Keeping Your Cabinets Beautiful
From regular dusting to cleaning splatters and spills, you can help maintain the beauty of your cabinets by following these recommendations.
Cleaning Guidelines
A soft cotton cloth dampened with warm water is usually sufficient to clean your cabinets. If more thorough cleaning is required, please use a fresh solution of mild dishwashing liquid mixed with warm water. After cleaning, wipe all surfaces with a clean, damp cloth. Dry immediately using another soft, clean cloth.
Cleaning Products To Avoid
The following cleaning products can damage your cabinets:
- Harsh detergents, strong soaps, abrasive cleaning products such as tub and sink cleansers, scouring powder, scouring pads, steel wool, or self-polishing waxes.
- Sponges or dishcloths. They may contain particles that could scratch your cabinets, or they may contain food and oil residue or remnants of harsh cleaning solutions.
- Solvent-based or petroleum-based products such as mineral spirits, nail-polish removers, or paint thinners.
- Ammonia or cleaning products that include ammonia.
- Bleach or cleaning products that include bleach.
- Silicone-based cleaning, waxing, or polishing products.
Best Practices
- Clean spills and splatters immediately. Prolonged exposure to food, water or other liquids, oil, or grease can cause permanent discoloration or damage to your cabinet’s finish.
- Dust regularly. Use a clean, soft lint-free cotton cloth for regular dusting.
- Do not use packaged dusting sheets.
- Do not use pre-moistened dusting sheets.
- Do not use aerosol products made for dusting.
- Do not wax or polish your cabinets. Over time, waxing and polishing-compounds may build up on the surface of your cabinets and cause a hazy, streaky, or yellowed appearance. This wax build-up is very difficult to remove.
- Use extra care when cleaning glass doors. Spray an ammonia-free glass cleaner on a clean, soft, lint-free cloth or paper towel. Do not spray cleaner directly on the glass, as it could seep behind the window-dividers and cause damage.
- Use a Touch-Up kit to repair SCRATCHES, GOUGES, AND NICKS Contact the place of business where you purchased your cabinetry to purchase the color-matched touch-up kit for your specific cabinets. Use the kit’s touch-up pen to hide minor blemishes. Use the kit’s tinted putty-stick to fill deeper scratches, gouges, or nicks. Detailed instructions are provided in each kit. Learn more at Decora Cabinets Touch Up Kits
Avoid Damage
- Moisture stains and degrades your cabinet. Avoid draping damp clothes or dishtowels over cabinet doors. This moisture can cause permanent damage, such as peeling and discoloration, to the cabinet’s finish.
- Heat damage can occur with self-cleaning ovens. The heat generated when using an oven’s self-cleaning feature is much greater than during normal cooking. If this heat escapes from the oven, it can damage your cabinets. While this is a rare circumstance, you can minimize the risk of cabinet damage by removing cabinet doors and drawers nearest the oven before using its self-cleaning feature.
- Sunlight fades surfaces. Exposure to direct sunlight tends to darken the color of natural wood products. Sunlight can also fade painted wood surfaces, laminated surfaces, and thermofoil surfaces. Consider using drapes or blinds to shield your cabinets from direct sunlight.
You can learn more about caring for your cabinets at Decora Cabinets If you have any further questions about maintaining your cabinets, please call us at 734-971-9270 or email