How to Clean Wood Cabinets

Kitchen cabinets get dirty, fast. You spatter grease on them when you cook. You spill everything from cake batter to olive oil on them. Your seven-year-old helps you make fruit smoothies and turns on the blender before you can put the top on it, slinging orange juice and smashed banana across the room. You can fight the grime, grease and grunge and make your cabinets look their best with this simple guide on how to clean wood cabinets.

You can use commercial cleaners, like Murphy’s Oil Soap, to clean cabinets. You can also make your own cleaners from ingredients in your kitchen that are eco-friendly, effective and affordable.

Tried-and-true Murphy's Oil soap has been around for more than 100 years, and it won one person's overall vote while testing other cleaning products. It cut through the grime and grease with more ease than the other products and left a beautiful, silky finish on cabinet surfaces. The citrus scent is also mild and doesn't linger. Note: Do be mindful of which formula you choose if you have painted cabinets. For the concentrated formula, you'll have the added step of diluting and applying with a cloth. Verdict: The best cleaner of the four!

Whatever cleaner you choose, the basic steps of how to clean wood kitchen cabinets are the same:

• Use a soft cloth or sponge to wipe the cleaner on the outside of the cabinet doors and drawers. You may need to use a little elbow grease to remove heavy grease and grime buildup.
• Wipe the cleaner on drawer pulls and door handles.
• Use a toothbrush dipped in the cleaner to scrub the hardware, the wood around the hardware and the crevices of ornate trim.
• Wipe the cleaner on the inside of the doors and drawers.
• Use a second cloth or sponge dipped in clean water to remove the cleaner from all surfaces.
• Dry all surfaces thoroughly a clean towel.
• Finish a thorough cleaning by polishing your wooden cabinets to make them look new again.

Method 1: Daily Cleaning

Vinegar is the go-to natural cleaner when faced with how to clean greasy cabinets. Mix a 50/50 solution of vinegar and warm water and put into a spray bottle. Mist on cabinets, let sit for a minute or two and then wipe clean with a soft cloth. Add a few drops of liquid dishwashing detergent to the vinegar and water solution to clean extremely grimy cabinets.

NOTE FROM ANOTHER WEB SITE: Avoid using white vinegar regularly on hardwood floors—or any wood application—because over time the acid in the vinegar is going to permanently dull the finish. This is a cleaner you would use only occasionally.

FMM: I find putting a little bit of Dawn Dish detergent on a cleaning cloth, then a spritz of water works good to spot touch and works better that a vinegar solution. Be sure to rinse the soap off.

This mild cleaning solution is perfect for everyday use on wooden cabinets. It won't warp the wood or take off the finish.

• If you dislike cleaning with vinegar, you can use a light soap solution instead. Mix a teaspoon of dish soap with a cup of water. You can also use a commercial household degreaser solution, if you have one.
• Do not use harsh all-purpose cleansers on your cabinets. They may cause discoloration and warping.

Wipe the outside of the cabinets after cooking. Grease and food particles can accumulate on cabinet surfaces every time you cook. Wiping down your cabinets every time you cook will go a long way toward keeping them in good shape. Dip a clean washcloth or cleaning rag into the vinegar solution and use it to wipe down the cabinet doors and underneath the cabinets.

• You don't want to get the cabinets soaking wet, because moisture may warp the wood. Wring out the cloth you're using so that it's damp, but not dripping.
• The vinegar smell will go away as soon as the cabinets dry.
• If the vinegar solution doesn’t work, you may have to purchase a household degreaser solution.

Dry the cabinets with a clean cloth. Since moisture sitting on the cabinets can cause the wood to warp, go back over the cabinets with a clean, dry cloth to remove all traces of cleaning solution.

Regularly clean out the inside of the cabinets. Spices and other foods you store in your cabinets are likely to spill sometimes, so keep the inside of your cabinets clean by wiping them out every few weeks. Remove everything from your cabinets, and wipe the cabinets out with a gentle vinegar or soap solution. Dry the cabinets with a clean towel, then put everything back on the shelves.

• If you deal with a lot of spilled food in your cabinets, you might want to invest in some good food storage containers. Using glass or metal jars to store spices and dry goods protects the food from bugs and keeps spills to a minimum.
• Cabinet liners can make cleaning the inside of your cabinets easy. Consider lining your cabinets with rubber liners; when it's time to clean out your cabinets, you can just remove the liners, rinse and dry them, and put them back in the cabinets.

Method 2: Deep Cleaning

Purchase oil soap wood cleaner. This product is designed to remove grease and other caked-on substances without damaging wooden surfaces. Oil soap is stronger than vinegar or a simple dish soap solution, so it's a good product to have on hand when you want to give your cabinets a deep cleaning. If your cabinets have a layer of caked-on, sticky grease, oil soap is what you want to use to clean them.

• Murphy’s Oil Soap is one of the most popular brands.
• If you find that you need something a little stronger, try an industrial degreaser solution.

Test the cleaner in an inconspicuous spot. If the varnish turns white or hazy, then do not use the cleaner and test an alternative mild soap solution.

Apply the oil soap to your cabinets. Use a soft cloth to rub the oil soap on your cabinets using a circular motion. Avoid pressing too hard, since you don't want to scrape off the varnish. Continue rubbing the oil soap into the cabinet surface until all the caked-on grease has been removed.

Go back over the cabinets with a clean cloth. Remove all residue from the grease and oil cleanser so that the surface of your cabinets is entirely clean.

Use baking soda to handle thick caked-on substances. Food spills left unattended for a long time can harden and become quite difficult to remove. Baking soda acts as a mild abrasive that will remove the dried substance without ruining your wood. When you use a natural cleanser like baking soda, this will prevent the varnish from coming off. Mix baking soda with enough water to make a thick paste. Dip a cloth in the paste and use it to scrub off the caked-on substance. Use a soft toothbrush or nylon-bristle scrub brush to get into cracks and crevices so you won’t scratch the cabinet surface.

• If the substance still won't budge, apply the paste and let it soak in for 15 minutes before you scrub it away.
• You may want to use a thin spatula or another tool to help scrape off the substance. Be very careful not to scratch your cabinet.

Method 3: Polishing

Now that you know how to clean wood cabinets, be sure to protect them from future stains.

Choose a furniture polish or wax. A polished cabinet exterior will give your kitchen a warm and lustrous look by bringing out the true character of the wood. Most polishes will leave either a high shine or a low luster, so choose the one that suits your preferences and the look of your kitchen. OR, mix vegetable oil and vinegar in equal portions and apply it lightly on the cabinet surfaces. Rub it in with a clean, soft cloth. Buff till it shines.

Make sure the cabinets are clean before applying polish. Applying polish over grease and dust will result in a mess, so be sure clean your cabinets before polishing. Remove all grease and caked-on food, then run a clean cloth over the cabinets to collect residue and dust before proceeding.

Apply the polish to a clean, dry cloth. Use a soft towel or microfiber cloth to avoid scratching the wood.

Rub the polish over a small area of the cabinet’s exterior. Work in four or five-inch sections in order to make sure the entire surface of the cabinets get evenly polished. Rub the polish in a gentle circular motion.

• If you’re using wax to polish your cabinets, let it sit for a few minutes before proceeding to the next step.

Buff the area with a second clean cloth. This removes the excess polish, leaving the spot gleaming and shiny.

Continue polishing and buffing. Move on to the next small area until you finish polishing and buffing the entire exterior of your cabinets.