There’s absolutely nothing worse than a dirty kitchen; that’s something we’re all aware of. After all, if you find that there’s a lot of grime in your kitchen cabinets; you aren’t likely to enjoy your next cooking experience.
The same goes for ever-present spots of oil and dirt. And yet, all of us use our kitchen cabinets to store all kinds of cooking supplies, spices, oils, and ingredients.
Considering that, keeping your kitchen cabinets clean seems like a difficult task. But in reality, it doesn’t have to be. There’s no need for you to constantly surround yourself with grimy and dirty cabinets!
If you want to experience your kitchen like it was brand new; the best thing you can do is to get your cabinets in excellent shape. And that’s why we’re eager to help you find the best cleaner for wood kitchen cabinets.
But if you’re truly dead set on your cabinets being cleaner than they ever were; you’re going to have your work cut out for you.
And we’re not just talking about the actual physical cleaning that you’ll have to do either. Selecting the best cleaner for your kitchen cabinets takes a lot of research and browsing; at least if you want to be certain that you’re making the right choice.
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But, there’s no need to waste time getting caught up in any of that; we’re here to give you a detailed and efficient guide on the best products in the cabinet cleaning niche!
Our Pick
Magic Wood Cleaner and Polish
This product does not only clean your cabinets; it also provides them with a firm protective coating so that you don’t need to do as much cleaning in the future.
When it comes to excellent cleaning products, the Magic Wood Cleaner and Polish is definitely at the rightful top spot on our list.
In today’s market, you’d be hard-pressed to choose any other product as the best cleaner for wood kitchen cabinets.
There are plenty of reasons why this is our top pick — and we’ll explore all of them below!
What we liked about Magic Wood Cleaner
Plenty of the products on our list are great for when you want to get dirt, oil, and dusty debris off your wood kitchen cabinets.
However, the Magic Wood cleaning product stands out because it allows you to properly clean up any sort of wooden surface that you have in your household.
It’s worth noting that this is far from the only cleaning product for your household that this company produces. In fact, they’ve got a whole series of cleaning products for the entire home; from leather cleaners to strong and yet safe bathroom cleaning chemicals. Though right now our focus is the wood cleaning product.
When you’re choosing the best cleaner for wood kitchen cabinets, you want it to do two things; to restore some of the old shine of your cabinets, while giving them a thorough cleaning at the same time. And when it comes to those two tasks, the Magic Wood cleaner performs more than admirably.
That’s because the product contains a specific chemical formula that was designed to remove hardy combinations of dirt, dust and oil; everything that plagues the average kitchen cabinet.
Thus, you’ll find that this cleaner is fully capable of removing all kinds of stains and imperfections off the surface of your cabinets.
This is a transparent film that will successfully repel dirt, grime, and any water stains that may attempt to gain a foothold in your cabinets.
The formula of the cleaner is water-based, and imbued with a quality Brazilian Carnauba wax; ensuring the longevity and appearance of your kitchen cabinets for a long while.
If you want to be certain that the gloss and beauty of your cabinets have been maintained — this is certainly the cleaner to use.
Finally, as you’re probably wondering — this kitchen cleaner is completely safe to use, and you’ll have no health issues with it on a daily basis.
Plus, its formula is non-abrasive, meaning you don’t have to think about the ongoing maintenance on your cabinets; it will be easier than ever.
The downsides
The only reason why you might prefer another type of cleaner for wood kitchen cabinets is the price; lesser brand names do offer a higher level of affordability.
But, realistically speaking, you’re getting your money’s worth with the Magic product — so if you can afford it, there’s no reason to look elsewhere.
How we chose the best cleaner for wood kitchen cabinets
When you prepare to purchase any sort of product; it’s important to have your priorities in order. And while we’ll discuss the entire process of buying the best cleaner for wood kitchen cabinets among many in our buyer’s guide; we will also take a look at the factors which we considered while selecting our top pick on this list.
First of all, safety was a big concern. This is something that we put a lot of stock in whenever we set out to review any kind of household chemicals; you need to be certain that the formula is potent enough to get the job done, but simultaneously — without harming anyone in the household.
Next up, we considered how the cleaner interacts with the wood. Ideally, you want a cleaner that not only doesn’t take anything off the wood’s finish; you need one that also provides an additional protective coating after being used for cleaning.
Finally, we also thought about how reputable the manufacturer of the product was; after all, if you’ve got a company that’s known to produce high-quality household goods and cleaning products — chances are that they’ll have no trouble creating an excellent cleaner for wood kitchen cabinets as well.
Now let’s have a look at the alternatives.
