How to Clean Your Cabinets
There’s a lot that goes into caring for a home. After all, it’s one of your most important investments. Not only that, the home is a place to come and be safe, unwind, and enjoy life. It can be hard to do that if your home is making you sick, though. Everybody knows that the bathroom is one of the areas most prone to mold and bacteria growth… But what about cabinets?
But, how do you feel about the kitchen? Unfortunately, the kitchen is just as prone to bacterial growth, mildew, and mold. Sometimes it can be an even messier place than the bathroom. Raw meat juices, trash cans, and sink drains can all harbor massive numbers of bacteria. There is one other place in the kitchen you should keep in mind, though…
When was the last time you really cleaned your cabinets?
Why Clean Cabinets
It would be a lot easier to clean if dust and germs all fell straight down like snow. Then, you’d only have to worry about countertops and floors… But, unfortunately, that’s not our reality. Raw food droplets splash onto backboards and cabinets, and grease in cooking smoke rises and gets stuck on surfaces. Even condensation from humid conditions is common in kitchens.
As dust blows around, many wood cleaners attract it to the vertical surfaces of your cabinets. This allows mold, mildew, and bacteria to live and thrive, potentially making you sick.
Do’s and Don’ts of Cleaning
There are a few things that generally work well on every cabinet. For example, you can get tough stains out with baking soda, or spray them down with vinegar to lift grease. Watering down some dish soap also makes an effective, gentle scrubbing option for wooden cabinets.
Not every cabinet and every finish are the same. In general, you want to avoid using glass cleaner, ammonia, Pledge, or hand soap. This will usually damage any finishes you have as well as damage the wood. Metal cabinets get damaged by cleaners like Tilex, and glass cleaner leaves damaging streaks. Avoid heavy scrubbing.
How to Clean Different Cabinets
Oil soap is the most effective method of cleaning wood cabinets. Even without this, a damp microfiber cloth and another to buff it out and work wood oil in will do wonders. Laminate cabinets are usually easier to clean. Some diluted vinegar makes wiping them down fast and easy. Be sure to dry them after. Painted cabinets are a very popular option, and gentle care has to be applied to prevent paint from breaking off.
Mix water with a bit of baking soda for a gentle cleanser that helps lift stains off of painted wood. Water-based paints are the exception, though. Baking soda can damage paint in these cabinets, so use a gentle detergent and test it first.
You should also be sure to clean inside of them regularly – Dust can build up inside cabinets even if closed.
Another Option
On our website, you can see some of the services we offer. Figuring out exactly what kind of cabinets you have can be tricky for homeowners. Even harder is getting into the habit of cleaning them – But realistically… You only need to deep clean your cabinets every six months or so. If keeping up with spot cleaning is tough, give us a call!
We have several options for cabinet cleaning, including move-out cleaning. In addition, we’ll know just what to use for your kitchen to keep mold and germs from growing in hard-to-reach spots. Visit our website to book today.
