Have you ever thought about how much grease and grime your kitchen cabinets have accumulated over the years?
Disgusting food particles can land in the nooks and crannies of your cabinets when you cook. Without a little love and care, your cabinets can lose their appearance and appeal. That’s why you need to learn the fast and effective way of cleaning kitchen cabinets with vinegar!
Using simple ingredients, you can keep your kitchen cabinets looking shiny and new for years to come and you probably already have the ingredients you need on hand. If not, you can acquire them for just a few dollars – a worthwhile investment in the longevity of your kitchen cabinets.
Don’t wait until your kitchen cabinets have been stained and ruined. You can start today by following just a few of these simple steps.
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Supplies for Cleaning Kitchen Cabinets with Vinegar
Are you ready to start effectively cleaning your kitchen cabinets with vinegar? The entire process is simpler than you might imagine. It’s important to gather all of your equipment together before you begin. Here are the supplies that you need to banish grease and grime from your kitchen cabinets for good:
- Vinegar
- Spray bottle (optional)
- Two soft microfiber cloths or sponges
- Toothbrush
Many of these supplies are items that you already have floating around your house somewhere. They can easily be rounded up before you begin the process of cleaning your kitchen cabinets with vinegar. For those who don’t have these ingredients, you can purchase them for just a few dollars.
If you don’t have any soft cloths you can use, be sure to invest in a nice set that will last you for the long haul. This set (on Amazon) from Amazon is an ideal choice because the microfiber cloths come in multiple colors. You can assign different colors to various rooms in your home, ensuring that you never get them mixed up. Yellow can be assigned to your kitchen and blue to your bathroom, just to give you an example. This keeps you from cross-contaminating the different areas of your home.
What Type of Vinegar Do I Need For Kitchen Cupboards?
Not sure what type of vinegar to use for cleaning your kitchen cabinets? Any type will do. Most people prefer distilled white vinegar as the ideal choice, but apple cider vinegar and other varieties will still work. Of course, you can also purchase bottles that are specifically labeled as cleaning vinegar if you prefer.
Many people are bothered by the pungent odor of vinegar, and it deters them from using this natural ingredient to clean. Fortunately, there are other alternatives that are scented to give you a fresh and clean aroma in your kitchen.
You can purchase a lavender-scented cleaning vinegar from Amazon that you will mix in a 50/50 solution with water. When it comes to cleaning your kitchen cabinets, you don’t really need much vinegar at all. This bottle comes in a large container so that you have plenty of vinegar to use in the future.
Alternatively, you can also purchase a pre-mixed solution of cleaning vinegar in a variety of scents from Aunt Fannie’s All-Purpose Cleaning Vinegar. Choose from scents like eucalyptus, fresh lime mint, lavender, or sweet mandarin. These scents are added with essential oils and other food-based ingredients so that your kitchen cabinets aren’t doused with the harsh chemicals typically found in perfumed products. You can get to know Aunt Fannie’s brand here.
How To Clean Kitchen Cabinets with Vinegar
Once you have all of your supplies available, you are more than ready to start wiping grease and grime from your kitchen cabinets. The process of cleaning kitchen cupboards with vinegar is actually very simple, so let’s dive right in!
- Prepare your solution. The first thing you need to do is prepare your vinegar solution for cleaning your cabinets. If you purchased straight cleaning vinegar, mix it 50/50 with warm water in a spray bottle. If you bought a pre-mixed solution like Aunt Fannie’s, you are ready to go from the moment your bottle arrives.
- Test the vinegar solution on your cabinets. Before you start spraying everything down, you need to test your solution on an inconspicuous part of your cabinets. Spray this area with your solution and allow it to sit for five minutes. Then, wipe it down with warm water and dry the area. Be sure to thoroughly inspect your cabinet for signs of discoloration or dulled finish.
- Spray down your cabinets. Once you know that vinegar is safe to use on your cabinets, spray them all down with your solution. Allow the solution to soak in for up to five minutes. You may prefer to clean one cabinet at a time to prevent the solution from soaking in for too long.
- Wipe down the hardware. Dip one of your microfiber cloths in the vinegar mixture and wipe down frequently touched areas like the hardware. This can soak while you work on the rest of the cabinet.
- Use a toothbrush for hard-to-clean areas. Do you have ornate trim or other hard-to-reach areas? An old toothbrush can be used to scrub these places clean. Dip it in the vinegar and go to town with your cabinets while the vinegar soaks in.
- Wipe down the cabinets with warm water. Fill a bucket with warm water and dip your microfiber cleaning cloth or sponge. You can use this water to wipe down the vinegar from your kitchen cabinets, trim, and hardware. This should eliminate all of the vinegar on your cabinets, as well as the grime.
- Dry the cabinets. Take your second microfiber cloth or sponge to dry the cabinets off. This prevents water stains and more grime from collecting on your damp cabinets. You want to be particularly thorough with this final stage of the cleaning.
