What is the best way to clean greasy kitchen cabinets?
Finally, you’ve got down to it.
Cleaning those greasy, grimy kitchen cabinets.
We regularly wipe down our kitchen counters and mop our kitchen floors.
But what about our kitchen cabinets?
They collect dirt, splatter, grease, and other cooking residues. The cabinets are always left for a later day.
Today is that day. Let’s get started!
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6 DIY Kitchen Cabinet Grease Removers
Kitchen cabinet materials usually include metal, plastic, laminate, painted wood, and vinyl. These can be easily cleaned with a homemade degreaser solution – although commercially available solutions are also an option.
Start by wiping down your kitchen cabinets with warm water.
Create a degreaser solution from the options below. Soak your cloth in the solution and wring it out.
Wipe your cloth over your kitchen cabinet and scrub until all grease is removed. Then, submerge your cloth in plain hot water and wipe again to remove any excess residue on your cabinet.
Below are 6 degreaser solutions that you can use to help remove build-up and clean grime off kitchen cabinets.
1. Vinegar and Warm Water
For your basic cleaning, you need vinegar and warm water. Vinegar works as a natural degreaser. Mixing it with warm water helps melt through grease which has stuck to the surface of your cabinet.
Recipe: ¼ cup vinegar into 1liter of warm water.
2. Dish Washing Soap
Sometimes build-up accumulates over a while. The grease can get thick and hard to dissolve. Mild dishwashing soap and water are the ideal solutions in this instance.
A down dishwasher is a good choice, but any other will do. Dishwashing soap is meant to attach to the grease and wash it away. Use a cloth and scrub in the solution to remove grease from your cabinets.
Recipe: 1 tbsp of dishwashing liquid into 2 cups of warm water.
3. Treating Heavy Grease with Baking Soda
For heavy stains, Better Homes and Gardens suggests using a baking soda paste. Baking soda is an alkali, which means it does a great job of dissolving heavy grease stains.
It is mild and able to destroy grease without destroying your hands or the surfaces you’re cleaning.
Apply the baking soda paste to the grease and allow it to sit for 1 minute before carefully scrubbing the grease.
Recipe: 1/2 a cup of baking soda into 2 tablespoons of water.
4. A Citrus Degreaser With A Nice Fragrance
Vinegar and the acid found in citruses such as lemon or orange juice can work together to quickly cut through grease – while adding a heavenly smell to your kitchen.
Make this aromatic recipe to leave your greasy and sticky kitchen cabinets squeaky clean.
Recipe: 1/2 a cup of lemon juice or orange juice into 2 cups of white vinegar.
5. The Ultimate Homemade De-greaser
This list would not be completed without this DIY cleaning de-greaser using borax. This is a great solution for a general wipe-down to maintain your kitchen cabinets weekly or when kitchen spills occur.
This solution can be kept for up to 6 months.
Recipe: Mix 2 cups of warm water with 2 spoons of washing-up liquid, a cup of white vinegar, 4 teaspoons of borax (find all-natural borax here), and a few drops of essential oils such as lemon or orange. It can be stored in a spray bottle for later use.
6. How to Clean Sticky Wood Kitchen Cabinets
One of the best ways to clean greasy kitchen cabinets made of wood is with baking soda and vegetable oil. Start by mixing 1/2 cup of baking soda with 1/4 cup of vegetable oil to form a paste.
Take the paste with a toothbrush and rub it with care on the area where the grease is located. Finish by removing the paste with a wet cloth.
Recipe: 1/2 cup baking soda + 1/4 cup vegetable oil + toothbrush + wet cloth
Kitchen cleaning tips you want to know: 25 kitchen cleaning hacks to make your life easier.
3 Tips For a Deeper Clean
1. Empty Your Cabinets
For a deeper clean, empty each cabinet beginning with the highest one. Check the interior cabinet for crumbs and residue and vacuum them. Once the cabinets are free from crumbs, you can begin the cleaning process.
2. Cleaning the Metal Hardware
Sometimes grease can build up on the metal hardware and hinges of your cabinet. Wipe handles, knobs, and pulls.
For metal hardware, you can dip a toothbrush into a solution of vinegar and warm water, and scrub. If possible, remove the hardware from the cabinets before cleaning.
3. The Magic Eraser
A magic eraser might be a good option to finish off cleaning your cabinets, depending on the material of your cabinet.
Magic erasers can help you create a spotless finish for your cabinets. Mr. Clean has a range of magic erasers that can be used for kitchen cabinets.
Please note that magic erasers can scrub away the finishing on your cabinets, especially on painted surfaces and glossy finishes. Make sure to test the eraser in a concealed spot before use.
So, here you have 6 ways to get started on cleaning your greasy kitchen cabinets with ingredients you have at home. Don’t let it sit there, let’s start cleaning.
Other cleaning tips you might like:
- how to clean your house and keep it organized
- 10 home spring cleaning tips
- how to clean your home in 1 hour
- how to clean a smelly mattress
- 30 things you can quickly disinfect at home
