Tony: Mark, Jon, and Jake have all given more good advice in the past couple of days. You mentioned that you were considering the graphite to reduce arcing. Very good. On arcing: it is caused by electricity crossing a microscopic gap thru the oxygen in the air; you beat arcing by having no gaps, and graphite fills microscopic gaps in your railhead and your wheels. Yes, coat the wheel treads with graphite too. As I mentioned, long ago I tried to do this with a thin layer of oil and it worked great as well. You should avoid using abrasive cleaners on your track (and wheels) as this creates scratches which do two things. First, they cause arcing, of course - and every arc creates a new pit!!! and second, all scratches and pits give minute particles of dust a toehold. Dust, worn plastic, and grease are all components of the crud we railroaders dread, and much of the advice you have received here is about eliminating those demons.
Good luck to you with this. I think having your trains so close to a kitchen really does present some daunting challenges. Do keep us posted on your efforts, whether in track/wheel maintenance and how that works for you, or in going to battery power, if that’s what you finally do. Here at LSC, inquiring minds want to know!