How to Clean Grease and Grime From Kitchen Cabinets

Clean cabinets make your whole kitchen look more inviting.

Do your grungy kitchen cabinets keep your otherwise clean kitchen from looking its best? It's easy to clean your kitchen cabinets, if you know how. Learn what the right tools and cleaning products are and get to work on those cabinets. When you're done, your whole kitchen will be sparkling clean.

Things You'll Need

• Dishwashing liquid or oil soap
• Soft sponge
• Nylon or plastic non-scratch scrub pad
• Paper towels

Instructions

1. Fill a bucket with warm water and add about 1/4 cup dishwashing liquid. For tough grease and grime that's been on the cabinets for a while, use 1/4 cup good quality oil soap instead of dishwashing liquid. General cleaning requires a simple soap, but the tough cleaning required for gummy grease will respond better to oil soap.

2. Wash the entire wood surface with a soft sponge dipped in the cleaning solution. To get at every spot on the kitchen cabinet, remove the knobs and pulls, which is where lots of dirt and grime gets trapped.

3. For tough gunk, use a nylon or plastic non-scratch scrub pad. Alternate scrubbing and wiping with a paper towel until the cabinet is clean. Wood kitchen cabinets usually have a durable finish that can take some gentle scrubbing.

4. If dishwashing liquid was used, finish by applying a bit of wood oil for a beautiful shine.

Tips & Warnings

• Never use astringent or acidic cleaners on wood.

References

• Kitchen Cabinets and Hardware: Cleaning Wood Kitchen Cabinets