How to clean kitchen cabinets -Many aspects of the kitchen need your care and attention. After all, the kitchen is where you prepare and handle food.
With that said, one thing that you probably should be cleaning more often would be the kitchen cabinets. However, you shouldn’t just grab your cleaner and start cleaning. There’s a lot more to it when you’re trying to figure out how to clean kitchen cabinets.
Here are seven simple kitchen cleaning tips you need to know:
Wood Cabinets
Wood kitchen cabinets are some of the more common types of material that you’ll find in kitchens. However, these are tough to figure out because it comes in all sorts of varieties from finishing to seals.
If you don’t do your cleaning right, it can damage or harm the wood cabinets when you clean them.
If you want to ensure that that doesn’t happen, you should check a cabinet owner’s manual if you have it or check it with a professional. However, to be safe, use gentle cleaners and don’t wet the wood cabinet too much when cleaning it.
Painted Cabinets
Most paints that are on painted cabinets are durable and can withstand your regular cleaners. However, suppose your cabinets are painted with latex paint.
In that case, they will be more sensitive against abrasive cleaners. Such things as baking soda when cleaning them can damage them instead.
Otherwise, here is a cleaning solution that you can use for painted cabinets:
- Liquid dish soap
- A bucket
- Warm water
- Microfiber cloth
In a bucket of warm water, pour in liquid dish soap. Exact measurements aren’t necessary, but as long as the water is soapy, it should be fine.
Dip the microfiber cloth in the solution, but don’t make it dripping wet. Squeeze excess water out and start cleaning your cabinets.
Laminate Cabinets
Unlike wood cabinets, your laminate cabinets are much more durable and can withstand most cleaners, so you don’t have to be particular. You neither need to keep an eye out for it all the time to ensure that it’s in tip-top condition.
Wiping it down every week or so is good enough to maintain that state. With that said, here’s how you clean your laminate cabinets:
- All-purpose cleaner
- Warm water
- Spray Bottle
- Microfiber cloth
Mix an ounce of your all-purpose cleaner with four cups of warm water and put it in a spray bottle. Wipe that cleaner all over your laminate cabinets with a microfiber pad.
After that, wipe down the cupboards again with a damp microfiber cloth without the all-purpose cleaner. Let it dry after.
Glass-Front Cabinets
Glass-front cabinets are undoubtedly attractive in the kitchen, but they can attract dirt, fingerprints, and so on. Therefore, you want to ensure their cleanliness at all times.
Even though they’re magnets for dirt, it’s good that they’re easy to clean so that you can do it with ease at all times. However, remember that the glass cabinets also have another material, like wood or laminate, adjust accordingly.
When cleaning the glass front, here’s what you’ll need:
- Glass cleaner
- Polishing cloth
Use the polishing cloth and the glass cleaner on the glass to remove stains and fingerprints. Make sure that you clean the other side as well.
Cabinet Hardware
At Maid Sailors Cleaning Services NYC, we pay special attention to the cabinet hardware when trying to clean kitchen cabinets.
Unlike other parts of the kitchen cabinets, your cabinets’ hardware will likely receive far more manhandling. That’s why they’re more likely to get dirty, and they will wear and tear a lot more from constant use.
Depending on the dirt and grime build-up on your cabinet hardware, you will need different levels of elbow grease. With that said, here are several things that you’re going to need to clean the cabinet hardware well:
- Cloth/Sponge
- Water
- White Vinegar
- Nail brush/Toothbrush
If you want to clean away the dirt, you should wipe down the hinges and knobs, and other cabinet hardware. All you need is a cloth or sponge dipped in half water, half white vinegar solution.
To get rid of tougher stains, you should use a brush to scrub them away.
Plastic Cabinets
Plastic cabinets are more resilient to all sorts of cleaning methods and can even hold up against things like vinegar. With that said, here is what you will need to clean the plastic cabinets in your kitchen.
- Duster
- Sponge
- Liquid dish soap
- Hot water
- Washcloth
Dust your plastic cabinets first with a duster. After dusting it, soak your sponge in hot water mixed with liquid dish soap and clean your plastic cabinets with it.
Once you finish that, use a damp washcloth and wipe the kitchen cabinets. Please leave it to dry.
