A water-based all-purpose cleaner is generally safe to use on laminate cabinets if you need a little more power than plain water. You can also use liquid hand soap or dish detergent to clean the surfaces. After cleaning the laminate with any cleanser, go over it with a clean cloth to remove the remnants.
Clean With Mild Dish Soap
Like with wood cabinets, you shouldn't need to resort to abrasive cleaning products like vinegar or baking soda to remove dirt and grease from your laminate kitchen cabinets. A bit of dish soap in warm water applied with a good dose of elbow grease should be more than sufficient.
Use gentle cleaning products such as a microfiber cloth and mild soap to clean the surface of your white laminates. You can also use wet wipes but be sure to wipe the surface with a dry cloth as too much water can damage the laminate.
Get a household detergent and mix it with baking soda to create a paste. Mix in the ratio of 1 part detergent to 3 parts baking soda. Apply this solution directly to the stain and scrub with a bristle nylon brush. Make sure not to put too much stress on the brushstrokes so that you will not scratch the laminate finish.
Why do those sparkling white cabinets start to yellow? The first culprit is exposure to direct sunlight, which tends to jaundice or fade painted wood (and laminated surfaces). You should consider curtains, blinds or window film to shield your cabinets from direct sunlight.
Keeping your white cabinets white
Keep white cabinets out of direct sunlight to prevent them from turning yellow. To make a kitchen feel warm and inviting and useful you need plenty of sunlight and a functional space to cook.
Writer Lorna Hordos suggests removing a yellow tinge this way: Wash your cupboards with a fizzy mixture of 1 cup vinegar, 2 cups warm water and 1 tablespoon baking soda. To keep cabinets white, give them a monthly “bath” with a solution of warm water and a grease-busting dish soap.
Laminate Cabinets
If the cabinet surfaces still show stains and dull spots, they can be spot-treated and polished with baking soda and vinegar. Spray on a solution of 2 parts water to 1 part vinegar and polish; rinse with water and buff with a clean, dry cloth.
So how do you clean them if you happen to have MDF cabinets? The easiest solution is a mixture of dishwashing soap and warm water. Do not use the strong dishwashing soaps as it can be harsh on the surface of your MDF cabinet doors. Instead, use a weaker one and dilute it with one part soap and two parts warm water.
Wash the laminate with a soft cloth and a solution of mild detergent and warm water. Rinse thoroughly and dry with a clean soft cloth. For minor repair of burns or other stubborn marks, apply a nonabrasive liquid kitchen cleanser with a soft cloth soaked in warm water.
For laminate or painted cabinets, use a homemade alkaline mixture to degrease your cabinets and clean oily fingerprints and grime. Combine 2 cups of hot water, 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable-based detergent, 1/2 teaspoon of Epsom salts and 2 teaspoons of a sodium-borate detergent in a spray bottle.
To clean your plastic laminate of surface dirt, you can simply use a damp cloth and mild detergent. Rinse thoroughly with warm water and wipe dry. The plastic surface resists spills, fingerprints, and most food stains.
All-white cabinets and countertops have a tendency to turn yellow over time when exposed to high amounts of direct sunlight. If not properly protected, the jaundice-like effect can cause major regret after only a few years.
"Yellow" cupboards are often caused by defective, aging finishes or airborne grease that settles over everything (even the ceiling!) over time, causing sickly yellow and tacky surfaces. An all-natural homemade cleaning solution can work wonders.
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.
A Mr Clean magic eraser should do the trick. Just dampen it with a little water and rub off the ink. It should come off without scratching your surface. Your next best option is rubbing alcohol.
Matt Finish
So, using soap and water is perfectly fine for everyday messes like food splatters and fingerprints. Just be sure to rinse and dry afterwards with warm water and a soft cloth to avoid soapy build-up. Oily fingerprints and bigger splatter marks from some serious cooking can be much more stubborn to lift off.
White kitchen cabinets are actually no harder to keep clean than any other. Sure, they aren't as forgiving as darker colors, but that doesn't mean they have to be any less durable or easy to clean and maintain.
If your white cabinets are starting to look gray or you want to whiten darker-colored cabinets, you can do so with a careful bleaching method. Many bleaches exist, including chlorine bleach, wood bleach and oxygen bleach, but not all of them will work the same way for bleaching wood.
Gently rub the cabinet door, and then open the door to wash around the frame. Do the same with the drawers, washing the drawer front, and then opening it to wash the frame. Use a second rag dipped in the clean water and wipe down the cabinets again to remove cleaner and leftover grime.
Paint the Furniture
If the MDF furniture is currently unfinished, sand the edges smooth and use a solvent-based primer rather than a water-based product to prevent bubbling. Choose an opaque finish in white, black or a bold color such as cherry red for modern or traditional spaces, advises Huffpost.