With all the smoke, spills, odors, drips, and even grime sticking to almost every imaginable surface in your kitchen, it is easy to see why this part of the modern home demands the most attention when it comes to optimum upkeep. And if you happen to have wood kitchen cabinets, you know that spot-cleaning is a must especially in managing the drips and spills from your kitchen countertop. However, a deeper and more thorough cleaning is required if you wish to retain the integrity of your wooden kitchen cabinets. Here’s how to clean wood cabinets and make them shine like new again.
Pick the Right Cleaner
Everything starts with a good cleaner and one that is specifically formulated for wood surfaces. One has to understand that wood is an entirely different material from metal or plastic. Hence, it should be cleaned and handled with care.
Some of the best cleaning products to use on wooden surfaces are oil soap wood cleaners. These typically contain plant-derived cleaning ingredients such as those coming from coconut. What they do is that they not only clean wood surfaces, but also leave behind a layer that can make the wooden surface really shine.
Alternatively, you can always use a number of readily-available household ingredients that you can turn into an equally effective wood cleaning solution.
Cleaning kitchen cabinets with baking soda is best reserved for those wood surfaces that are affected with really stubborn stains. What you will need in this case is to get about a cup of baking soda and then add little amounts of water at a time. This is to make sure that you will get a paste-like consistency and not some watery solution. That is why it is important to add water gradually while mixing the baking soda.
If the main issue in your wood kitchen cabinets is the presence of really sticky films, then a vinegar-water solution will come in handy. Vinegar is an excellent ingredient for removing those nasty sticky films that are typically plastered onto the wood surface by dirty hands. So, if you’re wondering what you can use to clean sticky wood kitchen cabinets, you can always make a 50:50 solution of warm water and vinegar. You can place this in a spray bottle so it becomes a lot easier to apply.
Of course, if you don’t like using either vinegar or baking soda, then you can always go for dishwashing liquids or pastes that are formulated with grease or oil cutting technologies. As a rule, you should always dilute such cleaning products in water at a ratio of 2 parts water to 1 part detergent. This cleaning solution should help solve your question about how to clean kitchen cabinets grease, oil, and other very slick stains.
Get Cleaning
Once you’ve picked the most appropriate cleaning solution for your wood kitchen cabinets, it’s time to get cleaning.
If you are going to spot-clean, say a really nasty stain on your kitchen cabinet, then dunk a small scrub brush into your cleaning solution. Alternatively, you can use an old toothbrush for this process. Scrub the area that you want to spot-clean. Once done, get a piece of damp cloth and wipe the area to get rid of any cleaning agent residue. You will need to follow this up with a clean piece of dry cloth.
If you’re not spot-cleaning your kitchen cabinets, then you have to apply the cleaning solution across the entire surface of your kitchen cabinet. It is best to have at least 3 pieces of cleaning cloths for this process. One is to rub the cleaning agent onto the cabinet while another is to wipe the cleaner off. The third cleaning cloth is basically to finish off the process.
Brush or scrub the hardware of your kitchen cabinet. Look at the handles or even the ornate trim. Make sure that you scrub every nook and cranny of the cabinet. Be very thorough. It is a lot better to check everything before you even consider ‘rinsing’ it. In some instances, you might want to check the hinges and other movable hardware of your cabinet. Check for signs of corrosion. You may want to apply a little oil in these parts of the cabinet.
Wipe both the inside and outside surfaces of your kitchen cabinet. Pay attention to the top and bottom edges of the cabinet doors as well as the surface along the side where the hinges are located. Grime, grease, and dust may accumulate in these parts without you ever noticing it.
‘Rinse’ with a moistened cleaning cloth. But don’t soak the surface. This is just to remove any particles or residue that may be left on the cabinet. Finish off by wiping the cabinet with a clean piece of towel.
Cleaning wood kitchen cabinets is easy. Just pick the right cleaner, observe a few ‘rules’ about cleaning, and you’re off to a good start.
Sources:
- How to Clean Wood Cabinets, DIY Network
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