How to Clean Your Cabinets Like a Pro
Every homeowner loves the appeal of a sparkling, new kitchen. But if you want to keep your kitchen looking as shiny as the day you moved in, you’ll have to roll up your sleeves and put in a little elbow grease from time to time. The good news is, the best cleaning products for cabinets are household staples nearly everyone already has in their home.
Stained Wood Cabinets
Stained wood cabinets require the most maintenance to keep them looking good as new. At least 1-2 times a year, you need to thoroughly clean and oil your cabinets. Start by mixing ⅞ distilled white vinegar with ⅛ rubbing alcohol and a few drops of dish soap then scrub with a microfiber cloth. Rinse the cabinets with warm water and then rub them down with beeswax oil to seal in the look.
Painted Cabinets
Some homeowners mistakenly believe that one size fits all when it comes to cabinet cleaning products. Painted cabinets, however, require a gentler touch to keep them looking fresh and new for years to come. Like with stained wood, distilled white vinegar and a few drops of dish soap work well to clean painted cabinets without removing any paint, just be sure to leave out the rubbing alcohol. Use a damp microfiber to wipe the cabinets down and a fresh, clean cloth to dry them off.
Black/White Cabinets
The chicest and classic cabinet colors also require the least amount of products for cleaning, although both are also the quickest to show dirt! Simply wiping these down once a week with a damp microfiber cloth and voila! Shiny, stylish cabinets every day of the week.
Laminate Cabinets
Void of the porous wood grains that trap dirt and grime, laminate cabinets are the easiest type of cabinetry to keep clean. Like black and white cabinets, a quick weekly wipedown with a damp microfiber cloth usually does the trick, but when you want a deeper clean, go for the tried-and-true stained wood cabinet cleaning mixture of ⅞ distilled white vinegar, ⅛ rubbing alcohol, and a few drops of dish soap.
Nooks and Crannies
Let’s be honest, these are the areas of cabinetry that trap the most dirt and grime and make our cabinets look nasty. Unfortunately, keeping them clean usually requires an unusual method like wrapping a damp microfiber cloth around a butter knife to clean flat surfaces and using a toothpick for those really tight, tiny spaces.
Cabinet Handles
Between the oils our hands produce naturally and the grimy hands of little ones, cabinet handles and the space around them can get sticky quick. A quick wipe with a damp, you guessed it, microfiber cloth does the trick.
Cabinets around the Stove
Grease and oil muck up the cabinetry around stovetops but you can eliminate the grime with spray bottle mixture of vodka and Castile soap. Don’t keep alcohol in your home? Substitute vodka with rubbing alcohol and a little bit of water.
