The Best Way to Clean Kitchen Cabinets without Removing the Finish. The best way to clean kitchen cabinets, no matter their finish, is with a simple mix of dish soap and warm water. Dish soap is strong enough to clean and degrease your cabinets but gentle enough that it won't remove the finish.
Most cabinet types, including metal, plastic laminate, painted wood, and vinyl cabinets, can be cleaned with a solution of liquid dish soap and warm water. This simple and mild solution is enough to get food smudges, dust, and mild grease build-up off of your cabinets.
Simple solutions of dish soap and water can do wonders for cleaning away grease, splatters, and food messes. Dawn® Platinum makes cleaning kitchen cabinets So Dawn Easy! The unique formula quickly breaks down grease particles while staying gentle enough to not cause any damage.
You'll want to get two buckets that are large enough to swish a rag around in the water to shake it of excess dirt, and you'll also want a good natural wood cleaner. Murphy® Oil Soap gets deep into grime to break up dirt particles and it's safe to use on wood products like cabinets.
Kitchen gunk remover
Mix one part of any vegetable oil to two parts of baking soda. Apply this oily paste to dirty areas using a soft cloth or paper towel. That ugly, greasy, dirty build-up on cabinets will begin to soften and start to disappear. Wipe clean and buff with a soft cloth.
Baking Soda
After wetting your brush with warm water, add a little baking soda, then scrub away on the cabinets. Follow with a damp, warm cloth to remove the residue. Not only will the baking soda cut through the grease, but it's also non-abrasive, so it won't harm your wooden cabinets.
Dish soap
Dish soap is easily the best cabinet degreaser for your kitchen. Most of the build-up on your cabinet doors is grease from cooking or food preparation, and dish soap is specially designed to remove grease from your dishes.
Water (with a pH of 7) and dish soap (with a pH between 7 and 8) are always good options. The best cleaner, the one that is less likely to do damage to the wood is good old-fashioned elbow grease. Applied with a damp cloth, elbow grease should be effective at removing dirt and dust and even oil and grease build-up.
You can use commercial cleaners, like Murphy's Oil Soap, to clean cabinets. You can also make your own cleaners from ingredients in your kitchen that are eco-friendly, effective and affordable. Vinegar is the go-to natural cleaner when faced greasy cabinets.
Cleaning kitchen cabinets with vinegar will easily remove fingerprints. Dampen a cloth in a 50-50 solution of water and vinegar, apply to the prints, and buff clean with a polishing cloth.
Fill a bowl with warm water and add a few squirts of dish soap. Use your hand to mix it around. Take your sponge and wipe down the sticky areas. Let it sit for about a minute and scrub the areas with the grease.
Our top pick is the Weiman Cabinet & Wood Clean & Shine Spray. It is an easy-to-use spray that conditions and cleans in one application. For a budget-friendly cleaner that can work around the entire house, consider the Favor Spray Furniture Polish Spray.
Kitchen cabinets that have not adequately dried after cleaning can also become sticky. This is because cabinets are usually made of porous materials that absorb water and cleaning solutions. So, when water and cleaning solutions don't dry properly, they leave behind a sticky residue.
Shaker-style kitchen cabinets blend with any contemporary or traditional design style. Even though they're not completely flat or raised, they're the perfect middle (leaning towards flat) option when it comes to cleaning. With finishes in neutral hues such as white or gray, Shaker cabinets are a very popular choice.
Vinegar is the go-to natural cleaner when faced with how to clean greasy cabinets. Mix a 50/50 solution of vinegar and warm water and put into a spray bottle. Mist on cabinets, let sit for a minute or two and then wipe clean with a soft cloth.
Squirt the surface with straight white vinegar, sprinkle on some baking soda, and give it several minutes of dwell time. Scrub with a sponge, then scrape with a firm straight edge, like an old credit card, wiping off the gunk with a rag or paper towels. Spray again lightly and wipe dry with a clean cloth.
Mix a 50:50 solution of vinegar and warm water in a spray bottle. Add a few drops of liquid dishwashing detergent for extra grimy surfaces. Spray the solution on the outside of the cabinet doors and let it sit for a minute or two. Wipe the cabinet doors clean with a soft cloth.
Mix a cup of white vinegar with a cup of water. This mild cleaning solution is perfect for everyday use on wooden cabinets. It won't warp the wood or take off the finish. If you dislike cleaning with vinegar, you can use a light soap solution instead.
Wipe wood furniture with a barely damp microfiber cloth to remove dust and grime. (Use a cotton cloth to avoid damaging the wood.) Quickly wipe it dry with another microfiber cloth. Don't let water sit on wood since it can warp the surface.
For safe, effective use, avoid using Pine-Sol® on unsealed, waxed, oiled or visibly worn wood.
“What should you use to clean hardwood cabinets in the kitchen?” To best clean wood cabinets, use either of Bona's all purpose cleaners – Lime Basil scent or Lavender White Tea scent. Quick-drying and residue-free, our formula easily cuts through grease and grime without harming surfaces.
Mix up a 50/50 combo of water and baking soda until you have a paste. Apply the paste to grease stains with a clean microfiber cloth using small, circular motions. Swap out cloths as they become soiled, and continue until you have a grease-free surface.