How to clean kitchen cabinet doors and kitchen cupboards

Do the kitchen cupboard doors in your kitchen get dirty quickly?

Kitchen cupboard doors, cupboards, and drawers easily become very dirty because cooking fumes land on them, and you might accidentally have food on your fingers without noticing it while working in the kitchen.

Or the children might be using their hands without washing them... Do you recognise this? Here are our best tips for cleaning and making the cupboards shine inside and out!

How to clean kitchen cupboard doors step by step in the best way

Kitchen cupboard doors easily become very dirty because you touch them a lot when opening and closing them. Additionally, cooking fumes can cause them to develop a sticky coating that's hard to remove. But don't worry, it's easy to clean when you know the following tricks!

1. Fat dissolves fat on kitchen cupboard doors

If your kitchen cupboard doors are very greasy, it will be difficult to remove with water, even if you use some kind of cleaning agent. An eco-friendly and simple way to clean wooden cupboard doors is to use oil to tackle the grease. For example, you can use regular rapeseed oil on a cloth to loosen the dirt and grease. Then dry the door and it won't just be clean, but will have a nice shine.

2. Washing-up liquid is your best friend for nice kitchen cupboard doors

For other doors that don't have a wood surface, it often works perfectly to simply use a damp cloth with washing-up liquid. As is well-known, washing-up liquid dissolves grease well and naturally cleans thoroughly. Don't forget to clean around handles and knobs as these are often extra dirty! Many cupboard doors also have an “invisible” handle; take a slightly damp microfibre cloth and clean thoroughly in these areas.

3. Don't forget the top and inside of your kitchen cupboard doors

A common mistake when cleaning kitchen cupboard doors is forgetting to wipe the top to remove dust. Another is not cleaning the inside of the cupboard door. Even if these don't get quite as dirty as the front of the door, they also need cleaning every now and then.

4. Cleaning patterned kitchen cupboard doors

If your kitchen cupboard doors are not completely smooth but patterned in some way, you have probably noticed it can be a bit tricky to clean the grooves. If you wipe a cloth over the cupboard door, there's quite a high risk that dust and dirt will be pushed into the grooves, making the doors look dirtier than when you started cleaning. A soft toothbrush can be just what is needed to clean inside the grooves. Use a little washing-up liquid and gently rub, then wipe clean with a dry, soft cloth. Voila, they're clean!

5. Consistency in cleaning kitchen cupboard doors is key

Many wait until the annual deep clean before cleaning their cupboard doors, but it's smarter to wipe them down occasionally to prevent them becoming too greasy. After all, it doesn't take very long to clean the cupboard doors if they aren't particularly dirty, so you do yourself a favour by cleaning them now and then. And you will have a clean kitchen much more often than if you put it off, of course!

Another option is to hire us for home cleaning every four weeks. This is a beneficial way to achieve consistency in thorough cleaning at a good price.

Kitchen cupboards and drawers

Inside cupboards and drawers it usually isn't as greasy as the outside; it's mostly dust and perhaps crumbs and other debris that need to be removed. Follow these steps to clean:

1. Empty the drawers and vacuum

Before you clean, you need to empty the cupboards and drawers so you can reach properly. Then especially the drawers may need vacuuming to remove crumbs and hair that may have fallen in and are difficult to remove with a cloth.

2. Wash the cutlery drawer

Cutlery drawers and other storage trays that lie inside the drawers are easiest to wash, either by hand or in the machine, so they become really clean. If there are wooden trays inside the cupboard doors, you can wipe them with a slightly damp cloth.

3. Wipe inside the cupboards

The last step is to wipe with a damp cloth. You can, for example, make your own cleaning spray with water and a little lemon soap so it smells nice, or dip the cloth in warm water with a drop of washing-up liquid. Wait until the cupboards and drawers are dry before refilling them.

Do you find it hard to find time to clean the kitchen cupboards? Are there other cleaning tasks that just seem impossible to fit in? Why not contact us for a free home visit regarding home cleaning so we can tell you more about our cleaning services?

Having someone come and clean once a week can really free up time and ensure that those things you often put off finally get done!