Are you about to attack your kitchen with all the cleaning supplies without any idea how to clean kitchen cabinets without damaging the finish? Hold your horses!!!
Before you do that, learn a little about how to go about cleaning cabinets according to their finishes.
Here Is How to Clean Kitchen Cabinets with Different Finishes?
Finish of your kitchen cabinet determines how you clean it. Mild detergents, microfiber cloth, warm water, and a gentle hand, that is all you need to bring your kitchen back to life.
Jut know that use right cleaning products for the right kind of finish. Damp microfiber cloth for painted, glazed and laminate finish. Citrus oil for natural finish and a damp-duster for Stained finish kitchen cabinet.
Before we get to the real business let me tell you about different kinds of cabinet finishes and how you can go about cleaning and maintaining them without inflicting damage.
Cabinet Finish Types
There are several types of finishes for kitchen cabinets.
Surprised? I was too when I found out about different kinds of finishes applied to the surface of the kitchen cabinets for longevity and decoration purpose.
Different kinds of finishes are worked into the surface of the cabinets, to name a few:
- Painted
- Natural
- Laminate
- Glazed
- Stained
Finish works as a protectant for your cabinets. Without finish, kitchen cabinets will be worn down in no time. Now, that is not the only advantage, it also adds to the kitchen’s beauty.
A magazine worthy kitchen with mismatched or badly finished cabinets will stick out like a sore thumb so choose wisely.
Also, keep in mind that you will need to clean your kitchen cabinets from time to time, go for a finish that is easier to clean and maintain.
Here is a walkthrough to help you guide how to clean kitchen cabinets according to the finish type.
Painted Cabinet Finishes
The reason why people go for painted cabinet finish is that it gives you freedom of choice, there are multitude of colors to select from to match your kitchen’s scheme.
The downside is that if you want your kitchen to emanate more natural warm feeling, paint hides that natural structure of the cabinet.
How do you clean and maintain painted cabinets?
Wipe the stain with a damp microfiber cloth while it is still fresh. If the stain is oily and has been there for a while, follow this step-by-step process to clean stubborn stains and grime from painted cabinets without removing the finish.
Step 1: Make a mild cleaner at home. Fill a spray bottle with warm water, add few drops of mild liquid dish soap.
Step 2: Now, spray the cleaner on the greasy stains you see on your cabinet. Leave it there for a minute to work its magic. If your cabinets have designs carved on the surface, use old toothbrush to softly clean off the dirt.
Step 3: Take a damp microfiber cloth and very gently rub the affected area in circular motion, be mindful to not use vigorous forceor use harsh products, it will strip off the paint.
Step 4: When you see the stain has disappeared, wash the cloth, wring out excess water completely and wipe the surface to clean off the cleaner.
Step 5: One final swipe of a dry microfiber cloth, Voila!! You are done cleaning your paint finish cabinet while keeping the finish unharmed.
Optional step: Use warm water with a bit of vinegar and liquid dish wash to deal with months old grease.
Mistakes to avoid when cleaning painted cabinets to maintain the finish for longer period.
For maintenance of your cabinet finish avoid these mistakes to keep them clean for longer period, else frequent scrubbing and rough cleaning of painted finish will strip the paint off the surface.
- Steer clear of harsh chemicals and sharp tools such as brushes, scrubbers, steel wool.
- Avoid using bleach, vinegar, magic erasers, and solvents.
- Abrasive cleaners containing ammonia and liquid wax are a big NO
Natural Cabinet Finishes
natural finish cabinets are not so difficult to clean. You just need to know the right product to use for the right type of finish. For natural finish citrus oil like orange oil works wonders.
How to clean Natural cabinet finish?
Natural finish cabinets give a warm feel to your kitchen as it polishes the wooden surface without covering the wood color and grain, which adds personality to your kitchen.
Here is how you can keep natural finish cabinets clean and gleaming without harming the exterior.
Step 1: Fill a spray bottle with warm water and few drops of mild liquid dish wash. Spray the cleaner on the surface and leave it for 2 minutes.
Step 2: Take a damp cloth, wipe off the cleaner and give one final swipe with a dry cloth afterwards to dry off the moisture.
Step 3: For deeper cleaning to fight off stubborn grime, use multipurpose cleaner containing oil or better yet baking soda and water paste.
To make the paste, add 2tsp of baking soda in 1 tsp water. Use fine quality baking soda which has no granules. Use a damp microfiber cloth to gently scrub the layer of grease.
Step 4: Wipe off the cleaner with a damp cloth and then a dry cloth to fry off the moisture.
Step 5: For deeper cleaning, go for pure orange oil concentrate to clean off layers of greasy film stuck on the cabinet exterior. You can add it into the cleaner we made in step 1.
