Kitchen cabinets turn sticky because cooking puts grease into the air, it settles on every surface near the stove, and then dust catches on it. To deep clean kitchen cabinets, clear the counters below, wipe the doors with warm water and a mild degreaser (or a little dish soap) on a soft cloth, and work the handles and edges where hands touch most. Then wipe with clean water and dry right away. Test any product on a hidden spot first and never soak wood. If you would rather hand it off, a deep clean, from $200, includes degreasing the cabinet fronts.
Why do kitchen cabinets get sticky?
Every time something gets fried or seared, fine droplets of grease drift through the kitchen. They land on the cabinet doors, with the ones above and beside the range taking the worst of it, and on the tops of the upper cabinets, which nobody ever looks at. Dust sticks to the grease. More grease lands on the dust.
A few months of that and the doors feel tacky near the handles. And a quick swipe with a damp cloth? It just spreads the film around.
What should you use on your cabinet finish?
| Finish | What works | What to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Stained or sealed wood | Warm water with a little dish soap, cloth wrung out well | Soaking, abrasive pads, ammonia and harsh solvents |
| Painted cabinets | Mild soap solution, gentle pressure | Magic-eraser style pads on a matte finish, which can leave shiny spots |
| Laminate and thermofoil | Mild degreaser, soft cloth | Heat and steam near the edges, where the film can lift |
| Glass inserts | Glass cleaner on the cloth, not sprayed on the door | Spraying near wood frames |
Whatever you reach for, try it first on the inside of a door. And never mix cleaning products: bleach with ammonia, or bleach with an acid, makes toxic fumes. Our crews never mix chlorine- and ammonia-based products, full stop.
How do you deep clean kitchen cabinets step by step?
- Clear the counter below so drips have nowhere to land.
- Dust the tops of the upper cabinets first. They carry the thickest grease-and-dust layer in the kitchen, and you do not want it falling onto doors you just cleaned.
- Wash the doors top to bottom with a well wrung-out cloth, following the wood grain.
- Work the handles, pulls and edges with a soft brush or an old toothbrush, since that is where hand grease builds up.
- Wipe with clean water. Skip it, and the soap film becomes the next sticky layer.
- Dry each door straight away, paying attention to the seams and joints on wood doors.
How do you clean inside kitchen cabinets?
Inside is its own job. Empty one cabinet at a time, vacuum the crumbs out of the corners, wipe the shelves, and let them dry before anything goes back in. While it is all out on the counter, take a look at what is actually in there; an organized cabinet stays cleaner.
When the kitchen is empty, deep cleaning inside every cabinet and drawer is standard in a move-in/out cleaning, from $375. In a lived-in home, sorting what the cabinets hold falls under home organizing.
How often should kitchen cabinets be deep cleaned?
Wipe the doors near the stove every week or two as part of regular cleaning. The whole kitchen, cabinet tops included, deserves a deep clean once or twice a year, and more often if you cook a lot of fried food. Our deep cleaning frequency guide covers the rest of the house.
What does a professional kitchen deep cleaning add?
Time, mainly. Time on the parts a weekly clean skips. On top of everything on the regular checklist, our deep clean degreases the cabinet fronts, cleans inside the microwave, scrubs tile and grout, and gets the light fixtures within ladder reach. The inside of the oven and the refrigerator are add-ons.
That is how a 1960s kitchen in Carmichael lost its grease film, and how a Colfax kitchen left empty for months was ready to cook in the same day.
When is it time to call in help with the cabinets?
Tops first, then a mild soap on a well wrung-out cloth, extra attention at the handles, a rinse and a dry. Test before you commit to a product, and never soak wood or mix cleaners. If the film has crept across the whole kitchen, though, a weekend of scrubbing stops being a bargain; send a short request through the contact page, and a person will reply with a starting price.