No matter how fastidious you are when it comes to keeping a clean kitchen, greasy cabinets are basically inevitable — especially the upper ones. The act of cooking naturally causes steam to rise into the air in your kitchen, carrying with it tiny amounts of residue from your food and cooking oils. Seeking a place to settle, these oily little droplets collect on your kitchen cabinets over time, coating them in a greasy film.
This film is not only unsightly, it’s unsanitary since it’s just sticky enough to collect plenty of dust and dirt, as well. Touching these cabinets while you cook could contaminate your food, meaning keeping them clean is a matter of health as well as aesthetics. Fortunately, Dawn dish soap offers a near-perfect medium for safely cleaning sticky wooden cabinets. Since oil and water naturally repel each other, Dawn is designed to bridge that gap, providing a soapy mixture that easily cuts through dirt and grime without ruining your cabinet’s finish.
Cleaning your cabinets using this method is also pretty straightforward. Just mix together a little water and Dawn soap (less soap than water) and mix it until you see bubbles. Soak a sponge in the mixture and wring it out until it’s wet but not dripping. Using gentle but firm strokes, wipe all the dust, dirt, and grease from your cabinet doors and edges. Once the cabinet doors are free of grime, go over them with a soft, damp dishcloth to remove any remaining soap residue.
Tips to make this hack work even better
Though Dawn and water alone is typically enough to degrease your cabinets clean in a hurry, some circumstances may require a slightly tougher mixture. If it’s been a while between cleanings, you like to deep fry foods on the stovetop, or you’re still finding residue after a pasta sauce explosion, the combination of white vinegar and Dawn may be a lifesaver. Vinegar is an acid capable of cutting through oily messes in a flash, making it perfect for dealing with especially thick or sticky layers of grime on your cabinet doors. The vinegar will dissolve the gunk while the Dawn lifts and carries it away from the surface you’re cleaning.
While you can use this mixture just as you would Dawn and water alone, it’s doubly important to finish up with a damp cloth to prevent any remnants of vinegar from drying on your cabinets. Vinegar is naturally a little caustic, so if you let it build up it could damage the finish on your kitchen furnishings.
Additionally, don’t be tempted to add baking soda to this mix, as you should never combine baking soda and vinegar to clean your cabinets. It’ll certainly remove dirt and stains, but it’ll also remove paint and varnish — something you likely want to avoid. Once your cabinets are sparkly and clean, pour a little white vinegar into a cup and leave it on your kitchen counter. It’ll repel unpleasant odors and make everything smell wonderfully fresh. Together, you’ll have a clean, grease-free kitchen in no time.