Once you follow these seven simple steps, your cabinets will look brand new once again. You can effectively eliminate dust, food particles, grease, and grime using this one natural ingredient instead of harsh commercial cleaners.
Clean Inside the Kitchen Cabinets
The inside of your cabinets can get just as dirty as the outside of the cabinets. Make sure that you are paying close attention to the interior when you are going through this cleaning process. This ensures that your kitchen cupboards will truly be as good as new when you finish.
It should be noted that you can take several preventative measures to keep the inside of your kitchen cabinets clean. Unlike the outside which is subject to spatters and spills, the inside is mostly protected by the doors.
Here are just a few tips to help you keep the inside of your kitchen cabinets clean:
- Use a shelf liner. You can purchase roles of shelf liners from most big box retailers. These help to prevent long-term damage to the wooden surfaces of your shelves. However, you can also get creative with the materials you use to line your shelves. Consider using leftover wallpaper, wax paper, or even contact paper to line your shelves.
- Close your doors and drawers. Do you want to know the simplest way to keep grime away from the inside of your cabinets? Simply keep the doors and drawers shut as much as possible!
- Only put away dry dishes. Water can damage and warp the surface of your wooden shelves over time. Make sure that any dishes you put away are completely dry. This can help to protect them for the future.
Pay Attention to These
Apart from these maintenance tips, you can clean the inside of your kitchen cabinets using the same methods as the outside. Simply empty each cabinet of its dishes and appliances before spraying it down with vinegar.
Pay close attention to the inside of the door and the surface of the shelves. These areas typically see the most traffic and collect the most grime. Spray them with your vinegar solution and allow them to sit for five minutes. Wipe them down with warm water and dry them when you’re finished.
Cleaning Kitchen Cabinets with Vinegar and Baking Soda
Sometimes, your kitchen cabinets have so much buildup on them that vinegar alone can’t effectively clean them. When this is the case, you might need to bring in some backup to scrub those stubborn areas clean. You still don’t need heavy-duty commercial degreasers though. All you need to do is create a small mixture of baking soda and water.
Baking soda is yet another natural cleaner that can effectively eliminate stubborn grease and stains. Most people have a box of baking soda handy in their cabinets or refrigerator for occasions just like these. It provides an abrasive cleaner that is still gentle to use on delicate cabinets finishes, particularly for painted cabinets.
Grab a bowl and fill it with warm water. Add baking soda and stir continuously until you create a thick paste that resembles shaving cream. Then, you can scoop this mixture and apply it to the stained areas of your cabinets.
Use a microfiber cloth, sponge, toothbrush, or even your fingers to massage the mixture into the cabinets.
Keep in mind that your baking soda mixture may fall off the cabinets while you are applying it and scrubbing. This can create quite a mess on the floor. Consider spreading towels or newspaper along the bottom of your cabinets to catch the baking soda as it falls. This prevents you from having to sweep and mop the baking soda off your floors whenever you’re finished.
Adding Shine to Your Cabinets
Do you feel like your kitchen cabinets need a little luster? If the finish on your kitchen cabinets looks dull and lacking, you can attempt to restore some of the natural beauty with one ingredient: olive oil. Olive oil can condition the wood of your cabinets and give them a nice shine. This is particularly wonderful for older cabinets that have had some of their finish wear off over time.
When you are wiping down your kitchen cabinets with vinegar, all you need to do is add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil into your solution.
Make sure to keep mixing your spray bottle because the oil will separate from the water and vinegar. Shake your bottle vigorously in between each cabinet to ensure that the oil is evenly distributed. This way, each cabinet receives an equal amount of oil and vinegar so that they all shine the same amount when finished.
Remember to always test your cleaning solution in an inconspicuous area before applying it to all of your cabinets. This ensures that the olive oil isn’t going to leave a film on your cabinet’s finish or ruin the paint. You should never skip this step, no matter what type of cleaner you happen to use to clean your kitchen cabinets.
You may need a little more elbow grease to dry and polish your cabinets when you clean with olive oil. Make sure to clean all of the nooks and crannies thoroughly. A microfiber cloth will have trouble reaching those hard-to-clean areas like trim and around the hardware. You can dry these areas using cotton swabs instead.
It does require a little extra effort and attention on your part to clean your kitchen cabinets with vinegar and olive oil. However, the extra effort will be worth it.
The End Result
Years of abuse can leave your kitchen cabinets looking grimy and dirty instead of shiny and new. Fortunately, you can correct this problem using a few natural ingredients that you likely already have in your home. Vinegar is a wonderful and powerful cleaning agent, and it can even be enhanced with baking soda or olive oil.
Round up your vinegar and microfiber cloths and start today. Follow these simple steps to restore shine and get rid of grime for good. One afternoon of cleaning can make your home feel like new again. Cleaning kitchen cabinets with vinegar has never been easier or more effective.
Last update on 2024-04-03 at 05:03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
