The kitchen is an essential part of your home, since it is a common area for your family to gather, eat, and relax. Due to the importance of the kitchen, ensuring the space offers strong, attractive, and functional cabinets for storage and overall design is smart. Considering many homeowners prefer the look and underlying strength of cherry wood cabinets, it is easy to see why this durable option is such a worthwhile investment. However, proper cleaning and conditioning is imperative to protect the look, function, and value of your cherry wood cabinets. Using these simple solutions, you can clean and condition your cherry cabinets in a safe, non-toxic manner.
Cubes of Ice
Food, cleaning products, dirt, and dust will quickly build up on the surface of your cherry cabinets. This buildup creates a sticky, unappealing residue on your cabinetry, but can also lead to foul odors in your home. Thankfully, removing the buildup is simple using a few cubes of ice.
Place a few cubes of ice in a plastic bag and seal to prevent spills. Move the bag of ice over the sticky surfaces of your cabinet, holding the ice on the residue for a few minutes. The ice will harden the buildup in a few minutes, allowing you to remove the residue using a scraping tool or flat spatula.
Vinegar Wash
If you have a heavier amount of dirt, food, and other debris on your cherry wood cabinets, skip the toxic spray cleaners that are so readily available in stores and use white vinegar instead.
White vinegar contains numerous acidic properties that are naturally antibacterial and antiviral. Not only will a vinegar solution cut through the dirt, dust, and debris without damaging the wood finish, but it will also kill any harmful germs and bacteria on your cabinets.
To create a natural vinegar wash for your cherry wood cabinets, add the following to a spray bottle:
- 1 cup of warm water
- 1 cup of white vinegar
Shake the bottle to mix before spraying a generous amount on the surface of your cabinets. Wipe down each cabinet with a microfiber cloth.
Vinegar Scrub
The vinegar wash may not be sufficient for removing sticky grime, so you may prefer to use a more involved cleanser and scouring pad. Unfortunately, harsher cleaners and scrubbing sponges may damage the finish of your cherry wood cabinets. Create a natural scrubbing cleaner using 1 cup of white vinegar and 1 tablespoon of traditional table salt.
Mix the ingredients before applying a layer of the vinegar and salt combination onto the surface of your cabinets. Allow to sit for a few minutes before washing off with a clean, damp microfiber cloth.
Enhance the Wood Shine
Whether using traditional cleaning sprays or natural cleansers made at home, washing your cabinets periodically will decrease the shine of your cherry wood. While you may think a polish is your best option for enhancing your cabinet's shine, using olive oil is also an effective option.
After washing with one of the above solutions, add a few tablespoons of olive oil to a clean microfiber cloth. Run the dampened cloth across your cabinet doors and drawers, going with the grain of the wood.
Add more olive oil to the cloth to finish the remaining areas of the cabinets. Be sure to polish the interior wood surfaces of the door and drawer frames, as well. Allow the oil to soak into the wood before applying a second coat.
Your kitchen can be an overwhelming, yet worthwhile investment with proper care and conditioning. Using these simple, homemade solutions, you can clean and enhance your new cherry wood cabinets in a non-toxic manner.
Share