Lately, we've seen a lot of sparkling white kitchens in decorating magazines and on Pinterest. All-white kitchens are gorgeous, but they're also considered largely impractical. When pristine kitchens show up in our 

Pinterest feed, we inevitably fall in love and drift off with visions of gleaming new counters, appliances, and cabinets dancing in our heads. But when the dream cloud bursts, we face reality and say, "Yeah, right." There's no way to keep a white kitchen white, right?

Wrong!

Honestly, if you're keeping any other kitchen properly cleaned, a white kitchen won't require any more upkeep than normal. The only difference is that the lack of color is less forgiving. The following tips should really be used in any kitchen but are absolutely necessary if you want to keep your white kitchen sparkly and new.

Cabinets
Cabinets are especially hard to keep clean, because they're not necessarily the first thing that comes to mind when you give your kitchen its regular scrub-down. But every little spot and splatter shows up on white cabinets. People have also complained that they tend to yellow over time. One of the culprits of yellowing is direct sunlight. This is a simple fix, of course; just hang some curtains or a shade and keep them
closed most of the time. When it comes to cooking, the exhaust fan is your best friend. Turn it on before you start cooking, and it will help get rid of some of those airborne vapors and particles that can make cabinets dingy. To clean them, mix 1 cup of vinegar, 2 cups of warm water, and 1 tbsp. or baking soda and give the cabinets a regular washing.

Sink
White sinks are beautiful, but they've become less popular these days because they seem almost impossible to keep clean. Again, prevention is key. Rinse the sink out immediately after pouring acidic liquids (tomato juice, for example) or items that are prone to staining (coffee, tea, wine). Wipe out the sink with a rag soaked in vinegar once a week. This will help remove the haze that builds up due to soap scum and hard water. To remove stains, line the sink with a double layer of paper towels, then sprinkle enough bleach to dampen the towels. Leave it overnight and give it a good wipe-down the next morning. Whatever you do, don't use abrasive sponges or cleansers. These will only serve to leave scratches in the surface, where dirt and stains can accumulate and make the sink look permanently dirty.

Tile
You can clean white tiles every day until they gleam and shine, but the whiter the tiles are, the dirtier the grout looks. Make sure you scrub the grout when you clean tiles. Make a paste using baking soda and vinegar. Pour vinegar into a spray bottle. Apply the paste to grout, spray with a light coat of vinegar, and scrub with a toothbrush or scouring pad.

Counter Tops
Sometimes, spills don't get cleaned up immediately. If you find a stain on the counter top, don't fret! For laminate counters, mix up a paste using 1 part household detergent and 2 parts baking soda. Apply and scrub with a nylon brush, then wipe with a damp cloth. For granite or marble counters, combine hydrogen peroxide with just a few drops of ammonia and apply to stain.

What are your best tips for keeping a white kitchen clean? Did we leave something out? Let us know in the comments below!