch on the wall located near the sink would be a good safeguard.

g. Look for a self cleaning disposal unit. Not everybody likes to haul garbage, you know.

A safe disposal unit is no hazard and is one of the greatest relievers for housewives, cooks, and even husbands. Just make sure that your septic tank can take the increased load of trash that the kitchen will deliver!

As the design of all cooking ranges improves, the clear line separating electric ranges (cleanliness) from that of a gas range (speed) is becoming less distinct. While a new gas range will still deposit some greasy coating on pots and pans, the appliance as a whole is much easier to keep clean than its old-fashioned counterparts. Gas still provides instantaneous heat that probably won’t be beat from some time, but electric ranges now have newly designed, more powerful elements that bring total cooking time for any given task to match that of a gas range.

Electric units still cook and heat slowly. If you are switching from gas to an electric range, it is best you adjust your cooking habits. When it comes to operating costs, gas is said to be cheaper everywhere. If you are playing with the idea of using an electric range, make sure that the circuit can handle the additional load and prepare yourself for a rise in your monthly electric bill.

Not only do we need general lighting in the kitchen, but we also need localized lighting (also called task lighting) for the different work centers. Lighting in the kitchen should be planned as thoroughly as that of an office.

If you have a long narrow kitchen, use two separate fixtures for general illumination. These should be spaced one-half of the room length and located one-fourth the room length from a wall.

Strip lighting can be used over the counters, you can use a 20 watt light for each 30in to 36in (760 mm to 900 mm) of counter space. These fixtures may be place recessed under the overhead cabinets so that your eyes are shielded from the light when working at the counters.

Recessed lights produce an unusual and dramatic effect in the kitchen and are practical above the sink area since they dispel head shadows caused by general lighting. For shadow free lighting, a twin wall valance lighting fixture works best placed over the range.

Reel type of fixture or pendant light over the breakfast nook or an island in the kitchen is not only decorative but very functional in that setting, they work best when they are hanged at least 1000 mm from the table or counter.

Adequate ventilation in the kitchen is a must! Kitchen exhaust fans can be installed in a variety of ways. It is no longer necessary to mount the fan directly in the outside wall and have you cutting through your home’s masonry. There are exhaust fan models which fit into a special hood unit mounted over the stove, others that fit into the ceiling, while others mounted above the wall cabinets.

Ventilators in the ceiling have been used primarily in the bathroom but they can also be used in the kitchen - new versions allow you to choose from an array of decorative exhaust types. Since hot air naturally rises, the kitchen ceiling exhaust fan really does an effective job.