Kitchens are one of the most highly used spaces in the interior of your home. Because of this, food spills and other messes are prone to occur on a daily basis. This affects the appearance and cleanliness of your kitchen, especially your cabinets, which make up a large portion of most kitchens.
Grease, food residue and steam all constantly put stress on your cabinets. They can make your cabinets look dirty, and as a result, your entire kitchen.
Cabinet cleaning is especially important today, when white and light-colored cabinets are a popular trend. Light colors bring a lot of attention to any stains you may find in your kitchen.
Clean Your Cabinets Bi-Weekly
Kitchen cabinets should be cleaned every other week, especially those that are light-colored. However, it’s important to make sure they are being cleaned properly so that the paint job can be appropriately maintained.
Avoid Abrasive Cleaners
Always avoid abrasive cleaners that contain ammonia or bleach, because they can ruin the finish on your cabinets. Cabinets with any kind of finish (gloss, lacquer. etc.) should always be cleaned with gentle cleaning products. However, some gentle cleaners are better than others, depending on your cabinets, so it’s important to pick the one that’s best for you.
Picking out a material to scrub with can be just as important as what substance you use. Always choose a soft cloth or sponge, because otherwise you could strip off the finish and paint coating on your cabinets.
Wet Cloth Method
Sometimes, you just have a few minor stains on your cabinets that you need to clean off. In these situations, you should look for a soft, clean cloth and run it under some water. Ring it out and gently rub it in circles on the surface of your painted cabinets.
This cleaning solution is the most gentle, but with just water you can still clean these light messes.
Detergent Method
If your cabinets are covered in harder to clean substances, such as grease or other grime, detergent may be your best bet for getting them clean. Start by filling a bucket with water, then add some detergent and stir it around so that your bucket of water develops suds.
Grab a soft, clean cloth and dip it in the bucket, then wring it out so it doesn’t drip everywhere. Rub the cloth in a circular motion on the cabinets until the stains are gone.
After washing with the soapy cloth, run another cloth under some water and also wipe down the cabinets with this. This step is done to wash the soap off your cabinets.
Next, take another clean cloth and wipe the cabinets down one last time to dry them.
Spot Cleaning Method
If you’ve tried the first two gentle cleaning methods and you still see grease stains on your cabinets, you may need to use a more effective cleaner.
In a bucket, mix together 1 cup of vinegar, 2 cups of warm water and one tablespoon of baking soda. Dip a cloth in the bucket and wring it out, then rub it onto spots that still have stains. Make sure to also wipe these areas down with a wet cloth, then a dry cloth like the detergent cleaning process.
You can also combine equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle and use a cloth to spot clean, if you prefer. With a spray bottle, you can keep what you don’t use in the bottle for next time.
This way, the next time you need to clean your cabinets you can just grab the bottle and start wiping down your cabinets, rather than making the mixture every time.
Try Olive Oil For Added Shine
If you’ve used these methods to clean your cabinets but you want your cabinets to give off a little more shine, dip a clean cloth in a tiny bit of olive oil and gently wipe down the surface of the cabinets. This gives your cabinets a nice, new-looking shine. Doing this also helps prevent future grease stains from sticking to your painted cabinets.
For the best cabinet maintenance, clean spots and stains as soon as you can after the messes happen. Make this part of your regular household routine to extend the life of the paint job on your cabinets. This way, your cabinets will look their best.
Varnish Discoloration on Wooden Cabinets
If your cabinets are coated in any sort of varnish, you should also pay attention to the status of this varnish. Wooden cabinets with varnish suffer from issues with discoloration over time. Even the best cleaning products won’t be able to fix this yellowing of your cabinets. In this case, you’ll need to strip your cabinets and repaint them.
Get an Estimate on Cabinet Refinishing Today
Unless you are an experienced painter, cabinet refinishing is not a do-it-yourself project. It is time and labor intensive, and you can end up making quite a mess of things if you don’t know what you are doing.
Call Raleigh’s most trusted painting contractor today at 919-878-6611 or fill out the form below for a free consultation.