Do you have a kitchen with dirty, greasy cabinets? Are they covered in fingerprints and smudges? Then, this tutorial is for you! I’ll go over how to clean kitchen cabinets using everyday items like dish soap and water as well as what NOT to use. Plus I’ll share my top tips for keeping your cabinets looking great year-round!
Believe it or not, learning how to clean painted cabinets is where a lot of homeowners go wrong.
If you’re anything like me, your kitchen is the heart of your home. You’ve spent hours prepping meals that feed your family and friends, not to mention all the time spent entertaining them. Plus, you’ve spent hours and hours making sure your cabinets are beautifully painted…so now it’s time for a little TLC to make sure it stays beautiful!
My blog post will teach you how to clean painted kitchen cabinets with just a few simple steps using everyday items! Plus, I’ll share my top tips for what you should do and what you should absolutely avoid when it comes to cleaning your wood cabinets.
So, how do you clean a painted kitchen cabinet?
How To Clean Painted Cabinets: Three Insider Secrets
There’s a simple methodology for cleaning painted cabinets that works its magic every time…and I’m going to share these insider secrets with you!
Secret #1: Be Ultra-Gentle
This post is specifically about how to clean painted kitchen cabinets. Because of this, you should always be very careful when it comes to how you clean painted surfaces.
They are susceptible to damage from harsh chemicals and abrasiveness, so you will need to take extra care with your cabinets! This means we only use gentle ingredients and methods to get those cabinets sparkling.
Secret #2: Only Use Non-Abrasive Cleaners
When it comes to cleaning your cabinets, less is more. For example, there’s no need for a commercial heavy-duty cleaner. While there is a time and a place for Magic Erasers…this is not it!
In fact, these are the cleaning supplies I recommend you AVOID while cleaning your painted cabinets:
- Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. You may be surprised to know that these cleaners are quite abrasive and will take the sheen off of the paint. This in turn will leave a dull spot and, with aggressive enough scrubbing, can even take the paint right off your wood cabinets!
- Soft Scrub, Comet, Bar Keepers Friend, Ajax, etc. Just like the Magic Eraser, these cleaners are very abrasive. Therefore, they will dull the sheen and ruin the finish of your painted cabinets. Additionally, they will also leave a chalky residue that’s practically impossible to get off.
- Bleach. Yes, bleach (or any products containing bleach) can absolutely ruin your painted finish!
- Scratchy sponges. There are so many places to use scrubs and elbow grease. Not when you are learning how to clean painted cabinets, though! Your paint finish, no matter how well it’s applied, can absolutely still scratch if you scrape it hard enough. Remember, you have to be gentle.
- Anything that makes the cabinets overly wet. Your cabinets are made of wood, and I don’t know if you have heard this, but water + wood = no bueno. The water will find its way into nooks and crannies of the cabinet panels and it can wreak havoc on the wood making it swell and possibly split. Be sure to wring your rag of excess water before wiping your cabinets. While you will use water to clean the cabinets, you’ll want to use a damp cloth rather than a soaking wet one.
Note: If you do make a mistake and scratch your painted cabinets…don’t panic. Here’s how to repaint painted cabinets!
All you’ll need are a few simple ingredients found right in your cupboard. And who doesn’t love saving money? So, ready to hear what you should clean your cabinets with?
Use Soap + Water.
Mild soap or detergent mixed into warm water is the best cabinet cleaner out there. Dawn dish soap or even powdered Tide laundry detergent works very well. In fact, dissolving ½ teaspoon of powdered Tide into 1 gallon of hot water is my favorite way to maintain painted cabinets!
I also highly, highly recommend you ditch the sponge and instead use a soft microfiber cloth.
If you have stubborn grease build-up and the detergent/water combo isn’t cutting it, then you can use Mr. Clean. To do so, dilute 1/3 cup into hot water, swirl and use the microfiber cloth to lightly rub.
Secret #3: Clean Continually and Keep It Clean!
Lastly, make sure to stay on top of cleaning painted kitchen cabinets for optimal results. This will ensure that you don’t have to do any unnecessary cabinet deep-cleaning time after time, which will save the finish.
I recommend you wash your painted cabinets down once a month to keep them in tip-top shape.
Of course, if you are cooking or see some splatters on your cabinets, the time to wipe them down is NOW. Don’t let things get caked on, because that’s when damage to your painted cabinets can occur.
How to Clean Painted Cabinets: Step by Step Tutorial
Alright, now that you know the three top-secret tips…let me show you exactly how to clean your painted kitchen cabinets step by step.
1) Depending on how deep you are wanting to clean, you may want to remove the dishes from the cabinet. This is optional but sometimes necessary.
2) Prepare a damp cloth with a mixture of soap or detergent and water, as discussed above.
3) Wipe down all surfaces with a clean rag dipped in the soap and water mix to remove any dirt or gross bits.
4) Here’s where you may need to add in some sweat equity! Scrub away any bits of food that have accumulated on the surface using the rag. If it’s really, really caked on, you can make the Mr. Clean solution I mentioned above…but be gentle—you don’t want to scrub your finish off!
5) Rinse off the cabinet surfaces with a clean wet rag. Then, dry it thoroughly with another (dry) microfiber cloth before moving on to another one
6) After you’ve cleaned all cabinets, vacuum up any leftover dust from the floor around it for good measure.
Note: Want to see how painted cabinets hold up after years of cleaning this way? Check out my post on how painted cabinets hold up over time and see!
So… Are You Ready To Clean Your Cabinets?
From my experience, cleaning painted kitchen cabinets is pretty easy. You just need to use gentle cleaners and make sure you wipe up spills right away when they happen.
If you want more information on how to paint your own cabinets, I recommend signing up for my course, Cabinet Painting 101!
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