Don't let off-colored grease stains mess with your kitchen's color scheme.
That yellowing or darkening grime that plagues many a kitchen cabinet does not happen overnight -- and the older the grease stains are, the stickier and more stubborn they become to remove. The glint of sparkling-clean cabinetry provides airiness in the workhorse space, and surfaces free of grime do not give off an unpleasant, rancid odor. Get and keep them as clean as possible for a space in which you are proud to mix, stir, knead -- or fry.
The Value of Vinegar
Vinegar is not just for pickling veggies or drizzling over French fries. It has grease-busting qualities too. Dampen a clean, dry cloth with undiluted white vinegar, and wipe down greasy cabinets. Rinse your cloth with warm water, wring out most of the moisture, and use it to rinse the cabinetry. Dry the damp surfaces with a paper towel, but note any still-sticky spots that need a do-over.
Grease Melting Suds
Dish soap, an alkaline-based product, cuts through grease, but so does heat. Fill your sink half full with tap water as hot as you can handle while wearing rubber gloves -- hot water helps to break down or melt through built-up grease. Squirt a tablespoon or two of dish soap into the water, and use a sponge with an attached nylon-scouring pad as your grease-killing weapon. Attack the grime in a circular motion, but only for as long as it takes and with enough pressure to remove the stains -- and not your cupboards finish. Change the water as it cools. Rinse and dry your cabinetry to a shine.
Fighting Oil With Oil
Bust through hardened, dingy layers of old, sticky, dust-grabbing grease with vegetable oil. Oil has the ability to soften and lift such stains. Mix it with 2-parts baking soda for improved cleaning qualities. Rub in the baking-soda-and-oil paste with a soft cloth for cabinets that look as if they belong to someone who doesnt cook. Use the paste to shine up grimy hinges, handles and pulls as well. Wash the cabinets with warm water and a little dish soap before rinsing and drying them.
Cabinetry Considerations
Low quality, melamine cabinetry can swell if water gets in at the seams or edges, so the drying process of this cabinetry is as important as the washing. After a rigorous cleaning, wood cabinets are thirsty for a coat of protective oil -- relax, its not the sticky, staining type that you just fought to remove. A bimonthly coat of drying oil, such as lemon, tung or wood oils perks up and helps preserve oak, pine, maple or other natural cabinets. It also readies them for regular cleaning to dissuade future grease buildup. Use your range-hoods fan to carry away steam and microscopic cabinet-grabbing grease particles whenever you turn on the stove.
About the Author
Lorna Hordos is a business plan writer and contributor to SFGate, GlobalPost, Society6, ModernMom, Karolonia.com, Mindy Windy and other publications. Hordos also enjoys writing for children and has been featured on the cover of Humpty Dumpty magazine. Her background includes construction, design, staging, real estate investing, gardening, landscaping and childcare. She attended school in British Columbia where she owns a home-flipping business.
Photo Credits
- Goodshoot/Goodshoot/Getty Images
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