How to clean kitchen cabinets and cut the sticky grease

Step by step: how to clean kitchen cabinets and cut the sticky grease

1. 1

   Start at the top and dust first

   Standing on a sturdy step stool, vacuum or dry-dust the tops of the upper cabinets, the crown molding and the doors. Removing dust first keeps you from turning it into a greasy paste when the water goes on.

2. 2

   Mix a mild cleaning solution

   Fill a bucket with warm water and add a small amount of cleaner: follow the oil soap label for dilution, or mix a mild dishwashing liquid (not dishwasher detergent) at about 5 percent soap to 95 percent water, the ratio MasterBrand suggests. More soap does not clean better; it just leaves film to rinse off.

3. 3

   Test a hidden spot

   Wipe the inside of a door or the side of a cabinet that faces the wall, then dry it. Check for dulling, color on the cloth or softening before you do the fronts.

4. 4

   Wash the doors from top to bottom

   Dip a cloth, wring it until it is barely damp, and wipe each door and drawer front from the top down, following the wood grain. Never let water run down the face or pool along the bottom edge.

5. 5

   Work on greasy zones near the stove

   Doors beside and above the range, and the ones under the sink, collect the most grease. Let the cloth rest on sticky spots for 30 seconds, then wipe. Use a soft toothbrush in raised panel corners and around the hardware.

6. 6

   Rinse and dry each section right away

   Go over each door with a second cloth dampened in plain water, then dry it immediately with a dry cotton cloth. Moisture left on wood or along edges can cause swelling and discoloration over time.

7. 7

   Clean the handles and knobs

   Wipe hardware with mild soap and warm water, dry it, and buff with a clean cloth. Keep metal polish off the cabinet finish.

8. 8

   Wipe the insides when you empty them

   A couple of times a year, empty each cabinet, vacuum out crumbs, wipe the shelves with the same mild solution and let them dry fully before putting things back.

How to clean wood, painted and thermofoil cabinets

The same gentle method works for every finish; what changes is how much moisture and which spot treatments the surface can take.

KraftMaid’s care and cleaning guide recommends an emulsion-type cleaner such as Murphy Original Oil Soap, made without wax, petroleum solvents or silicones, and says to dry thoroughly after wiping. For stubborn stains on melamine or thermofoil it allows a mineral spirits product, although MasterBrand lists mineral spirits among the products to avoid, so check your cabinet maker’s care guide before using one. It also suggests removing nearby doors and drawers, or adding a heat shield, during a self-clean oven cycle.

What should you not use on kitchen cabinets?

Skip anything abrasive, waxy or solvent-based. Most cabinet damage comes from strong products, not from dirt.

• Abrasive cleaners, powdered cleansers and scouring pads, which scratch or dull the finish.
• Wax and silicone polishes, which build up into a sticky film that attracts more grease.
• Oven cleaner, acetone, nail polish remover, turpentine and undiluted ammonia, which can strip finishes.
• Dish cloths you use for dishes, which carry grease and detergent back onto the cabinets.
• Wet towels hung over the sink cabinet door, which keep the wood damp for hours.

KraftMaid’s dos and don’ts add that you should wipe spills right away, dry them with a lint-free cloth, and give the doors near the stove, oven, sink and trash can a weekly wipe, since they see the most grease and moisture. MasterBrand’s care sheet also says cabinets do not need wax or polish, warns against ammonia, bleach, silicone and solvent products, and says not to drape damp dish towels over the doors.

Want to clean wood cabinets and make them shine? Skip the polish. Most of the dullness on kitchen cabinets is a thin film of cooking grease and old polish, so the shine comes back once that is washed off. After the rinse wipe, dry each door right away and buff it with a clean, dry microfiber or cotton cloth, following the grain.

How to clean really greasy kitchen cabinets

Use repeated gentle passes rather than a stronger cleaner. Built-up grease softens with warm solution and time, not with scrubbing.

• Wring a cloth out in warm oil soap solution and hold it against the sticky area for 30 to 60 seconds before you wipe.
• Change the solution once it looks cloudy; dirty water just moves grease around.
• Work in small sections and dry each one before moving on.
• If grease has turned to hard, dark varnish on the cabinet tops, which nobody sees, a degreaser can be used there after testing, but rinse and dry it well.

Clean the range hood and its filters in the same session so the grease source is handled too. Cabinets are one line in our deep cleaning checklist.

Mistakes to avoid

• Spraying cleaner straight onto the doors so it runs into seams and hinges.
• Scrubbing greasy spots with the rough side of a sponge or a magic eraser on a glossy finish.
• Leaving doors to air dry instead of drying them right away.
• Using a furniture polish with wax or silicone, which leaves a sticky film.
• Skipping the test spot on painted or older cabinets.
• Cleaning the doors but not the cabinet tops, which drip grease back down.