How do you clean old kitchen cabinets?

Just to clean or ready for painting. Are they painted, wood, laminate, melamine or metal? Different cleaners for most.

You can use Murphy's Oil Soap on sealed wood. After it's dry, place non stick shelf liner on the shelves to avoid future damage. Use Liquid Gold on the exteriors if they're in poor condition, or Formby's or Guardsman wood care products, otherwise.

Diligent use of a good kitchen exhaust fan and avoiding stove top frying will significantly reduce grease and grime build up. Wipe surfaces after cooking with wood safe products to avoid potential problems.

TSP or Krud Kutter for really grimy cabinets.

Make a paste from baking soda with hydrogen peroxide. Scrub with a soft children's toothbrush. Wipe down with a damp microfiber cloth. Final clean with a wood product like OrangeGlo.

Read carefully for any wood cleaning products to make sure they don't require a second cleaning. Many leave a film or residue which doubles the work.

I use Super Clean on my metal cabinets. If painting on metal ones, use oil based paint

I have 30 year old oak kitchen cabinets that needed some help. I washed them twice with Murphy’s Oil Soap, let them dry & wiped on a product that I purchased from Home Depot called Rejuvinate for Hardwood Floors also added new handles. I could not have asked for better results & would certainly use Rejuvinate again.