Furniture & Design

How To Clean White Kitchen Cabinets

Written by James White | Nov 19, 2021 10:30:00 PM

White Kitchen Cabinets. 

Unarguably a popular stylistic choice. 

But while their bright surfaces help illuminate your kitchen, they’re not great at hiding dirt and it’s common for them to yellow over time if not cared for. 

To help restore your kitchen to its former brilliance, here's a quick guide to cleaning white kitchen cabinets.

 

Protect Your Cabinetry

While direct sunlight is great for making a small kitchen seem largerit can cause white cabinets to yellow. 

To prevent this, hunker.com suggests installing curtains or blinds around the windows and glass doors in your kitchen.

Alternatively, you can install tinted windows to protect your cabinetry and countertops from UV rays.

Use Your Vent

Microscopic food and grease particles from cooking are the biggest cause of staining in your kitchen.

These particles are released from cooking on your stovetop.

To stop grease from accumulating on your cabinets and counters, dwell.com recommends switching on the exhaust fan or range hood as soon as you begin boiling, broiling, and especially deep frying.

Cabinet Cleaning Mixtures

We’ve gone over how to clean cabinets before in our guide: How To Clean Sticky Grease Off Kitchen Cabinets, but we’ll quickly recap the cleaning methods that will work best for white cabinets below.

The go-to cocktail for cleaning white kitchen cabinets is:

  • 1 cup of vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon of baking soda
  • 2 cups of warm water 

This should easily tackle built-up grime. 

Alternatively, homeguides.sfgate.com recommends ½ cup of baking soda and ¼ cup of warm water to make a paste for scrubbing down your cabinets. 

Otherwise, a spray bottle of equal parts dish soap or all-purpose cleaner and warm water will do the job.

Bonus Tip: Don’t use abrasive cleaners or scouring pads when cleaning painted cabinets, as they can scratch or dull paint.

White Kitchen Cabinet Maintenance

The crux of cabinet cleaning is to stick to a routine. 

Carve out some time once a month, or once every quarter (we don’t judge how frequently you clean, here), to thoroughly clean your kitchen cabinets. 

A quick wipe-down with warm water, dishwashing liquid, and a soft cloth will prevent discoloring.

If that feels like too long in between cleanings, loveandrenovations.com recommends wiping down your cabinets with a baby wipe or Clorox wipe every night. 

Of course, if anything splatters, spot clean as needed.

 

Now It’s Your Turn

Are clean white kitchen cabinets too much to ask for?

Of course not.

By practicing these tips you can keep your cabinets dirt-free. 

Which tip are you going to try first?

Installing some curtains? 

Maybe getting serious about routine cleaning?

 

Leave a comment letting us know.