How to Clean White Kitchen Cabinets

by Lauren of Mom Home Guide

2 Materials

I'm in the middle of a big kitchen renovation project -- I'm painting my kitchen cabinets white! This is a before photo.

Before I painted the cabinets, I used a degreaser to prep the cabinets for painting. So, now that more than half of my cabinets are white now (and hopefully all will be painted white soon), I want to make sure they stay clean!

A trick I've discovered to keeping the cabinets clean is simply cleaning the cabinets often - that way you don't get hard to remove dirt and grime.

All I use to clean my cabinets are a re-usable dish cloth that has scrubbing dots on one side and some soapy water. I try to wash down my cabinets especially directly after using my stovetop. I even keep a basket on the counter to keep my reusable/washable dish cloths.

Be sure to stop by my blog to get the detail about the method and the steps I used to paint my oak cabinets white. I am loving how my "new" cabinets look!

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3 of 6 comments

John Ross on May 19, 2017

I prefer Benjamin Moore paints (the upper line). The paint goes on smoothly and dries to a nice luster. As the paint cures it gets harder and I've never seen it blister or crack. Warning, it is not advisable to use any type of cleaning rag or sponge with scratchy stuff on it as it will scratch the paint and over time it will show up big time. Also be careful not to use Mr. Clean Eraser type sponges as they will also damage the paint surface. I would ask the paint dealer what to use to clean the paint surface but I would be comfortable using Dawn dish detergent with a soft cloth.

Now to finish with another tip. If to have factory made cabinets with a clear coat type of finish to create a certain type of look then I double my warnings above; Nothing with harsh chemicals, scratchy stuff, just Dawn Dish Detergent with a soft cloth. This tip comes from my experience. Somehow a Mr. Clean eraser sponge was used to "clean a food spot right in the middle of an eye level cabinet door and guess what - it damaged to glaze coat and is very noticeable

2 Reply
- Susan Susskind on Sep 29, 2018
  
  I use a mix of baking soda and vinegar and apply the past mixture and then was down with wet paper towel
  They will shine and sparkle
  and have never discolored or damaged the cabinets!
  
  2
Laura A Crawford Metz on Dec 08, 2021

We have only used windex on my parents white cabinets. A little trick my brother showed us when he visited one year for Christmas. They came clean and white like new. They were amazing.

1 Reply