How to Clean Kitchen Cabinets
More than likely, cleaning kitchen cabinets is not number one on your priority list. In fact, you probably have enough cleaning on there to last you weeks. Your home office, your bedroom, your family room, your basement...the list goes on.
One look inside your cabinets and you notice that debris and food stains are everywhere. Worst of all, the cabinets have a filthy sticky and greasy residue on the outside.
Luckily, you don’t have to worry anymore. Here's our article on how to clean your kitchen cabinets in 10 minutes or less.
How to Clean Wooden Cabinets
Imagine you have installed one of the best wall ovens on the market inside your kitchen cabinet. It produces a considerable amount of heat that leaves behind a sticky residue. For wooden cabinets, it is best to use a gentle cleaner.
You can tackle the tough grease in four simple steps:
- Wipe off the loose dust on the front doors with a clean, damp cloth.
- Clean the drawer pulls and door handles with a damp cloth.
- Use a gentle kitchen degreaser or DIY cleaner to tackle the tough grease or stains.
- Use oil soap such as Murphy Oil Soap Polisher and Cleaner (find it on Amazon) to make your cabinet shiny and residue-free.
When cleaning wooden cabinets, do not soak your cleaning cloth or the cabinet directly. Wood will eventually rot if it sets too long in water.
You may have to repeat the steps above to tackle grease on the worst areas of your kitchen cabinets.
Related: How To Clean Matte Paint Walls Like A Pro
Kitchen Cabinet Cleaning Options
When you decide to clean your kitchen cabinets, the first thing you should notice is the type of dust or stain.
Is it something sticky or loose debris? Is it an old stain or light scratches? Is it on the wall cabinets or countertop cabinets? Is it on the wood or glass?
With these questions in mind, you have a couple of options. You can use home cleaning solutions like soapy water, vinegar and baking soda, or baking soda and water. Or, use a commercial cleaner to break down the tough stains. Here’s a list of some of the best degreasers on the market today.
If your cabinets are quite dusty, use a damp cloth to wipe the dust away. Or, for heavy dust, use your vacuum cleaner to clean it up quickly.
How to Clean Painted Cabinets
Raw wood is painted for protection and its beautiful shine. Not to mention that painted cabinets are a beautiful addition to your home. But, without proper maintenance, the cabinets will lose their glossiness.
Follow three simple steps to clean your painted cabinets.
- Use a damp cloth to wipe away dust on the surface.
- To get to the hard-to-reach areas near the hinges and inside the grooves, use a small old toothbrush with some water and soap.
- To clean tough stains, use a mixture of three parts baking soda and one part water.
- Wipe away the residue with a clean damp cloth.
After many years of use, you may notice some paint chips or discoloration on your kitchen cabinets. If these are noticeable, it may be time to repaint them.
How to Clean Laminate Cabinets
Today, laminate cabinets are becoming popular because of their affordable cost and high durability. They are easy to clean and need little maintenance.
To remove simple stains and grease, use an all-purpose cleaner. A mixture of vinegar and baking soda will also do the trick too.
If you see a small scratch, make it look good as new by applying some new stain. Here’s a quick two-minute video showing you how to repair a light scratch on your cabinet door.
How to Clean Glass Cabinets
Some cabinets feature glass doors inside the wooden frames.
To clean glass cabinetry, use a glass cleaner, like Windex. Find some from Amazon here. Other cleaners are too abrasive and may scratch or discolor the glass.
Don’t forget to clean both sides of the cabinet door.
For the wooden frame, wipe off excess dust with a damp cloth or use a kitchen degreaser to tackle tough stains. DIY cleaners like vinegar and water and baking soda and vinegar work well too.
Like the other cabinet cleaning methods, if there is any dust between the glass and wooden joints, clean that area using an old toothbrush.
How to Clean Greasy Kitchen Cabinets
Most heavy grease and dirt accumulates over your kitchen range and oven. Depending on the type of cabinet you own, use one of the cleaners below to cut the sticky residue on your cabinets.
- Soap and water
- Baking soda and water (three parts baking soda, one part water - for a pasty consistency)
- Baking soda and vinegar (one part baking soda, two parts vinegar)
- Wooden cabinet cleaner and polisher
- Murphy Oil Soap
- All-purpose kitchen degreaser
- Glass cleaner
How often should you clean the kitchen cabinets?
The more often you cook – especially if you enjoy greasy foods or Asian food, the more often you’ll need to clean your kitchen cabinets.
There are two main types of cabinets: wall and countertop. Wall kitchen cabinets are mounted above your range and countertops. They accumulate grease and dirt produced from your cooking.
Clean your wall cabinets after a few weeks to a couple of months (depending on how dirty they get) to eliminate the sticky grease on the outside.
Countertop kitchen cabinets are installed near the ground and they accumulate heavy dust and dirt from your floor. These cabinets should be cleaned about once a month.
When cleaning kitchen cabinets, focus on the front doors. Unless you spill something on the inside, it won’t need to be cleaned too frequently – about every three to four months.
How to Polish Kitchen Cabinets
Using oil is the most popular homemade method to polish your kitchen cabinets. You can also buy polishers online to give your cabinets a shiny and radiant look.
- First, wipe away superficial dust with a damp cloth.
- Empty some of the polish into a soft microfiber cloth.
- Rub the polish over a small area in a circular motion.
- Continue until you coat the entire cabinet door.
- Wipe away the excess polish with a dry cloth.
We spend most of our kitchen cleaning time focusing on sinks, floors, counters, and other areas of the kitchen that we use the most.
But the cabinets are just as important. They store everything you use in the kitchen – and they’ll need attention too.
Cleaning your kitchen cabinets can be overwhelming. It can even take hours if you don't use the best methods. But, hopefully, this article cut down on your stress and saved you time cleaning.
Good luck!
Author Bio
Samuel Adler is a 28-year-old executive who always enjoys creating something new and writing about the home improvement niche. Being a part of The Home Impro, Samuel Adler found the platform to fully explore his passion for creating something new.