The kitchen is central to any home. The family all use it at various times, and we often gather in and around it while preparing meals for fellowship and conversation. But other, unwelcome substances surreptitiously gather in your kitchen. And because of these unexpected residents, you’ll want to know how to clean your kitchen cabinets.
Any kitchen surface, including your cabinets, collect grease, grime, and gunk from cooking and normal use. Steam and smoke carry particles into the air that fall onto every surface. Cabinets become sticky and collect even more particles of dirt and food. It’s not an issue of being unclean; it’s an issue of using your kitchen for its designated purpose.
How to clean your kitchen cabinets, and how often, depends on your cooking habits and how much build-up is present on your kitchen surfaces. Most DIY experts recommend cleaning up immediately after cooking, including wiping off all adjacent surfaces. However, at least twice a year, you should thoroughly clean every surface in your kitchen using one of the cleaning solutions below.
When wondering how to clean your kitchen cabinets, a good grease-cutting dish soap and water is always the best way to begin. Add a few squirts of dish liquid, like Dawn Platinum (with 4 times the grease cutting solution), into a container of warm water. Using a sponge or dishcloth, stir up the solution until suds form. This gentle solution is safe for all surfaces, including varnish and paint.
Gently scrub your dirty cabinets, cleaning away the accumulated grease until the surface is clean. Be sure to keep your sponge or rag saturated with soap solution and refold to use a clean side frequently. After cleaning each cabinet, thoroughly flush out your sponge or rag for the next one. Immediately dry cabinets with a clean cloth to prevent streaking.
In some cases, gentle dish soap will not remove all the build-up on your cabinets. When your surface gunk has hardened over time, it can become difficult to remove. In this case, you will need to use a tougher solution. Use some of the ingredients that make up the gunk to soften and remove it.
Using vegetable oil and baking soda is a great solution for how to clean your kitchen cabinets. Mixing one part oil to two parts soda creates a grainy scrubbing solution that will soften hardened grease and grime and make it much easier to remove. Apply this mixture with a soft cloth or paper towel. Gently rub it in until hardened gunk softens and wipes away. Then wipe off your surfaces with a clean cloth.
White or clear vinegar has amazing grease cutting properties and is useful for cleaning your kitchen cabinet surfaces. Especially for that old, tougher greasy build-up on the cabinets closest to the stove. And, if you worry about harming your cabinet finish with the baking soda solution above, vinegar is a gentler choice.
Using a clean, dry cloth, soak it with undiluted white vinegar and gently scrub greasy cabinets. Rinse your cloth with warm water, wring out as much solution as possible, and wipe down the cabinetry as a rinse. Dry the damp surfaces with a soft clean cloth or paper towel. Any spots that are still sticky need another cleaning. Vinegar will not harm varnished or painted surfaces.
Over time, stubborn grease and grime can meld with the finish in your cabinets to form a mess that nothing will erase. Even sanding only gums up the sandpaper and makes the job harder. In these rare cases, it’s time to bring out the heavy, industrial strength solutions. Just be sure you use these substances safely, wearing gloves, and in a well-ventilated area.
Mix equal parts of paint thinner and soap, such as Murphy Oil Soap. Apply liberally with a sponge or paintbrush and allow to soak for a while. Wipe the solution away with a rag to clean away dirt and grime. Reapply and wipe until the surface is clean. In most cases, you will also remove the top layer of paint or varnish that has melded with the old grime. This means you must refinish these surfaces to protect them and add aesthetic appeal.
When learning how to clean your kitchen cabinets, don’t forget an important last step. After a good cleaning, wooden cabinets need protection. When choosing a protective conditioner for wooden kitchen cabinets, do not use substances that will create a new kind of build-up that is a magnet to grease and grime. Pick a product that will nourish the wood and keep it from drying out, while repelling kitchen grease.
At Revivify, we are your surface cleaning and protecting experts. Contact us today at Revivify LLC for your unique surface solution. Call 360-828-7645 in the Vancouver, Washington area, or fill out the contact form on our website to ask your questions or request a quote.