Mistakes to avoid while cleaning natural finish cabinets.
- Do not place appliances that blow off steam under wood cabinets, long term steam exposure to the natural finish cabinets will remove the finish off the cabinets.
- Avoid using steel wool, hard rags, solvents, magic oils, and harsh grease-cutting cleaners.
- Never use vegetable oils like olive oil, it leaves sticky residues.
Laminate finish cabinet
Laminate finish cabinets, popular for their durability, are the easiest to maintain and clean. They can be cleaned using the same steps we used to clean painted cabinets.
How to Clean the Laminate finish cabinet?
Laminate cabinets are easiest to clean because of their resistance to scratches and chemicals but that does not mean you can use sharp objects to lift off a greasy layer which can be cleaned easily with a cleaner.
To clean the laminate finish cabinet, follow the steps we use for cleaning painted cabinets. Since it cannot be scratched easily you can use a sponge to clean off stubborn stains.
Mistakes to avoid while cleaning Laminate finished cabinets.
- Do not use abrasive products and scouring pads, not matter how resistant laminate cabinets are to scratches, rough scrubbing will leave its marks.
- Do not leave moisture on laminate, water can accumulate in the seams and damage the structure of the cabinet as liquid will swell-up the particle board inside.
Glazed cabinet finish
Glazed finish is applied after painting or staining the cabinet, it adds a glossy layer to the finish and accentuates the textures and colors.
Maintaining a glazed cabinet finish is a little tricky as it is not as resistant to scratches as laminate. To clean glazed cabinet finish:
How to clean the Glazed cabinet finish?
Glazed finish forms a layer of gloss on painted or stained cabinets to highlight the texture and color of the cabinetry. They need gentle cleaning, like glass doors, using microfiber cloth and mild cleaners.
- Wipe the surface with warm water and mild detergent solution.
- Use microfiber cloth for routine or heavy cleaning.
- The moment you spill something, wipe it down.
- Stains accumulated overtime will turn into hard layers of grease, to clean that use warm water, mild detergent to gently scrub it off.
Mistakes to avoid while cleaning glazed finish cabinet.
Glazed cabinet finish needs to be dealt with gently to avoid marring the surface with streaks and scratches.
- Never use chemical cleaners, it will turn the surface dull and lifeless.
- Do not leave moisture on the surface to airdry. Dry it out with a microfiber cloth.
- It will be a sin to use scrapers or any kind of abrasive tool to clean glazed cabinet finish, no matter how old the grease stains are.
Stained finish cabinets
How to Clean Stained finish cabinets?
Stained finish cabinets are more likely to leave your kitchen looking industrial. The cleaning of stained finish is not any different than other kinds of finish. A damp-duster can do the job for a routine cleaning.
- It is suggested to use damp microfiber cloth to clean stained finish, for deep cleaning use warm water with few drops of vinegar and mild detergent if need be.
Mistakes to avoid when cleaning Stained finish cabinet.
Like any other finish, stained finishes can be damaged by careless handling. Avoid using abrasive stuff to clean stained finish cabinets.
- Clean only with damp duster.
- Avoid using abrasive tools and chemicals.
- Do not leave water residues to airdry. Dry the moisture promptly from the surface.
Preventive care and Tips for cleaning different types of finishes on wood cabinets
Cleaning of the cabinet finish does not end with routine cleaning. Finishing of the wood cabinets needs maintenance according to the finish type. The tips I am going to share are used when cleaning any kind of finished kitchen cabinet.
- To keep the wood pattern and the finish smooth, dust the cabinet in the direction of the grain.
- Use microfiber cloth to clean the finish on the kitchen cabinet.
- Invest in some Kitchen tools and Accessories such as grease splatter screen that saves your cabinet from oil splatters and stains.
- Hold your hand when using Aerosol polishes, they bear temporary solution and permanent damage to the finish of your cabinet.
- Make sure any kitchen appliance that blow off steam are not placed directly under the cabinet. Continues steam exposure to the cabinets will remove the finish right off the wood.
- Keep the cabinets dry, I cannot stress that enough. Finish does protect the surface but be careful of not letting water seep inside.
Properly cleaned, maintained, and cared for kitchen cabinet saves you from a lot of hassle.
It is better and a lot less costly to regularly clean kitchen cabinets, because once they are damaged due to your negligence you will have to get them repaired and refinished.
A wiser choice is to follow the tips I have shared with you so that you do not have to call the woodworkers for a renovation of damaged cabinets.
Better to take care of your cabinet’s finish than spending hundreds of dollars on remodeling.
Sources
https://www.bertch.com/inspiration/tips-advice/kitchen/how-to-clean-cabinets/
