No matter how careful you are when cooking or how often you clean your kitchen, the cooking area, somehow (it’s like a „war” against you 🙂 ), grease and oil still end up on your kitchen cabinets.
It’s useful to know that the cabinets, as they are made, come with enough varnish or other protective coating so that you may use a cleaning solution when you need to clean them. This applies even to the wood kitchen cabinets, also.
As you have noticed, most of the oil slick tends to build up around the handles of your cabinets. This oil slick comes from kitchen grease, skin oil, hand lotion (yeah, it goes on your cabinets, even if you don’t feel it) and food smears.
In order to clean up, you do need special cleaners and not all of them rise up to the challenge (it sure feels like a challenge, sometimes…).
Four things are vital when on a „quest” of cleaning products for your kitchen cabinets. A strong alkaline or heavy-duty cleaner is important if you want to finish the job quickly. A microfiber cloth works best, along with a bucket, right :)? The dishwashing detergent is great when cleaning kitchen cabinets and an oil soap solution adds „fuel” to your cleaning.
First thing to do when cleaning your cabinets is to wash them really good with a strong alkaline cleaner (you can find this at a janitorial supply store). You can do this washing no matter what the material of your cabinets (metal, painted metal, other plastic, glass) is, and you can always go for the heavy-duty cleaner if, for some reasons, you don’t want to use alkaline cleaners.
Apply the solution with the microfiber cloth and let it rest for a minute or two. Scrubbing where it’s necessary is the next step.
Always remove the unpleasant suds from the cloth by squeezing it into the sink (a bucket will do, too) and never re-dip back into the cleaning solution (you want to clean, isn’t it?). Use a damp cloth for rinsing and wipe dry with another microfiber cloth. You don’t want any traces of scum on your cabinets; shiny and clean is our final purpose.
If your cabinets are made of wood, you do need to be more gentle. First, you should clean all the dirt and the grease with a hand dishwashing detergent. Then, you may wash the entire cabinet with an oil soap solution and buff dry right away with a microfiber cloth.
Always wipe dry the wooden cabinets and rarely you need to add any polish the surface- it has its own sheen when clean. If your wooden cabinets are aged, you can spray some furniture polish (once a year is enough!) to make them look alive again.
You can create your own „formula” when cleaning the kitchen cabinets. You can go natural with vinegar and water to remove the sticky film from your cabinets, or simply mix 1 cup of detergent with 2 cups of warm water. For a tough job, you can create a paste using baking soda and water. Rinse with plenty of water after each application.
It is very important to never ever use acids or powdered cleansers on cabinets, no matter how tempted you may be. You can give them a firm overall wash once a year (unless grease really „hates” your cabinets). It’s useful to have a spray bottle of all-purpose cleaner around your kitchen for daily/weekly use (this depends on how often you cook 🙂 ).
