When to Clean Your Kitchen Cabinets
Compared to your countertop and sink, your kitchen cabinets may seem like bastions of cleanliness. If you are not regularly cleaning them, though, this is far from the truth. The next time you deep clean your kitchen, make sure you give your cabinets the attention they deserve – and avoid those cleaning methods that may accidentally damage them.
If you don’t have a regular cabinet cleaning schedule already, you may not be sure how to create one. It is easier than you think, though, to start.
Ideally, you’ll want to clean your cabinets at least once a month. If you haven’t developed a schedule before, though, you can clean your cabinets as soon as you see food touch them.
It’s best to react to food spatter as soon as you can. The longer you leave this kind of damage in place, the more likely it is that your cabinet doors will discolor. If certain oils get on the hinges, you may even suffer rust.
What to Do When Cleaning Your Cabinets
So you’ve decided to clean your cabinets. Getting started doesn’t have to be a challenge. It’s in your best interest to:
Get an Old Toothbrush for the Job
Don’t throw your old toothbrushes straight in the trash. If you have a brush that you’re not using anymore, put it to use in your kitchen. You can use a toothbrush dampened with hot water and dish soap to clear off any food debris or dust that’s settled in your cabinet molding. These brushes will also help remove the debris that’s in your cabinet’s more hard-to-reach places; debris that traditional rags or sponges might miss.
Dry Your Hinges
So long as you’re not drenching your cabinets, you can control where the cleanser gets in your kitchen. Even so, you’ll want to make a point to dry off your cabinets’ hinges as soon as you finish cleaning. The longer you let moisture sit on your cabinet hinges, the more likely it is that you’ll hasten along the rusting process.
If you dry your hinges shortly after cleaning them off, though, your cabinets should continue to open and close without a problem.
What to Avoid When Cleaning Your Cabinets
Just as there are tricks to make cleaning your cabinets easier, there are some cleaning methods that you’ll want to avoid.
Don’t Use Harsh Cleansers
Significant cabinet damage can feel daunting to face. The first time you clean your cabinets, after all, you may be contending with months worth of dust and food debris.
In these moments, it feels like it’s time to break out the big guns like bleach or other heavy-duty cleansers. Resist this urge! Harsh cleansers can discolor your cabinets even faster than regular debris. If you use the wrong kind of cleanser on your doors or hinges, you may even end up doing more damage to your cabinets than you would have had you left them alone.
Instead of harsh cleaners, wash your cabinets down with a light cleaning solution. You can use dish soap and hot water or even a vinegar and hot water cleanser. In both cases, you’ll have the solvent you need on hand to handle any damage without worsening your cabinets’ conditions.
Don’t Forget to Dry Your Cabinets
After a long day of cleaning the kitchen, you’ll want to kick up your feet and take a well-deserved break. And you should! Make sure, though, that you dry off your cabinets first. Long-term exposure to moisture can cause wooden cabinets to warp or take on water stains. Even metal or plastic cabinets can retain water stains if you don’t make a point to try them. If you are not especially careful, water may even run towards your hinges, hastening the process of rust development.
When you reach the end of the cabinet cleaning process, take a soft cloth to everything from the door to the molding. Try to avoid reusing the cloth between cabinets.
Trust The Experts at Moffett Plumbing!
Should you go to clean your cabinets one day and find a significant amount of water damage, you can call on our team. Our professionals with Moffett Plumbing in Anaheim, CA can come into your home and help you recover from any clogs, pipe corrosion, or related damage.
Don’t waste time searching for other “plumbers near me” in Anaheim, CA. You can schedule a home inspection and service quote with the team at Moffett Plumbing today.