How to Deep-Clean Kitchen Cabinets and Keep Them Looking Gorgeous
Kitchen cabinets are for storing dishes, not grease. Unfortunately, wood cabinets—painted or natural with a clear finish—are prone to all sorts of grease, grime, and gunk from simply being in the kitchen.
Depending on just how much grease and grime you’re looking at and the supplies you have available, here are four methods to get those cabinets clean and gorgeous. At least one of these will help to get the job done—plus a Bonus for how to keep them looking that way!
Slightly greasy
Vinegar is not just for making pickles and salad dressing. It has amazing grease-busting, cleaning ability, too.
- Dampen a clean, dry cloth with undiluted white vinegar and wipe down greasy cabinets.
- Rinse your cloth with warm water, wring out most of the moisture, and use it to rinse the cabinetry.
- Dry the damp surfaces with a paper towel, noting any still-sticky spots that need a second attempt.
Repeated applications of vinegar may, over time begin to dull the finish. However, occasional use as suggested here, will not be a problem.
Medium greasy, dirty
The cleaning agents in Blue Dawn absorb grease just as well on kitchen surfaces as they do on dishes.
- Add a teaspoon or two Blue Dawn to a bowl of warm water.
- Dip the soft side of a sponge in it. Squeeze the sponge until suds form.
- Apply to the dirty cabinet working on a small area at a time, wiping the grease with the soft sponge until it is removed.
- Immediately dry and buff the surface with a clean cloth to prevent streaking.
Sticky, dirty, gunky
Bust through hardened dingy layers of old, sticky, dust-grabbing grease with vegetable oil and baking soda.
- In a bowl, mix one-part any vegetable oil to two-parts baking soda (example: 1/3 cup oil and 2/3 cup baking soda).
- Apply this oily paste to dirty areas using a soft cloth, paper towel, or your fingers. That ugly, greasy, dirty build-up on the cabinet surface will begin to soften, fall off and begin to disappear.
- Wipe clean and buff with a soft cloth.
Worst case scenario
This is a heavy-duty, industrial-strength solution. Use it on the toughest, most stubborn grease and grime, knowing that depending on the age and condition of that cabinet, it could remove a layer of the finish (which can be reapplied). We’re talking worst case scenario.
- Mix equal parts of paint thinner (not mineral spirits, not lacquer thinner—only paint thinner!) and full-strength Murphy Oil Soap.
- Using a sponge or paintbrush, wipe the solution away with a rag to clear the dirt. You will likely remove a thin layer of varnish or shellac, because the grime may have melded with it.
Considering the alternative of living with the dirty cabinets, I’d go with clean and a slightly modified finish. As always, test first in an inconspicuous place.
Bonus: Wood Polish and Conditioner
Following rigorous cleaning, wood cabinets are thirsty for moisture and protection. But you want to be careful that you don’t make matters worse by using something that will create a new kind of build-up that becomes a magnet to kitchen grease and grime!
You won’t find a better product to do that than Howard Feed-n-Wax Wood Polish and Conditioner. It contains beeswax, carnauba wax, and orange oil to keep the wood from drying out, while at the same time repelling kitchen grease. Fantastic for all of the wood surfaces in your home—not only kitchen cabinets.
Updated Re-published 6-11-22
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Our leather furniture looks terrible on the arms and the ottoman, anywhere that has consistent contact with our hands/arms/feet. We were told to just wipe with a damp cloth to clean the leather when we bought it. Well that didn’t work and we are fighting with the warranty company because they don’t want to fix it. What can I do to remove this buildup? Thank you.
Hi Patti … click on the search icon (round, blue) on the lower right corner of any page on this site. Type in “leather.” You’ll find at least six posts that respond to your situation. Hope that helps!
Instead of Howard’s Feed and Wax will Murphy’s Oil work?
See the post. Murphy’s is great for cleaning. Howards is for “feeding” and finishing.
Although I make most of my of cleaning solutions, thanks to Mary for many, not only to save money but to avoid triggering migraines, there’s one I buy that dissolves grease, saves time and doesn’t trigger: Krud Kutter. It works on glass ware, stoves and hoods, cabinets, vent filters, you name it, and it’s available locally at home improvement centers; a smaller one even began carrying it at my request.
Thanks for the tip and your endorsement, Jenny! Here’s a link for your fellow readers: Krud Kutter
I plan to paint my cabinets after a thorough cleaning, stripping some of the varnish would be helpful for the paint to stick. Thanks for the info!
What about polyurethaned cabinets?
That would be considered a clear finish, so these methods are ideal. However … ALWAYS test first in an inconspicuous place to see how your exact situation reacts.
Thank you! I hope you are cooler up there than we are here in Pueblo!
Walmart and amazon both carry it.
I moved into an apartment where the stove hood and backsplash looked like they had never been cleaned. I was so sure they would never come clean, I got my landlords permission to cover the backsplash with stick-on tiles, but they still needed to be clean first for the tiles to stick. I had heard about vegetable oil, and decided to give it a try (I did not add baking soda). It cleaned the backsplash and hood so well, I decided I didn’t need the tiles after all!
What do folks use for chalk painted cabinets?
My range hood is greasy & fuzzy! The wood has clear shelac (I think that’s what it is). I tried a commercial cleaner (Orange Power) and it took the finish off. Which of your methods would you consider to be the best for my situation?
Try this: Make a paste of coconut oil and baking soda. Use your fingers to rub and work this into that fuzzy (?!!)k wood hood. It will begin to drop off so place a towel or something below it. If you see the residue falling off appears dark and dirty … Bingo! Continue until its clean. Now buff well with a clean soft cloth.
A weak water/Blue Dawn solution is what I advise—fill a spray bottle with water and add 5-10 drops Blue Dawn. As always, test in an inconspiculous place first, just to be sure. Blue Dawn is awesome, and I’ve never had an occurrence where it damaged any surface. Still, test. Please.
I have same question. Mine are laminate finish.
A weak water/Blue Dawn solution is what I advise—fill a spray bottle with water and add 5-10 drops Blue Dawn. As always, test in an inconspiculous place first, just to be sure. Blue Dawn is awesome, and I’ve never had an occurrence where it damaged any surface. Still, test. Please.
I have non wood cabinets with a plastic type bonded to the wood of the original cabinets. I don’t know what they call it – it might be formica. Nothing seems to get the grease off of the cabinets. Will any of these work for that type of surface. Anything you can tell me will be a help!!! Thank you for all of your “hints”. I read them all the time and forward to friends and relatives that I think that they will help.
Thanks again, Mary. What a lovely first name. I am named for my maternal grandmother. What about you?
Mary
I’d start with a weak solution of Blue Dawn and water—fill a spray bottle with water and add 5-10 drops Blue Dawn. That’s very mild, but will do wonders against grease. Always test in an inconspicuous place first. If I was named after anyone, I was never told 🙂
Have doubts with using paint thinner as it might damage the current paint job on the cabinet still, will give a try though.
Give it a try on the inside in an inconspicuous place first! You want to know how your particular surface will respond.
My husband loved this article, especially the part where you talked about how important it is to have a white clean cloth and some vinegar to make sure you can clean your kitchen cabinets, and also disinfect them. We are building our first home, and we are trying to design the kitchen and what we want it to look and feel like. Since he loves to cook more than I do, he is in charge of cleaning as well, and we are trying to make sure we do not overexert ourselves in this area.
Howard’s Feed and Wax is outstanding!! It was a little hard to find I think I had to buy it at a hardware store but so worth it!! Thanks Mary!!