Best cleaner for wood kitchen cabinets
Parker & Bailey Kitchen Cabinet Cream
It manages to avoid using any harmful solvents, as well as silicone or wax — and yet it’s still decently efficient at dealing with dirt in wood kitchen cabinets.
The second product that we’ve chosen on our list of the best cleaners for wood kitchen cabinets is something a bit different.
According to the manufacturer (Parker and Bailey), this isn’t your run of the mill kitchen chemical; in fact, it’s not a finisher or oil — it’s a kitchen cabinet cream.
And before we go into any further details, we’ll just say that it’s a high-quality cleaning product that’s well worth your time.
What we liked about Parker & Bailey Cream
While our top pick was truly an excellent wood kitchen cabinet cleaner — it was also pretty much a general-purpose wood cleaner. Instead of that, the second item on the list is something more specialized.
You’ll find that the kitchen cabinet cream by Parker and Bailey earns its name — because it was specifically designed to get rid of grease and dirt from wooden cabinets. Plus, the formula that’s the basis of the cream is quite innovative.
You’ll find that it’s more than capable of getting rid of any kind of grease buildup found in your cabinet; you can freely say goodbye to any traces of slime, grime, or similar dirt as well.
Once you apply this kitchen cabinet cleaning creme for the first time — you’ll notice that it can rejuvenate your wooden fixtures in the kitchen. It manages to give your cabinets a new shine without altering their color or making them seem darker — as regular oils would.
Instead, this cream simply accentuates the natural appearance of your wood, protecting it while simultaneously making it stand out.
And speaking of which — the protective layer that you get by applying this cream is more than sufficient to permanently improve the state of your cabinets.
You’ll find that cracking or drying up is a thing of the past when you’ve got this product by your side. And best of all — you only need to reapply it each couple of months.
In fact, people have reported using this product for countertops as well; it also manages to get rid of the everyday grime and grease there as well. The biodegradable and naturally developed formula of this cream is more than capable of handling most wooden surfaces.
The downsides
There’s a bit of an instruction that we feel obligated to leave, but was excluded from the packaging; you don’t want to wipe down your cabinets as soon as you’ve applied this cream. Instead, you need to let it sink in for a couple of minutes.
And when you use it to remove stains for the very first time, be prepared to scrub more fiercely. However, once it’s been treated once — your cabinet should prove to be much less of a hassle the next time.
Howard Products Feed-N-Wax Wood Polish
You will find that there aren’t many products that are capable of enhancing the looks of your wooden surfaces quite like the Howard Products polish.
Our third pick on this list is an excellent wood polisher that will leave your wood kitchen cabinets feeling fresher than ever — the Howard Products Feed-N-Wax Wood Polish!
If you want a product that’s easy to apply while also leaving your wooden surfaces with a sturdy wax layer for protection; there aren’t many products better than this one.
That’s precisely why we consider the Howard Products wood polish to be at the very top of the market.
What we liked about Howard Feed-N-Wax
When it comes to the advantages of the Howard Products wood polish; the main one would be that it can give any wooden cabinets in your kitchen the best treatment with conditioning oil that you can find.
And as you might imagine, the function of this conditioning oil found in the polish is pretty much the same as your hair conditioner.
Just like the latter is there to prevent your hair from sustaining damage and to increase its longevity; the former is here to do exactly the same with kitchen cabinets.
So, to put it simply — this product, once applied, will prevent any more fading or drying of your cabinets. Or any other wooden surfaces, for that matter — which is another great thing about this wood polish.
When you invest in it, you’re not just buying something for your kitchen cabinets, or something for your kitchen; every wooden surface in your home could benefit from this sort of treatment.
It makes both the existing finish and the original grain of the wood more noticeable over the long term.
If you’re wondering how the product manages to do all of that — the secret formula to the Feed-N-Wax Wood Polish is not that secret. At the end of the day, it just comes down to a healthy mixture of high-quality ingredients that could all benefit your wood even when applied individually.
We’re talking about the likes of orange oil, Brazilian carnauba oil, mineral oil, and beeswax. As you can see, this is pretty much everything you need to keep your wooden cabinets looking as fine as ever.
Plus, as we’ve mentioned, you can use it on all kinds of furniture and all kinds of wood, for that matter; regardless of whether we’re talking about surfaces that are unfinished or finished. It will still provide a good clean and a reasonable degree of protection.
We’ve heard about people using this product for trims, dining tables, wooden doors — and even antique furniture. There’s pretty much no kind of wood that this won’t do good to.
The downsides
There’s no question about the fact that this wood polish provides an ample protective layer even after a single application.
