Cabinets take more daily abuse than almost any furniture in the house: steam, grease, splashes, sticky fingers and doors opened hundreds of times a week. The good news is that care is simple. Treat them like fine furniture, keep them dry and use gentle products, and they will reward you for a very long time.
Routine cleaning
- Dust regularly with a slightly damp or polish-moistened cloth. Dry dusting can drag grit across the finish and leave fine scratches.
- Follow the grain on stained wood so any grit moves with the grain, not across it.
- Use soft, clean cloths — old cotton T-shirts, microfiber or flannel. Avoid anything with buttons, zippers or snaps.
- Wash with mild soap and warm water when needed, then dry right away with a second soft cloth.
- Cut grease early. Cooking vapor leaves a film near the range and hood. A damp cloth with a little mild cleaner removes it before it builds up.
Tip
Skip the dish sponge
Kitchen sponges and dishcloths carry grease and detergent residue that can dull a finish. Keep a dedicated cabinet cloth.
What never to use
- Bleach, ammonia or cleaners with petroleum solvents
- Scouring pads, steel wool or powdered cleansers
- Oven cleaner — keep it well away from cabinet doors when cleaning the range
- Harsh degreasers or "magic" erasers on painted or glossy finishes
- Soaking wet cloths or steam cleaners
Good to know
Test first
Any new cleaner or polish should be tried on a hidden spot — inside a door or on the back of a toe kick — before you use it on the fronts.
Care by finish
| Finish | Clean with | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Stained wood | Damp cloth, mild soap, occasional furniture polish | Water sitting on edges; heat near the cooktop |
| Painted | Soft cloth, mild soap, dry immediately | Abrasives; chips on edges — touch up small ones promptly |
| Melamine / laminate | Damp microfiber, mild all-purpose cleaner | Water at the edge banding, especially near the sink |
| Thermofoil | Damp cloth, mild soap | Direct heat from toasters, ovens and self-cleaning cycles |
| Glass | Glass cleaner sprayed on the cloth, not the door | Overspray soaking into wood frames |
Water: enemy number one
Whatever the core — plywood, particleboard or MDF — cabinets fail at the edges when water sits on them. Keep it off and they last.
- Wipe splashes, drips and water spots as they happen.
- Do not hang wet dish towels over cabinet doors — the constant moisture can permanently mark or swell the finish.
- Check under the sink a few times a year for slow leaks. Consider a drip tray or mat.
- Run the dishwasher with the door closed and open it only after the steam settles; steam rising into the countertop edge and nearby doors adds up.
- Use the range hood while cooking to pull steam and grease away from the uppers.
Myth vs. fact
Myth: particleboard cabinets cannot handle a kitchen
Modern high-density particleboard with melamine faces and sealed edges is the standard in European kitchens. Like plywood, it only suffers when water gets into an unsealed or damaged edge. Keep edges sealed and dry and it performs well.
Heat and light
Do not park toasters, coffee makers, slow cookers or air fryers where their heat or steam blows onto doors. Direct sun can shift the color of stained wood over time, so rotate items on open shelves and use shades where the sun hits hard.
Hardware tune-up
Once or twice a year, tighten handle screws and check hinges. Most modern hinges adjust in three directions with a screwdriver, so a sagging or misaligned door is often a two-minute fix. Vacuum crumbs out of drawer slides. Our hardware guide explains the adjustments.
Planning a new kitchen? Choose finishes with your cleaning habits in mind — try options in the Prontto planner.