How do you clean really dirty kitchen cabinets?

Dawn dish soap. A vinegar water solution. If those don't work, before painting, use TSP, that will take care of any grimy gunk that might be on there.

Use TSP

I would start with a bucket of soapy water using Dawn dish detergent. Use a magic eraser sponge to deep clean them and microfiber cloth to wipe them down. There is a product called Krud Kutter that will take all the crap off. I would clean them well before deciding if I was going to paint them - you may find they are much nicer once cleaned (and much lighter).

There are TSP and natural TSP products that clean cabinet grease very well. You will need to remove all of the grease before you paint the cabinets. This is the one I use https://amzn.to/2TRuMf5

Personally I live orange spray from the dollar stores it works great on all kinds of things & takes a lot of the "scrubbing" away. Spray the cabinet with the orange spray (btw it comes in a spray bottle & has a gallon refill.... Both for a dollar !!!) .....

Let it sit for 5 mins or so then it is usually pretty easy to wipe off. Repeat if you find stubborn spots. It is biodegradable, doesn't smell bad & works GREAT! I use it for all kinds of things...... Washing walls & doors , cleaning gray stove, removing gooey stuff from old stickers etc. I've even used to to spot laundry (but check on unseen area as it sometimes lightens the area on some articles). Good luck.

I had same issue. Used TSP which was very effective. It did strip off the finish which didn’t matter because I then sanded them down to the bare wood and refinished them. It’s a big, labor intensive job. Depending on your pocketbook, you may want to price replacing the door and drawer fronts and just paint the boxes. Good luck!

I use 1 cup ammonia, 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup baking soda in 1 gallon of warm water. Wipe down with a rag. Removes grease, grime, fingerprints, scuff marks and there is no need to rinse. Leaves a nice shine.

Dawn dish liquid and 1/4 Cup Vinegar, continue to change the water 😊

Hello

Try something like "FLASH" of other Grease Cutting substance, like /W/Up liquid and hot water.

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