Proper Care for Your Custom Cabinets
Cabinet Systems building a custom cabinet for your home means accommodating you in many ways. Any storage area is matter of convenience and a place of safe-keeping, but these designs are also meant to add to the overall beauty of your home.
Steps towards cleaning cabinets in a way that is not harmful to the finish ensures that the cabinets last longer and stay beautiful for years to come.
It is recommended that no matter how much you use the room your cabinets are in, the outsides should be wiped down at least once a week. This prevents dust from building up and improves the overall cleanliness of your kitchen, garage, or office. Grease and dust and other gases that permeate the space of the kitchen can begin to accumulate on the wood of the cabinet, causing it to become sticky and even gummy. Even if you only cook once or twice a week in your kitchen, over time this can become more difficult to clean if you skip out for a few months.
For the plain routine wipe-downs once weekly, simply use a damp washcloth. It is not necessary for the cloth to be soaking wet, so make sure it has been wrung out a few times. If a more vigorous clean is needed (due to spill, residue, etc) use an orange oil cleaner or a small dab of dish soap.
Oftentimes the harsh chemicals that most home cleaning solutions are equipped with can do significant damage. If you are unsure about how the finish on your cabinets will respond to a certain brand of cleaner, test out a small and hidden area on the surface. If the finish appears to be unchanged, proceed to wipe the rest.
When doing a more rigorous cleaning, pay special attention to the areas around the handles of the cupboards. Oils from constant opening and closing from hands can build up around these areas. If there seems to be quite a bit of residue that is particularly persistent, use orange oil or preferred wood cleaner and leave it to soak for 2-4 minutes. Then go back and try wiping it up again.
At least once yearly, the cabinets should undergo a more intense and thorough cleaning. This means taking out all items, cleaning the inside, and scrubbing the undersides and tops if they do not reach the ceiling.
