Kitchen cabinets can make or break your kitchen space. But due to their direct contact with water, food splatters, uncleaned hands, and multiple other kitchen items, stains usually leave their impression on these cabinets. It's customary in every house that after every few days, kitchen cabinets require proper cleaning.
Cleaning is an easy and smooth process as long as you know the right tricks to do it. Before you implement any cleaning processes, the first and foremost thing is to check the material of cabinets. Different materials and different types of stains require specialized techniques to clean your essentials.
In this short writing, usually, easily accessible items like baking soda and vinegar will be used, but these aren't compatible with every type of material, so consult cabinets manual or ask the professional to check the material, especially in the case of laminated and wooden cabinets. Here we will be listing cleaning processes for all types of kitchen cabinets with almost every type of prominent stain that can tarnish the aesthetics of your kitchen.
How Often Should You Clean Your Kitchen Cabinets
Cabinets are used regularly, so regular cleaning is always recommended. That's why we have devised three cleaning intervals considering your needs.
Daily
Daily cleaning is always preferable as it keeps the overall aesthetics of your kitchen intact, giving them a fresh and glossy look.
Weekly
In case you are a busy person and didn't get ample time to clean your kitchen cabinets so often, then weekly cleaning is a must. Usually, people doing 9 to 5 jobs or doing businesses only get time on weekends, so make your routine accordingly.
Seasonally
Over time, it becomes mandatory to go for deep cleaning as regular cleaning usually didn't yield any fruitful outcomes, mainly if the stains have stayed there for a longer period of time. It's recommended to empty your cabinets and take a microfiber cloth along with a cleaner and wipe every visible and hidden location inside your cabinets.
How to Remove Multiple Types of Stain From Kitchen Cabinets
A few stains usually remove by simple wiping with a little piece of cloth, while others require special cleaners to get rid of them. Here we are going to discuss various types of stains along with their cleaning processes. Make sure to check cabinet material before applying any cleaner, as stains behave differently on varying surfaces.
Grease
Cabinets usually above the range are more susceptible to grease stains. Most people think removing grease stains is an arduous task to accomplish, but that's not the case. Only repeated usage of diluted vinegar for some time can serve the purpose. If stains are of mild intensity, then single wiping would be enough, but for tough stains, it needs a little extra effort to wipe them multiple times.
Fingerprints
When it comes to tarnishing the aesthetics of your lovely designed kitchen, fingerprint stains are inevitable. Oily residue on fingers can leave lasting handprints on hardware or the shiny surface. But a perfect mixture of vinegar and water in equal quantities would be enough to clean all such stains.
Water Stains
From cooking to washing, everything needs water, and water splashing is unavoidable even if we follow care at the utmost levels. So, splashes of water usually ruin the visuals of your kitchen cabinets. But need not worry, all sort of water stains usually wipes out by simple usage of distilled water.
Scuffs
Scuffs usually become prominent, especially if you have white kitchen cabinets. In such situations, using a simple soft eraser will erase them all. Gently rub the eraser over the scuffs for a little, and you will get your brand-new cabinet ready for you.
Food splashes
Oily cooking essentials, ketchup, and other such things splash over your lovely cabinets. Mayonnaise to special ketchup, one single wrongly made shot is enough to spoil the aesthetics of your kitchen cabinets. You are not supposed to let such stains dry out, especially if your cabinets are made of porous materials like wood. As soon as the food splatter reaches the surface of the cabinet, wipe it out immediately with a damp cloth. If the stain doesn't leave, then apply a paste of baking soda along with water over the splatter as soon as the splashes have made contact with the cabinets.
As mentioned earlier, that every particular type of cabinet requires certain specified cleaning techniques depending upon the material, they are made. Thus, here's a list of the most common kitchen cabinet materials and ways of cleaning all these cabinets.
How to Clean Wooden Kitchen Cabinets
Wooden cabinets usually come in various finishes and even varying seals, thus making its cleaning process a bit complicated. Some seals are good at dealing with stains, while others give us a tough time, so it's always preferable to stay with common cleaners to avoid any issues with the aesthetics of your wooden cabinets. If you are looking for how to clean wooden kitchen cabinets efficiently, then follow these simple steps:
-It's preferable to clean your wooden cabinets with oily soaps, as this non-abrasive mixture will make them shine without damaging the beauty and quality of the cabinets.
-Wooden material is sensitive to water. So, it's recommended to use a damped cloth instead of fully soaked for cleaning purposes.
-Always look for microfiber cloth to buff and polish your wooden cabinets.
There are a few locations -especially those near to high-moisture environments- that need utmost attention to maintain their beauty and sustain their cleanliness. If your wooden cabinets are installed above the stove, then an extra layer of sealant will be enough to protect them from potential damage that moisture may cause.
How to Clean Painted Kitchen Cabinets
Painted kitchen cabinets are getting common these days because of their hassle-free variational nature. You can opt-out of any desired color without going for a complete remodel. But as we all know; paint also requires special attention especially related to its maintenance over an extended period of time. If your painted kitchen cabinets are open to moisture contact or any other such issue which necessitate the importance of frequent cleaning, then follow these simple steps to make your life easier:
-For usual cleaning, applying a mixture of two parts of baking soda along with one part of water will yield the required outcomes for you. Simply apply the mixture and wait for a few minutes and then gently rinse it with a piece of cloth to get optimal results.
-For any tougher stains like grease, apply a solution of diluted ammonia with a damped piece of cloth. Keep on rubbing for a little until the grease stain wipes out or at least becomes least visible.
If you use painted kitchen cabinets over an extended period of time, you should go for repainting as the cleaning process only works for a confined period of time.
How to Clean Glass Kitchen Cabinets
Glass kitchen cabinets are usually fancy and easy to clean. But to create paned doors for them, manufacturers usually mix wood with glass. Cleaning glass is super-easy, but the adjacent layer can make you put in a little extra effort. If you are looking to clean glass kitchen cabinets, then follow these steps to get optimal outcomes:
-While using glass-made kitchen cabinets, fingerprints are the most frequent stains that can spoil the cleaned look of your cabinets. So, using a simple glass cleaner along with a polishing cloth will remove all such stains.
-Care should be practiced while cleaning the adjacent layers. It's preferable to avoid oil-based cleaners for these layers, as oily cleaners create a problem for the aesthetical appearance of glass.
-To make the cleaning process a little easier, open the cabinet doors and clean all the inside and outside hidden and visible spots in a single go.
Weekly cleaning of glass cabinets can always bless them with a fresh and smooth look, thus maintaining their beauty over a longer period of time.
How to Clean Laminated Kitchen Cabinets
Laminated kitchen cabinets give you freedom of design and color. Their cleaning process is a lot easier than the aforementioned layers as the laminated top is usually very forgiving for multiple types of stains. So, if you have installed laminated cabinets, then these tips are surely going to make your life easier:
-Diluted vinegar or even all-purpose wipes can clean most of the fingerprints or other such stains quite efficiently. After cleaning, dry the surface with a soft piece of cloth to wipe out all the moisture.
-Mixing two parts of baking soda in one part of water will remove all the stains from the laminated surface.
-Abrasive materials can permanently tarnish the aesthetics of your laminated kitchen cabinets. So, their usage must be avoided.
The Bottom Line
No matter whatever type of cabinets you are having, frequent cleaning will increase their aesthetics and make these cabinets stay longer. Simple cleaning along with care can make you avoid many of these stains. If by any means they develop contact with your lovely cabinets, then consider cleaning them at the earliest with the proper cleaning material and technique to get a new fresher look.