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joann23456

How often do you wipe down your cabinets

joann23456
15 years ago

Just wondering because I read in another post on this forum that one poster wipes down her cabinets every other week. I'm not nearly so meticulous, but I want to try to be better in the new kitchen. However, I have my heart set on stacked uppers, and I won't be able to reach the top cabinets without getting up on a ladder.

So, how often do you wipe the cabinets? I'm not talking about wiping drips or taking a pass at the sink cabinet, but *all* the cabinets.

Comments (21)

  • rhome410
    15 years ago

    One of my kids has the chore of wiping cabinet door and drawer fronts once a week...But I'm sure he's just doing it as needed, to keep up with fingerprints and splashes. (I don't stand and watch him and only care that they look decent...A 14 yo boy isn't likely to be too meticulous.) I would probably do the full door all the way to the top if I was cleaning out that particular cabinet, but can't say I've ever done the whole kitchen that thoroughly all at once...And certainly not on a consistent schedule.

  • acountryfarm
    15 years ago

    Everyday !! Walls once a week. We love Clorox Wipes.

  • caryscott
    15 years ago

    Wipe them down? I am sure I have read that wiping cabinets down regularly can cause them to fail prematurely. Anybody else read that? Read it, made it up, either way it just sounds right to me.

  • cleo07
    15 years ago

    I have creamy painted cabinets so I have to wipe them down once a week. I do the front and back of each door plus the face frame. I fill my small sink with hot water and a dash of Dr Bronners peppermint castille soap and use a microfiber cloth. It really only takes 10 min or so.

  • holligator
    15 years ago

    I only wipe spills and then dust all the cabinets periodically (every four to six weeks, or so). The main reason I spent so much to get a powerful vent hood is to keep the greasy cooking build up from happening, and it has worked great. The only thing that has accumulated otherwise is very minor dust.

    My old cabinets had been ruined before we ever moved in here by excessive scrubbing. The finish was a mess! Plus, the worn finish accumulated more gunk than a smooth finish would have, so they continued to require more cleaning. I don't want to ruin my new cabinets' finish with the unnecessary wear that the old cabinets had.

  • live_wire_oak
    15 years ago

    First of all, a good ventilation system should be in place to prevent dirty greasy buildup on cabinets so that everyday maintainence is lessened.

    Every day maintainence consists of wiping up any spills as soon as possible and removing any dried on spills with the least abrasive method possible, starting with plain water and a microfiber cloth. If that won't do it, move on to a bit of dish soap and water and a microfiber cloth. NEVER use anything containing bleach or ammonia on a regular basis on your cabinets.

    Cabinets should be "dry dusted" at least once a week, especially around any detailing. A long handled fluffy duster can get those tall ones that you can't reach without a ladder. Once a month, they should be "damp dusted" with a damp cloth, including those hard to reach ones at the top. You only need use soap and water weekly if your ventilation system isn't up to par and there is a greasy accumulation on the cabinets. Once every six months to a year, use a bit of soapy water instead of plain water, and use the softest bristle brush that you can find to really get into those details like awkward corners and moldings. Use a microfiber cloth to dry immediately. You don't ever want to get them dripping wet.

    This schedule isn't onerous for most people, and it keeps any gritty dust from accumulating. It's the grease plus dust that damages cabinets over time, so that's why ventilation is so important. Even a great ventilation system won't capture everything though, and that's why once every six months to a year they need actual soap and water.

  • zelmar
    15 years ago

    Joann, the same post caught my attention.

    Live wire oak's advice makes a lot of sense to me.

    We have med. dark stained cabinets. They've been installed for 3 1/2 years and they still look brand new. I tend to wipe down (with a damp cloth) the ledges created by the panels (shaker style--and I do pay particular attention to the corners where gunk could build up over time) whenever they look like they need it--maybe once every month (or less.) I wipe down the face of the cabinets about twice a year. I dust/damp wipe the shelves when needed--give or take a week or so : ) We don't have young children and we're all pretty good at using the handles instead of getting fingerprints all over the wood. I plan to use some Murphy's on them at some point (soonish, maybe) but it's difficult to get motivated when they still look just-installed new. So far, I've only used water-dampened cloths. We have good ventilation and the upper cabinets flanking the range have never felt at all greasy/gummy.

    The instructions I got with our cabinets: "To maintain the lasting beauty of your fine wood cabinetry, we recommend the use of Murphy's Oil Soap or Scott's Liquid Gold....Cleaning of exterior is recommended whenever required or 3-4 times a year. Spills of water or foods should be cleaned immediately....Interiors are easily cleaned with a damp sponge. Cleaning of interior is recommended twice a year unless a spill occurs."

    I wouldn't worry about the cleaning of stacked cabinets--if you have good ventilation to remove air-borne grease, the only thing that should accumulate is dust since they won't get much fingerprint activity.