Metal Cabinets
Metal cabinets can withstand a lot of things when it comes to cleaners. At the same time, it shouldn’t absorb grease the same way that your wood cabinets would, which makes them extra durable.
With that said, it would be simple to clean the metal cabinets as well. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Duster
- Mild liquid dish soap
- Warm water
- Cloth
- Sponge
Start it off by dusting your metal cabinets to get rid of dust. After doing that, mix warm water and mild liquid dish soap and use a cloth to wipe it. Wash from top to bottom.
After that, use your clean sponge to wipe away the residue.
Things You Need to Know When Cleaning Kitchen Cabinets
When you’re thinking of how to clean kitchen cabinets, there are a few things that you need to be aware of before starting.
Since cabinets differ from one house to the other, the cleaning rules will be different. However, there are a few things that you should think about no matter what type of kitchen cabinet you have.
We’ve listed some of the things you should keep in mind when cleaning your kitchen cabinets.
Don’t Soak Your Cabinet
When using a cleaning mixture, avoid drenching the clothes or rags you use to wipe down your kitchen cabinets.
When there’s too much moisture on your cabinets, it can damage the paint or finish on the cabinets. At the same time, your cabinet, if it’s made out of a porous material, might absorb too much water, which can also damage it.
That’s why you shouldn’t soak your cabinet.
Don’t Forget the Interiors
When you’re wiping down your cabinets, don’t forget to clean the inside as well. Don’t forget to get rid of the dust that’s lurking in the corners of your cabinets.
Since they’re the ones that are holding any food items or other kitchen utensils, you need to take the time to clean them and let them dry as well.
Don’t Use Harsh Chemicals
There are plenty of harsh chemicals that you can find in cleaning solutions. When cleaning sturdier materials, you might be able to get away with using them.
However, when you’re cleaning your kitchen cabinets, it’s best to be safe and step away from your usual harsh cleaning solutions. After all, you want to clean your cabinets, not damage them.
Never Use Abrasive Cleaning Materials
Speaking of using harsh chemicals, you should also avoid the use of abrasive cleaning materials. This is regardless of how grimy or greasy your cabinets may seem.
You can always get away with elbow grease and more strategic cleaning solutions.
Steel wools and scouring pads should not be in your arsenal when all you want to do is get clean cabinets. Stick to the microfiber cloths and sponges.
Don’t Allow Water to Run Into the Hinges
You can undoubtedly clean your hinges with water as long as you make sure that you dry them off and don’t let them sit on your hinges. Otherwise, you might end up rusting the hinges, which you don’t want to happen to your kitchen cabinets.
As much as possible, you want to avoid using anything with water when cleaning your hinges. However, if it’s been a while and they’re filled with dust and dirt, you can use them as long as you make sure to dry them.
For everyday maintenance, though, you should use a dry microfiber cloth to get rid of dust or grime.
Don’t Forget the Glass
There will be some cabinets that may contain glass inlets. If your cabinet has these, then treat them like you would a glass-front cabinet, as included in this article. Also, don’t forget to wipe down both sides and let it dry.
A microfiber cloth will ensure that there won’t be any leftover fuzz from the fabric when you clean it and that no streaks are left behind.
Avoid a Wiping Motion
When you’re cleaning your kitchen cabinets, try and avoid using a wiping motion. If you’re cleaning a wooden cabinet, especially, wipe with the wood’s grain so that the cleaning doesn’t affect your cabinets’ quality. A wiping motion when cleaning the cabinet can damage its finish, so you shouldn’t do that.
Basic Cleaning
Every day or weekly cleaning is different since your goal isn’t to be thorough with your job. However, it helps your cabinets last a lot longer and stay clean for a lot longer.
For more sensitive cabinet materials, wiping it down with a dry or slightly damp microfiber cloth should do the trick. However, if it can take more of a punch, you can dilute white vinegar with water and use that when cleaning the cabinets instead.
Conclusion
These tips on cleaning kitchen cabinets should help you get a clean kitchen cabinet no matter its material. At the same time, it should help you keep them clean for a lot longer than you usually would, so make sure that you apply them.
With a cleaner kitchen, you’ll be able to handle food in there without worrying about the state of your food.