Stinky Garbage Play Kitchen Makeover

It was a lot of work to revamp this garbage find, but I must say I am really proud of how it came out. Ada loves it, and it goes well with the overall aesthetic of our home. This play kitchen wasn't always this lovely. It took a lot of elbow grease to get it to look this way. 


After a long day with my daughter, I like to unwind by taking a long walk.  My favorite time to walk around the neighborhood is the evening before garbage day. I walk down all the back alleys and scan my surroundings for unwanted treasures. Sometimes I have my heart set on something and it just sort of appears out of thin air. It may be someone else's garbage, but I always see potential for creative renewal. On one particularly fortuitous evening, I came across a play kitchen next to bags and bags of smelly garbage. It was dark outside, so I couldn't get a good look at it, but under the dim glow of the streetlights, it looked like it was in decent shape. 

 I carried the 30lb kitchen on my back for at least six blocks. My arms ached from the weight, but my mind was racing with excitement. Ada would get such enjoyment out of it and best of all, it's FREE!

The next morning, I went outside to take a closer look at it. It was very dirty looking and the decals were peeling. With the bright sun shining down on it, I could see algae growing on the inside. It even had a slight unpleasant odor. I worried that it could be black mold, which is something I would never mess around with. The beige and cranberry colors weren't that bad, but regardless of the modern stainless steel appliances, I found the general look of the Step 2 Party Time Kitchen to be a bit too 90's. 

Here's a picture of the Step 2 Party Time Kitchen in its prime

Instead of hanging my head in defeat, I decided to completely revamp this hunk of garbage. While my toddler napped, I went to work. The first step involved completely taking the play kitchen apart and scrubbing it from top to bottom with hot water and Dawn soap. I got into the nooks and crannies with Clorox wipes. I took the cabinet and refrigerator door off and unscrewed all the extra parts. I soaked the doors in a diluted solution of bleach in the utility tub in my basement. 

The outside of the play kitchen was finally clean, but the issue I came across was the fact that there was algae on the inside. I tried to remove it by spraying a hose in the holes inside the plastic, but it wasn't working the way I wanted. I remedied this issue by cutting out square panels in the back with a box cutter.  The plastic was thin and really easy to cut into. Thankfully, it wasn't mold, just run of the mill algae growth from being outside in the rain for who knows how long. 

Once the panels were removed, I could finally use the hose to pressure wash the algae that had collected inside. As an extra precaution, I sprayed Zep Mold and Mildew Cleaner inside on nasty spots. I left the clean parts of the play kitchen to dry in the hot sun. 

I could have just stopped there, but I decided it would be cool to personalize the Play Kitchen. So I went to Pinterest for inspiration and found this blog to be incredibly helpful. I made a Pinterest board filled with similar projects and became absolutely obsessed with my project. I thought about using Krylon for plastics, but none of the hardware stores in proximity to my home carried it, and I wasn't willing to go on a wild goose chase. 

I had my dude go out and purchase the following supplies at Home Depot: 

                            Rustoleum Painter's Touch 2x Ultra Cover in Aqua (3 cans)

Rustoleum Painter's Touch 2x Ultra Cover in Flat White (2 Cans)

Zinnser 1, 2, 3 Primer (2 cans)

Rustoleum Painter's Touch 2X Ultra Cover Satin Clear (2 Cans)

3M Pro Grade 220 Very Fine Sandpaper

Frog Tape

He came back with much more supplies than I expected. He had two different types of masks. One to protect me from the tiny plastic particles when sanding, and another to keep the paint fumes out. He also bought disposable gloves. Good thinking!

As an extra precaution to make sure that all of the moisture was out of the shell of the play kitchen, I put my high speed blow dryer to use by putting it in the openings and turning it on high heat. 

Once everything was completely clean and dry, I put on my mask and went to work sanding down every inch of the play kitchen. I used goo gone to try to remove some of the leftover residue from the ugly decals, but it didn't work that well. I ended up using my clothing steamer on it and scrubbing it as hard as I could with hot water. I scraped at the decals for hours. It was such a pain in the butt! I tried my best to sand away any leftover residue. 

I removed all cabinet doors, so the only part I had to cover with frog tape was the stove handles, the burner, and the stove door. I covered up the inside where the cut out holes were with some scrap fabric I had. I took it out on our back patio area and painted everything with primer with the help of my trusty mask. 

I let the primer dry in the hot sun the rest of the day and didn't put on the paint until it had plenty of time to dry overnight. I ended up using more paint and primer than I initially planned. I did a thin layer, waited until it dried, and went over it again until the finish looked the way I wanted it to. I finished it all off with clear coat with the hopes that it would offer extra protection from toddler abuse. 

To make sure the paint had plenty of time to cure, I moved all the pieces to the garage and let them cure for seven days. When I unscrewed the burner, I could see that the battery compartment was completely rusted. After some research, I decided the best thing to do would be to order a new one. I called the Step 2 company and ordered a new burner, new pot and pan (they activate the sound the burner makes), and two new baskets. The customer service at Step 2 was really outstanding! They are located in Ohio, which makes me trust them more (don't ask me why). The customer service consultant I dealt with was really friendly and talked to me about how it was the perfect day to make chili––it was really cold and rainy. She was so nice and down to earth and the replacement parts were really cheap, only a few dollars each. That night I was inspired and made a giant pot of delicious chili in the crockpot.  

 I ordered a replacement play phone from Amazon. It ended up being big, but I love the bright yellow color in contrast to the aqua and white. Plus, Ada really enjoys playing with it. 

I also ordered a replacement decal for one burner from Ebay. 

The clock face had water damage, so I googled "clock face" and found an image that suited my fancy, had it sized, then printed and cut it out. 

Impatience got the best of me, so I decided to screw the parts together, remove the tape, and put the drawers back on only after two days. When I put the drawer and refrigerator front back on, it ended up scratching up the paint. Luckily I still had leftover spray paint in the cans, so I sprayed some paint on a piece of cardboard and used a small paintbrush to touch up the scrapes. 

The more I stared at the drying play kitchen in the garage, the more inspired I became. I wanted to make the play kitchen as nice as possible. I thought it would be cool to create a backsplash and also make a panel to cover up the squares I cut out. I decided to use cardboard and decorative contact paper. I didn't realize this, but decorative contact paper in different patterns is really hard to find now. We went to Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Joann Fabrics and had no luck. Finally, I found a pattern I liked at Ace Hardware. 

The paint was dry to the touch and seemed to be cured. 

Unfortunately, seven days wasn't enough time for the spray paint smell to go away. I brought it inside, but the smell started to give me a headache. I put it on the front porch in the fresh air for another seven days, and now it finally seems to have no smell. 

I'm really happy with the final results! It's a toy that Ada will enjoy now and for years to come. I'm happy that I saved this play kitchen from the landfill, and I hope the paint manages to hold up to abuse for years to come. 

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