However, while it is rich in oils in order to prevent any kind of drying in the future; you need to be careful while applying it. If you stain your clothes or any other non-wooden surface, it will be quite difficult to clean up due to its oily nature.
Howard Products RF3016 Restor-A-Finish
This is a formula that’s specifically designed to penetrate any existing finishes on your wood cabinets; restoring them and removing minor blemishes in the process.
There are all kinds of ways to clean and take care of your kitchen cabinets; some of which depend on the precise make and type of your cabinets.
With that in mind, this product is somewhat different; it caters to people who are dealing with an already dirty and damaged kitchen cabinet — the Howard Products Restor-A-Finish.
What we liked about Howard RF3016
As you might imagine, we were keen to take a look at this restorative product, particularly after all of the great experiences we heard about regarding the other Howard Products that we’ve reviewed here.
With that in mind, we’re more than happy to report that this Restor-A-Finish is an excellent product for providing excellent care to your kitchen cabinets; particularly if you’re not a fan of spray-bottle drippy formulas.
After applying this, you can be certain that any smaller scratches will not be visible anymore; the same goes for specks of oil and dirt which will be easily removed.
But, you should still keep in mind that the main point that makes this cleaner for wood kitchen cabinets different compared to the others is how it manages to deal with abrasions on the wooden surface.
Indeed, it’s pretty much an all-in-one cabinet maintenance chemical; it will also remove oxidation, smoke damage, and watermarks that may have remained on the cabinets.
And if you’re wondering how long it takes to make a positive effect on a wood kitchen cabinet; the answer will pleasantly surprise you.
Once you apply this restorative product, its coating will begin to take place after just a couple of minutes. After that, it becomes permanently imbued within the surface.
All you need to do at that point is to wipe off any excess dirt that appears, and let everything dry itself perfectly.
The downsides
Unlike the other products on this list, this is not just a cleaning chemical; strictly speaking, it’s a finish — and not a colorless one either.
That means that you should expect it to alter the look of your wooden surface; but that’s not necessarily a bad trade-off, seeing as you can choose from nine distinct colors.
Still, it’s something that many people won’t appreciate, opting for more traditional cleaners.
Things to consider before buying a cleaner for kitchen cabinets
Now, when you get into the gist of buying the best cleaner for wood kitchen cabinets, there are plenty of different things to keep in mind.
You need to think about this long and hard — and the same goes for any other household chemicals as well. Try to look beyond the online reviews and the varying prices.
In order to help you make the most informed choice possible, we’re going to talk about all of the factors that you should think about while choosing your own cleaner for wood kitchen cabinets.
The formula of the cleaner
First and foremost, you need to consider the formula of the cleaner for wood kitchen cabinets.
The chemical compounds that make up the product will have the biggest impact on your customer experience, through all other factors on this list; the chemicals affect how safe it is, as well as the product’s effectiveness in dealing with mildew, mold, oil, grime, dirt, etc.
Your own safety
Some of the top products on our list were chosen because they contained natural chemical compounds that are proven not to be harmful for human use.
And while no cleaning chemical is completely safe; while picking a wood kitchen cabinet cleaner, you need to have your own safety in mind — as well as the safety of the other members of your household.
Considering that, take a look at what this bottle contains — there may be all kinds of gluten, waxes, and other compounds that someone could be allergic to.
And even if you don’t think that there’s anything to be watchful of with a specific cleaning product; wearing protective gloves is always the best way to approach cleaning in any household.
The amount in a single unit
Now, the frequency of how often you perform kitchen cleaning will also affect how much cabinet cleaner you need. This isn’t the sort of purchase you want to be making every other week.
With that in mind, we recommend getting a cleaner where you can get a decent amount of it in a single unit.
Of course, the potency and the strength of the chemical also influence its size; at the end of the day, it’s important to strike a balance that ensures you won’t be needing another bottle for a while.
Versatility of application
As you can tell from our top pick on this list — sometimes, all of us like to keep things simple. While you sometimes have the time to apply different cleaning products to varying surfaces in your home; the reality of the matter is that you won’t be bothered to do so all the time.
With that in mind, we’ve recommended some all-around wooden surface cleaners here as well. These are items that may not be the most long-lasting, nor do they provide the best level of protection against further dirt and damage.
But what they offer is versatility; plenty of these products can be used on all wooden surfaces in your household.
That’s a huge weight off your shoulders — the ability to take care of your tables, countertops, shelves, and cabinets in a single cleaning session. And without switching cleaning products!
