Grimy cabinets make a clean kitchen seem dull and dirty. Clean sticky grease off your cabinets with simple, affordable products.<\/p>\n
Kitchen cabinets take a lot of abuse. We open and close them a hundred times a day. And judging from the fingerprints, we don\u2019t always use the knobs and handles.<\/p>\n
Cooking adds even more grime in the form of food splatters and oil-laden steam. Even if you have a vent hood or use a splatter guard when cooking, oils leave a residue on cabinets. Dust and dirt in the air get stuck in that residue, coating your cabinets with a sticky mess.<\/p>\n
The first step to keeping your kitchen cabinets clean? \u201cIt\u2019s essential to promptly clean up any spills,\u201d says Dan Deonarain, owner of Galaxy Maids, a residential and commercial cleaning company servicing the New York City and Boston metro areas.<\/p>\n
Quickly jumping on spills is important everywhere in your home, but particularly in the kitchen. You\u2019ll save yourself a lot of time cleaning if you don\u2019t let things go.<\/p>\n
So what\u2019s the best way to clean sticky grease off kitchen cabinets? Deonarain lays it out below.<\/p>\n
How to Clean Sticky Grease Off Kitchen Cabinets
\nTools and Supplies
\nHeavy-duty degreaser: Our preferred product for cleaning sticky grease off kitchen cabinets is the Ecolab Heavy-Duty Citrus Degreaser. Family Handyman product tester and former maintenance worker, Anthony O\u2019Reilly, used Ecolab products to clean his entire house and was impressed by the citrus degreaser\u2019s ability to dissolve grease even before any wiping. Plus, the citrus scent deodorizes lingering kitchen smells. The solution is ready to use out of the bottle and safe on wooden cabinets, painted surfaces, concrete, vinyl, stainless steel, glass, metal and more. The best part? It\u2019s wallet friendly: This Ecolab degreaser retails for less than $6 a bottle.
\nSoft cloth or sponge: Be sure to use a soft cloth to wipe off the degreaser solution without damaging surfaces.
\nDish soap: When in doubt, dish soap also removes grease and grime from kitchen cabinets. It contains surfactants that break apart the grease and surround it.
\nVinegar and baking soda: For the insides of your cabinets, we recommend these pantry staples over a degreaser as they could come into contact with food.
\nCabinet Exteriors
\nIf using a degreaser, all you need to do is spray the solution onto your sticky cabinets and let it sit for one minute, then wipe clean with a soft cloth. (Yes, it really is that easy, which is why we so highly recommend the Ecolab Heavy-Duty Citrus Degreaser.) Repeat as needed for particularly stubborn grease.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re going the DIY route, however, you\u2019ll need a bit more elbow grease (pun intended). \u201cFor the outside, you want to start with warm water and dish soap,\u201d says Deonarain. Dishwashing liquid has incredible grease-cutting ability, but it\u2019s gentle and non-abrasive. That\u2019s why Dawn is the go-to cleaner for oil-laden birds and other wildlife after a spill. It works and it\u2019s safe.<\/p>\n
To clean your cabinet exteriors, get a bucket of warm water and add a squirt of dishwashing liquid. (If you don\u2019t have a lot of cabinets, just use a bowl and a few drops of soap.) Use a soft cloth or sponge \u2014 non-scrubby side only \u2014 and work the solution over the surface of the cabinets. Rinse off any soapy residue with a clean damp cloth and let dry.<\/p>\n
Cabinet Interiors
\n\u201cInside cabinets can be an area where you don\u2019t always see trouble spots immediately,\u201d says Deonarain. Even if you\u2019re diligent about wiping up food on the outside, sometimes you just don\u2019t notice that drip of honey or spaghetti sauce that managed to sneak inside.<\/p>\n
\u201cBaking soda and vinegar are your go-to household ingredients for the removal of these difficult stains,\u201d says Deonarain.<\/p>\n
A 50\/50 mixture of vinegar and water is the best recipe for general cleaning, according to the National Sanitation Foundation (now simply called NSF). White vinegar removes food and ingredients-based stains on almost any surface, Deonarain says.<\/p>\n
When you encounter a dried-on forgotten stain inside your cabinets, rub a paste of baking soda and a little water on it to break it free. Wood cabinet interiors respond well to baking soda, Deonarain says. It\u2019s abrasive enough to remove stains and safe around food.<\/p>\n
While it\u2019s tempting to mix them, it\u2019s not necessary. Cleaners work because they\u2019re acids or bases. Vinegar is a weak acid, and baking soda a weak base. Mixing them creates carbon dioxide, which can facilitate removal of soil but neutralize the cleaning power of the individual ingredients.<\/p>\n
Stubborn Stains
\nIf you\u2019ve discovered a crusty, unidentifiable glob on your cabinet exterior that\u2019s not responding to the sponge or microfiber cloth, grab an old toothbrush. (Make sure it won\u2019t be used again for teeth when you\u2019re done!)<\/p>\n
Using your trusty degreaser, coat the stain in solution and let sit for one minute, then scrub the stain with the toothbrush until the abrasive action breaks it free. Finish by wiping down the cabinet with your damp microfiber cloth or sponge.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t use vinegar or baking soda on the exteriors of your cabinets unless you test them first. Both substances can damage the surface of wooden cabinets in particular. Test an inconspicuous spot, and if it looks okay, go ahead. Just make sure to immediately rinse off the cleaners after they\u2019ve done their job on the exterior stains.<\/p>\n
Quarterly Cleaning
\nPeriodically, take everything out of your kitchen cabinets so you can take action on stains before they sit too long, says Deonarain. He recommends doing this quarterly, or you can stagger the job by working in three sections. Each month do a different section, which works out to quarterly for all cabinets.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot only will it help you identify and eliminate stains, but it will also help you declutter and keep organized,\u201d Deonarain says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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