Cleaning Wood Cabinets

Spring is on the way. Trees are starting to bud, daylight is lasting longer, and the air smells fresh. If you are anything like me, then you dread the spring cleaning that goes along with the warmer and sunnier days of spring. Washing and restoring wood cupboards can be time consuming and tedious. After a long winter, you can spring clean wood cupboards in a few easy steps.

Washing cupboards

You need to begin your spring cleaning with a good wash down. You need to start with washing your cupboards before you can restore the wood shine.

You need to start with a mild cleaner that is approved for wood. I prefer Murphy’s Oil Soap or Lysol All Purpose Cleaner. If you are not sure if a cleaner is wood appropriate then you might want to test a small area on the inside of your cupboard’s door to make sure it does not bleach the wood.

Mix one cup of your cleaner with hot water. You can do this either in a plugged sink or a bucket. Make the water as hot as you can tolerate it. Use a soft, lint-free cloth for wiping down the wood.

Start cleaning your cupboards at one end of a row. Dip your rag in your detergent, wring it out, and scrub lightly. If a spot is stubborn and not coming clean, you can use your finger nail. You should avoid using anything abrasive such as a plastic scrubby or steel wool. Even plastic can leave microscopic scratches that will catch dirt in the future making your cupboards even harder to clean and restore later.

You can let the cupboards air dry if the wood is not saturated with water. If you think the wood is too wet then dry it with soft bath towel.

You will have to also wash the insides of the cupboard doors and the wood that the doors close over. When the door is open also wash the hinges, the inside lip of the cupboard, and the tops of the doors. This will remove much of the dust that has settled over the winter. Do not forget to wipe the baseboards of the cupboards. The baseboards are normally recessed and have a tendency to catch a tone of dirt and splatter.

Rinse off your rag with clean water in between each cupboard. This will keep your cleaning solution cleaner than if you just keep dunking the rag into it and wringing it out. If your cleaning solution becomes too dirty just dump it out and start again.

There are specific wood cleaners on the market. I have found that they do not clean as well as an all purpose cleaner especially when you have grease splatter on your cupboards. They may also leave an oily residue behind which may interfere with the restoration process in the next step.

Restoring Wood Cupboards

To add shine to and condition wood cupboards you need an oil-based wood preservative. Liquid Gold is one commercial product that works well to restore the shine to dull cupboards. I know of people who use a small amount of olive oil to condition their cupboards.

The application of the preservative is the same for whichever product that you prefer to use to condition the wood. If you are using a preservative spray, then spray one quick squirt on the front of the cupboard door. Use a clean, lint-free, soft cloth to spread the conditioner over the surface of the door. You may have to spread the conditioner a couple of times to get an even coating.

Rub the surface of the wood with some pressure. This will help to distribute the oil into the wood grain. Repeat this process on all wood surfaces inside and out of the cupboard doors. If you over-saturate a cabinet and it becomes oily then use another clean, dry cloth to wipe off the excess oil.

Maintaining Wood Cupboards

Now that you have cleaned and fully restored the shine of your cupboards, you will want to prevent them from getting too grimy again. After all, you do not want to repeat this whole process in a month.

In order to maintain your cupboards you should wipe up any spills as soon as they happen. I know, you do this anyways, but this is just a friendly reminder. I found what looked like milk splatter on the baseboards of my cupboards. When you have a spill on the floor do not forget to wipe these baseboards when you clean up the floor.

Another good rule is to wipe your cupboards when you clean up your dinner dishes. There is a good chance that you inadvertently spilled something when you prepared or cooked breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

To maintain the shine of your cupboards you should use a wood preservative, conditioner, or oil on them at least every other week. Follow the steps in restoring wood cupboards to maintain the wood.