Then someone starts cooking (hopefully someone else!). The oven heats up, pots boil, the dishwasher steams up the place.  The rangehood pulls air from the room, while the fridge works away in the corner producing a little more heat of its own. In summer, add direct sun through the window and the kitchen can become unbearable before dinner has even reached the table.

The kitchen is different from other rooms because it creates its own heat, moisture, smells and airborne pollutants. It needs effective ventilation while you are cooking; but it should not remain permanently open to the weather when the cooking is finished.

The goal is controlled ventilation, effective draught proofing and a kitchen that does not heat, cool or ventilate the entire house by accident.

Let’s fix that.

Turn on the rangehood. Is it actually drawing steam and cooking smells away, or mostly making noise? Are the filters thick with grease?

Why it matters: A clogged or poorly performing rangehood may not remove moisture, grease and pollutants effectively. Those remain in the kitchen and spread through the rest of the home.

Do the windows fog while you are cooking? Is there damp around the window frame, behind blinds or inside cupboards on external walls?

Why it matters: Cooking and dishwashing add moisture to the indoor air. If that moisture is not removed, it can condense on cold surfaces and contribute to mould, damaged finishes and musty cupboards.

Open the cupboard under the sink. Can you feel moving air around the water pipes, waste pipe, dishwasher hose or gaps in the back of the cabinet?

Why it matters: Kitchen plumbing often passes through external walls or floors. Large, unfinished holes around those services can connect the kitchen directly to the subfloor, wall cavity or outside.  

Can you see daylight around the back door or sliding door to garage? Feel air under it? Does the window above the sink rattle or leak around the edges? 

Why it matters: Kitchens often contain a frequently used external door. Every gap allows heated or cooled air to escape and outdoor air to enter.

Do the tiles or timber floor feel painfully cold in winter, particularly near the sink or external wall?

Why it matters: Kitchen floors are usually hard, and you spend a surprising amount of time standing still on them. Without underfloor insulation, and with cold air leaking around the edges, the whole room feels colder, your legs get grumpy and the person attached to them becomes steadily less committed to feeding anyone.  Take-away looks much more appealing! 

Does the kitchen open directly into the lounge, dining room, hallway or stairwell? 

Why it matters: The kitchen may be sharing its cooking heat with the entire house in summer; and allowing warmth from the living area to disappear into unused parts of the home in winter.

Does morning or afternoon sun hit the kitchen window, benchtops or floor?

Why it matters: Direct summer sun through the glass heats the surfaces inside the room and creates enough glare to have you making breakfast in sunglasses. Add an oven and several hotplates, and the kitchen can overheat very quickly.

Is the refrigerator packed tightly into its enclosure? Are bags, bins or pantry trolleys blocking floor vents or air-conditioning outlets? 

Why it matters: Refrigerators need ventilation around them to release heat - some brands need a lot more than others and older refrigerators need even more. Heating and cooling outlets also need clear airflow to work properly. 

Every “yes” gives you a clue - the aim is not to stop ventilating the kitchen. It is to let heat, moisture and pollutants out when they are being produced - without leaving the room permanently connected to outside.

These are not complete solutions, but they can make the room feel better immediately.

When to choose it: Choose this when you can see daylight around the back door, feel air underneath it or notice the kitchen is particularly cold near the doorway.

What it does: Correctly fitted door seals reduce uncontrolled air movement around the sides, top and bottom of the door.  This helps keep heated or cooled air inside while reducing dust, smells and outdoor air entering the kitchen. Choose seals designed for the door type and the actual gaps. A properly sealed door should still close without needing to be kicked, slammed or emotionally persuaded.

When to choose it: Choose this when you feel moving air inside the sink cupboard or find obvious gaps around pipes, cables, dishwasher hoses or other services.

What it does: Sealing suitable penetrations reduces air movement from wall cavities, the subfloor or outside.  It can also reduce dust, insects, rodents and odours entering behind the cabinetry. Identify every service before sealing and maintain access to valves, gas fittings, electrical equipment and anything that may require maintenance.

When to choose it: Choose this when you can feel air around the sides, top or bottom of a kitchen door, see daylight around the frame, or notice that the area near the door is always colder in winter or hotter in summer.

What it does: Suitable door seals reduce air leakage around the frame and underneath the door. The correct product depends on whether the door is hinged, sliding or French, the floor surface and the size of the gaps. Door draught proofing should create a continuous seal while still allowing the door to open and close properly.

When to choose it: Choose this when the kitchen windows rattle, leak air around the edges or allow dust and insects through when closed.

What it does: Suitable window seals reduce air leakage around the moving parts and frame. The correct product depends on whether the window is sliding, double-hung, casement or awning, and where the gap occurs.  Window draught proofing stops moving air. It does not improve the insulating performance of the glass itself.

When to choose it: Choose this when the rangehood does not capture steam effectively, the filters are clogged (and cannot be cleaned or replaced) or outdoor air enters through the duct when the fan is off. 

What it does: Cleaning the filters improves airflow and helps the fan capture cooking pollutants more effectively. Repairing damaged ducting or a faulty external damper can also reduce unwanted air entering when the rangehood is not operating. Do not block or seal the duct. Have inaccessible or damaged components repaired by an appropriate trade.

When to choose it: Choose this when the kitchen opens into hallways, the laundry, a stairwell or other unused parts of the home.

What it does: Zoning reduces the area your heating or cooling system must manage. Close and draught-proof existing internal doors where practical. Where there is no door, consider a curtain, noren or suitable divider. Keep the kitchen connected to the dining or living area when you want it to be, and stop it heating or cooling the rest of the house by default.

When to choose it: Choose this when direct summer sun heats the window, benchtop, floor or dining area.

What it does: Internal window coverings provide some additional separation from the glass. External shading is more effective against direct summer sun because it blocks the sunlight before it reaches the window. Choose a shading arrangement that controls summer heat without permanently removing useful winter sun.