The design of the bottle
Surprisingly enough, most people forget to think about the design of the bottle when they choose the best cleaner for wood kitchen cabinets. And this is another rule in our buying guide that goes for other household cleaning products as well.
In general, you want to make sure that the design of the bottle that houses the chemicals is as practical as possible. So, what does this mean?
First of all, you want the bottle to be easy to carry around; especially if it’s an all-purpose wooden cleaner that you’re bound to carry all around your home.
Second, it’s always a good idea to have a nozzle spray when buying a cleaning product; though that’s pretty much impossible with some of the oils and waxes on this list, there are still cleaning products that are liquid enough to facilitate such packaging.
In that case, why not have the easiest time possible as you clean your kitchen?
Also, it goes without saying that you don’t want the bottle to be prone to spillage and leakage; that’s something you ought to return to the store or alert the manager immediately.
Olive Oil and Vinegar
In recent years, buying the cleaner for wood kitchen cabinets has become more complicated than ever. The increasing number of similar products on the market is only a part of that.
But perhaps even more crucially — many people are scared of their cleaning chemicals being stronger than anticipated. With that in mind, they instead opt for using organic household cleaning solutions.
We have to say that, in many cases this would be a perfectly fine choice. However, when it comes to cleaning your wood kitchen cabinets; the homemade cleaning solutions whose use people advertise online can do more harm than good.
Once you take a look at them, you will find that most of them contain two basic ingredients — olive oil and/or vinegar. Now, in general, vinegar is considered to be the pinnacle of homemade cleaning solutions.
It’s something most people already have in their homes — and it’s incredibly cheap, while also being useful against dirt, mildew, and bacteria.
However, if you want to use olive oil and vinegar to clean kitchen cabinets made out of wood — this is one of the rare parts where we don’t encourage using vinegar. In fact, it’s something that plenty of cleaning experts will tell you as well.
There are a couple of reasons for this. When it comes to vinegar, you need to remember that it’s also used as a remover of varnishes and a paint stripper; generally, it’s capable of removing the protective coating on wooden surfaces.
So, sure — it will do a great job at getting rid of any dirt and grime on your wooden cabinets. But apart from that, it will also slowly strip away the finish on your furniture — making it more susceptible to damage.
Also, using olive oil is an exceptionally bad choice for revitalizing kitchen cabinets. There’s a reason why oils are specifically manufactured for these purposes.
And that’s the fact that olive oil is not a drying oil. In other words, once you spread it over your wooden cabinet — it will remain in a slippery liquid form until it spoils.
After a while, it will start spreading an awful smell and attract harmful bacteria that you wanted to get rid of in the first place.
The best way to clean wood kitchen cabinets
As you might imagine, giving your wood kitchen cabinets a thorough cleaning is not all about buying the best cleaner in the market.
Sure, every job requires a proper tool — but you also need to learn the proper approach to this process, as well as the right techniques. Remember — there aren’t many areas in your kitchen with a better predisposition towards grime, dirt, and dust buildups.
Of course, even people who are not well-versed in interior design know that there are plenty of different variations of kitchen cabinets — metal cabinets, clean painted ones, and of course, wooden cabinets.
There are different techniques and products for cleaning all of this, but we’ll stick to the last type in this guide.
Picking the best cleaner
Before doing anything else, obviously — the first step on your road to a clean kitchen cabinet is choosing the tools of your trade. In other words — you need to begin by choosing the best cleaner for wood kitchen cabinets, according to your needs.
Luckily for you, the majority of our article is dedicated to doing just that; so you should have absolutely no trouble dealing with this.
As we have already stated just now — we still don’t recommend going with homemade solutions, though they may be an okay quick fix.
Preparing the cabinets
Okay, now that we assume you’ve picked what cleaning products you’ll use for this endeavor; it’s time to shift your gaze to the actual wooden cabinets.
You need to prepare them for the cleaning process, and this part is pretty self-explanatory.
First of all, you need to empty the cabinet area of any contents that may still be inside. That goes for utensils, spices, herbs, and any other ingredients or items on its surface. Once that is done, take a clean microfiber or a soft cloth; use it to perform a dry wiping of the cabinet surface.
That way, you will get rid of any bigger dirt specks or other debris that could stick once you apply your cleaning solution.
Begin applying the cabinet cleaner
The first thing you need to do is to begin by cleaning the outer surfaces that make up your cabinet — meaning the drawers, the doors, etc.
If you haven’t done this sort of cleaning in a while, chances are that you will experience some grime or grease buildup; apply larger amounts of the cleaning material if you have to. Also, clean any door handles or drawer pulls, should there be any.
