If your kitchen needs serious updating and you don't have the cash for a full-out gut renovation, try a thorough cosmetic cleaning and mini-makeover, says professional housekeeper Laura Dellutri.

To prove her point, Dellutri recently completed a one-day makeover on the kitchen of Erin and Jay Muldoon-Stetson. The Southwest Side homeowners in the Beverly neighborhood recently won first place in the "Rescue My Kitchen" online contest sponsored by Dishwasher Magic and Disposer Care. The winning prize included Dellutri's services, new GE CleanSteel appliances and a year's supply of sponsor products.

Kitchen rescue

Although the Muldoon-Stetsons' home is 100 years old, the kitchen looked like it had been remodeled in the '50s and then left to deteriorate. It was a mess. The large, square, black-and-white flooring tiles were dull and worn. The cabinets under the one-sink countertop lacked shelving and the rear interior wall had cracked. Several of the cabinet door handles were missing or mismatched.

Also, the appliances were outdated, in particular a old Hotpoint dishwasher that looked like it was the first model ever made. "I don't know how old it was," said Erin, 34. "It came with the house. It didn't look like it would work, so I never turned it on. Plus, it was so old I was afraid it would flood the house."

The walls needed painting and an old wallpaper border needed to be removed. The old stove and refrigerator needed cleaning. An old gas pipe peeped out from a wall corner and ran behind into the stove, so the Muldoon-Stetsons hid it with a small wood shelf cabinet.

"My mother is an interior designer and she and everyone else knew what our kitchen needed," Erin said. "We heard about the Rescue My Kitchen contest through word of mouth. One of mom's friends told her about it through e-mail. So, we got to work entering the contest and made a 2-minute video of the kitchen problems."

Jay, 34, said their kitchen "had a lot of issues."

"No way we could say everything that was wrong in the required two minutes," he said. "But we knew what the prizes were, so we catered to that and we focused on our ancient appliances. The oven particularly needed a lot of cleaning and it was missing parts."
Voila!

The couple won the nationwide contest and the prizes arrived in early July.

"With a baby on the way, a huge neighboring family and regular in-home visits with clients [Erin is an energy healer], this spunky couple deserves to entertain -- without the embarrassment," said a spokesperson for Dishwasher Magic.

"We wanted to help Jay and Erin take back control of their kitchen," said Dellutri, based in Overland Park, Kan. The house-cleaning expert is the author of several books on cleaning, including White Couch, With Kids?! Minding Your House Without Losing Your Mind (Pinkham, $9.95). Her next book -- The Overworked Mom: Stress Free Homekeeping (Morris, $14.95) -- will be released next month.

"In today's housing market many young couples are purchasing homes but can't afford to remodel them," said Dellutri. "I believe that it's more important to do cosmetic cleaning and a mini-makeover before doing a full remodel.

"Some people look at their floor and say: 'Ohmigosh! I need a new hardwood floor.' But, I say that for $30 they can refinish their floor to make it look brand new. People don't realize you can touch up wood floors and cabinet doors. You need a fine grade steel wool pad to sand it lightly. Then wipe with a damp cloth. Then, put on a rubber glove, put your hand in an old sock and wipe it with a polyurethane finish that contains a stain that matches your wood. Just apply a thin layer and it will look like new," Dellutri said.

Another issue she points to is countertops, emphasizing that you don't have to replace a formica countertop if it gets burned or scratched. "You can buy a formica repair kit," she said. "And, just by painting or totally cleaning up an appliance, it can give a room the look of a complete facelift."
Simple, faster, easier

Dellutri is known for making housekeeping "simple, faster and easier," and for her tips on how to make something old look new again. The expert's mini-makeover turned the Muldoon-Stetsons' kitchen into "retro chic," with simple things like updated fixtures, wallpaper removal and fresh paint.

Dellutri also got on her hands and knees and polished the floor tiles and then applied a polymer shine product to revive the luster, while the cleaning crew cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom, "including all the nooks and crannies," Dellutri said.

The old, lower kitchen sink cabinet was replaced with a new one, complete with efficient shelving. All the cabinet doors were painted white and all the mismatched kitchen handles were replaced with matching ones. The new stove was fitted to eliminate the gas pipe from sight. Affordable room accessories also were added, such as placemats, flowers, picture frames, a throw rug and window treatments to "infuse color and retro-chic style into the drab kitchen," Dellutri said.

"The most important thing to remember is to keep it clean and take care of the appliances," Dellutri said. "If you don't take care of an appliance, for example by vacuuming the back of the refrigerator, you'll impede the performance. You'll end up replacing it sooner.

"And remember, work with what you have and focus on clean, quick updates."

So, what do the Muldoon-Stetsons think of their new mini kitchen makeover?

"She made it sparkle," Erin said.

BY CELESTE BUSK - Sun-Times Staff Writer