What Do You Use To Clean Dark Cabinets? The answer: A DIY solution of white distilled vinegar, water, and a hint of dish detergent inside of a spray bottle paired with a clean microfiber cloth.
I normally use dishwashing soap. If the cabinets are dirtier than usual (you know we skip out on deep cleaning sometimes, lol), I would wipe them down a second time. Lastly, I use a dry microfiber cloth to remove any water marks, and voilà!
Make a vinegar-baking soda paste and dip a clean towel in it. Dab the moistened cloth on the matte cabinet's surface. Allow the paste to remain for a few minutes before lightly rubbing it on the surface. Remove the grime and grease with the textured side of the towel.
Wipe gently with a damp cloth and soap
'Try using a soft cotton or microfibre cloth with only water and soft soap, containing a maximum 1% of liquid soap,' advises Ruth Lavender, design expert, Benchmarx Kitchens. The concentration of soap must be small, as gloss is so fragile that even soap can potentially damage it.
Follow these tips to clean painted kitchen cabinets: For an easy, budget-friendly spot cleaner, just mix one part water with two parts baking soda. Dab the paste onto the stain, let sit for a few minutes, and wipe clean. Buff out any remaining residue with a clean cloth.
Clean Magic Eraser may be your go-to elsewhere, hold off here. Same with your super-scrubby brush, as it could damage the surface. In fact, the best cleaner for your cabinets, according to professional painters Chris and Lexi Dowding of SwatchOut in Michigan, is a simple one: dish soap mixed with warm water.
Vinegar is considered the go-to ingredient for homemade cabinet cleaning solutions. Best practices recommend that you combine vinegar in a 50/50 solution with warm water and use a spray bottle to mist a layer of the solution onto the surfaces of your cabinet.
Collects Dust
Black cabinets tend to be higher in maintenance than medium tone cabinets or even light or white ones. The color often shows more dirt and smudges, so you might find yourself doing more cleaning and upkeep. This can be especially true if you have a full house and a lot of foot traffic in your kitchen.
Cleaning Requirements
One of the primary cons of black kitchen cabinets is the fact that they require constant cleaning. They might not show the dirt, but they accumulate quite a lot.
If you clean your matt cabinets and doors regularly, soap and water will normally do the trick. However, there are alternatives for when you need to clear more stubborn areas of dirt. Vinegar is a wonderful cleaning ingredient – and just about the best thing there is to clear grease, grime, and oil.
If you have particularly difficult-to-remove buildup on your bathroom fixtures, you can also add in white vinegar. Avoid using other types of cleansers/chemicals on matte black finishes! Fill one of your new spray bottles with the distilled water and then add a four-second squirt of dish soap.
Use a mild mixture of one part white vinegar, 1.5 to 2 parts warm water, and a generous squirt of Dawn Dish soap. Mix in a spray bottle. Using this routinely will clean away any white rings or droplet spots left on the surface. Use a soft microfiber cloth when cleaning with this solution.
Incorporate bright or pastel colors to liven up a neutral kitchen with black cabinets. Here, the deep shade of black sets of warm finishes, like a butcher-block island surface and granite countertops. Cool stone floors and stainless-steel accents balance the look.
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.
Black kitchen cabinets can make a space feel more formal and classy since the dark backdrop of the cabinetry accentuates the hardware—particularly my favorite finishes– brass, and polished nickel. Whether black is the right choice is based more on the surrounding decor and the aesthetics of the rest of the home.
“We tend to go with a satin finish for black kitchen cabinets. [It] is cleanable and durable without being over-the-top shiny.”
Best results will be achieved using wet micro-fiber cloths or chamois with mild soap and water. Never dry wipe the acrylic finish. Applying Ultra-Gloss Superpolish + DGS, Novus 1 Polish, or Plexus Plastic Cleaner on a weekly basis will maintain the acrylic finish in an optimum condition.
Mix a 50/50 solution of vinegar and warm water and pour it into a spray bottle. Mist on cabinets, let sit for a minute or two and then wipe clean with a soft cloth. Add a few drops of liquid dishwashing detergent to the vinegar and water solution to clean extremely grimy cabinets.
One downside of black cabinets is that they will need cleaning often. Dirt and dust seem to be drawn to black surfaces as though they were magnets, so be prepared to have your dusters and cleaning cloths at the ready to keep your black cabinets clean.
The cons of black kitchens
Black kitchens need to be constantly cleaned. That's bad enough for anyone, but a nightmare if you're at all OCD about keeping your kitchen clean. Black can look great, but it doesn't suit every space. There needs to be plenty of light coming in to make them look their best.
Hides Scratches and Stains
Your kitchen cabinets get a lot of traffic — they're always being opened or closed, kicked, scuffed, or knocked into. Fortunately, black doesn't show wear and tear like white or light-colored cabinets do, allowing them to maintain their flawless appearance, even when accidents happen.
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.