  • sue36
    15 years ago

    My cabinets need a thorough cleaning but I don't know how to do it. I have beaded inset and for the life of me can't figure out how to get the dust out of the nooks. I even bought a small, stiff painter's brush and that didn't even work. Maybe if I wet it or dipped it in furniture polish. They are cherry, BTW.

    Ours don't have fingerprints really (just adults here), but the dust is the issue. The faces are fine, it's the nooks that are the issues. Anyone figure out how to solve this? Thanks.

  • rhome410
    15 years ago

    I hope I didn't give the impression that we only wipe up spills once a week! ;-) We do those as they happen, there are just the little unnoticed things left for once a week...And it's not that the kids are smearing them with things. We all have oil in our skin which shows as fingerprints around the knobs and pulls on our burgundy painted cabinets. I'm thinking the only parts that don't get cleaned every week (or 2) is the very tops of the tall cabinets, since they go about 8 1/2 ft up. We used only a clean, dry or damp cloth, depending on the situation. I am not against all cleaning chemicals, but try to use them sparingly and when the situation more obviously calls for them. Too much use of bleach-related (anti-bacterial) cleaners makes me worry about encouraging the development of resistant bacteria...like antibiotic overruse.

    Sue36, if it's all dry matter that's the problem, can you vacuum it out of the detailing?

  • rhome410
    15 years ago

    Thought about it and realized I may have sounded like I was criticizing the use of the Clorox wipes. I really wasn't...Just sharing my personal issue of paranoia. ;-)

  • jessie21
    15 years ago

    wipe down cabinets? You're supposed to do that? lol. I'm only half kidding....I only do it now and then when I notice accumulated dust, fingerprints or gunk. Doing them all at one time? Maybe twice/thrice a year. I guess I'm just lazy.

  • acountryfarm
    15 years ago

    Well we use the Clorox Wipes without bleach. I do not like too use to much bleach and I totally agree with using too much anti-bacterial anything. It is not good for you.
    We wash everyday because I have 9 children living at home. We are in our kitchen most of the day. I am not good with clutter, mess or dirt. This is how I stay sane. Make sure it never gets to bad. We have a chore chart, everyone does their part. Takes about 10 minutes daily and thats it.

    We have been doing this for about 10 years (since white cabs) & have seen no real problem. We don't scrub harshly, just wipe down.

  • gwent
    15 years ago

    It's official: I'm a slob! Off to wipe down kitchen cabinets...

  • sue36
    15 years ago

    "Sue36, if it's all dry matter that's the problem, can you vacuum it out of the detailing?"

    It won't vacuum out, I've tried. The beads are very deep. Looks nice, not so easy to clean.

  • caryscott
    15 years ago

    jessie21

    Lazy or extending the life of your cabinets? Dirt has binding properties that will keep those cabinets together longer after the neat freaks cabinets have been worn down by all that cleaning. Your not alone catch rhome410 backpedaling I bet her cab's are as filthy as yours and mine.

  • jessie21
    15 years ago

    lol, caryscott, maybe that's why my old cabs were in such great shape!

  • rhome410
    15 years ago

    Wow...backpedaling? Actually I had enjoyed your take on things, Cary. I just realized I sounded like we didn't touch the cabinets except for the once a week wipe down, which doesn't happen to be the case. My cabinets are far from 'filthy'--well, maybe compared to acountryfarm's ;-)... but I don't set a schedule for a thorough cleaning either. I like to say I have some 'balance' in my life, and don't mind that my house looks lived in with 8 busy kids, most of them home all day doing school and various and sundry projects. Dusty, maybe, and certainly cluttered, but not 'filthy.' :-)

  • caryscott
    15 years ago

    Yeah sure spin me another one, you haven't seen the top of that counter for months (do you even remember the real colour of those cabs?). Confess rhome410! Confess!

  • User
    15 years ago

    this is interesting to see the varied points of view and strong opinions on what is really a very innocuous matter. that said, for what it's worth, i am in the "not for daily wiping" camp. my cabinets are 1950's era coppes-napanee solid wood. i've wiped them down maybe twice in the eight years i've lived in my house, and never the inside doors(!). yes, i'm clean; and no, i'm not lazy! but get this, my new housekeeper wipes them down once a week with murphy's and i have actually noticed that the finish looks worse (duller and streakier)!. sadly, because of roof damage, i'm having to gut the whole kitchen and replace the cabinets anyway. -- just my two cents.

  • moonkat99
    15 years ago

    *Goes to look at the cabinet grooves.......

    Huh. Whaddaya know - there's dust there! (Not much though)

    & it took me 5 minutes to run a Q-tip along each one in the whole kitchen. I'll make a note to do it the first Saturday of alternating months from now on. :D

    This does bring up a good question though - I actually don't know what my housekeepers clean the doors with! I mean, they only use what I provide, which is all 'green' cleaning agents, but still; I need to check on that, so I appreciate this being brought up.

  • oruboris
    15 years ago

    Caryscott is right: Cabinets loose .7% of their structural integrity every time they are un-necessarily wiped.

    That's a real fact that I just made up. By now it's on Wikipedia though, so it must be true.