Clean the inside
Seeing as you’ve just about finished cleaning the outer parts of your kitchen cabinet — you can begin with the more difficult part. And that’s dealing with all of the dirt buildups inside.
Speaking of which — if you have a brush, now would be a good time to check if you haven’t left behind any bigger pieces of grime or debris by mistake. After that’s done, you can start spreading the cleaning product around the inside of the cabinet.
Use a sponge
If you’ve applied your cleaner for wood kitchen cabinets evenly, now is the time when we recommend letting it sit for a couple of minutes — but not enough to dry off completely.
That way, you won’t get any dirt out of the way, it will simply be cemented.
So, when you judge that the cleaner has done its thing — take a wet sponge or a cloth that you’ve previously soaked in water, and start to clean the combination of chemicals and dirt off the surface of the cabinets.
Lastly, use a dry cloth to make sure nothing is wet, before putting back all of the items inside in their appropriate positions.
How to Clean Painted Wooden Cabinets
Up until now, all of the products and techniques that we’ve recommended are only applicable to wooden kitchen cabinets. However, we’ll give you a couple of shorter tips on cleaning other types of cabinets as well.
First of all, there are the painted cabinets — they’re quite a common sight in the average kitchen as well,
But if you want a painted cabinet to retain its shine for a long time — just like with most other painted surfaces, you will need to perform regular maintenance to make sure that they look their part.
Luckily for you, painted cabinets can be cleaned with homemade, budget-friendly cleaners. If you want, you can simply mix a 1:2 proportion of water and baking soda.
Soon enough, you’ll have a paste that can easily be applied to any stain. Once you dab it in, just let it sink in for a couple of minutes. After that, use a clean cloth to wipe away all of the residues — and voila!
Also, if you’ve got any grease on your painted kitchen cabinets — some diluted ammonia and a cloth will do the trick. Of course, if you’re not a fan of homemade solutions — there are plenty of cleaning products on the market as well.
Just take care to wipe the outer parts of the cabinets gently, as to not disturb the paint. Though, if we’re being honest — one of the worse parts about painted cabinets is that some wear and tear is unavoidable. After a couple of years, you’ll still have to repaint them.
Cleaning Laminate Cabinets
Luckily for people who have laminate cabinets — this is one of the most forgiving materials out there. So, you don’t really need to concern yourself with the type of household cleaner that you use; anything from diluted vinegar to any number of wood cleaning products that we’ve described here will do the trick.
All you need to remember is to wipe these cabinets quickly every week or so — and you’ll be golden! The only thing that can hurt laminate cabinets are scratches — and the downside here is that they’re not as easy to get rid of.
So, while cleaning, you need to be sure that you’re not using any cleaning pads that are potentially abrasive to the laminate surface; serious scratches are a real risk here.
However, if you find some minor scuffs, a simple soft eraser could help you get rid of those.
Frequently Asked Questions
Now that we’ve gone over our buying and cleaning guides for wood kitchen cabinets — we’ll explore some of the frequently asked questions on this topic, and try to provide adequate answers.
If you want your wood kitchen cabinets to be as clean and shiny as they were on their first day; we recommend using a brand name wood cream or oil, in combination with a previously cleaned surface.
That way, you’ll be certain that there’s no debris on top of it — but you’ll also provide your cabinets’ surface with a protective coating.
The vinegar that some people use for cleaning will not necessarily damage the very integrity of the wood cabinets. However, repeated use is likely to remove any previously applied protective coating on the surface of the wood.
Therefore, you can expect it to become more and more faded and susceptible to mold, dirt, and other nuisances.
If your kitchen cabinets are already somewhat damaged, fear not.
As you can see from our list of reviewed products, there are restorative finishes that can do their best at removing the imperfections all wooden surfaces accumulate over time.
In households with oak cabinets, as sturdy of material as this is — you need to pay special care while cleaning your kitchen.
We recommend going with a citrus-based product for cleaning; these are more likely to provide the gentle touch your oak cabinets need.
After using this, feel free to apply one of the protective polishes that we’ve talked about; this will ensure that no cracks begin forming beneath the surface of your wood.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, there’s nothing like disinfecting and cleaning your kitchen to improve your mood.
And that’s because you are not only adopting a more sunny disposition, but you’re also doing something practical to make sure that there are no germs or harmful bacteria around your kitchen.
That’s why choosing the best cleaner for wood kitchen cabinets is so important. It allows you to clean your cabinets thoroughly in no time at all.
We hope that this guide was useful to you, that you’ve learned something new, and that you’ve found your best cleaner for wood kitchen cabinets. Make sure you are staying safe and have a good one, folks!
