So, you have a new Corvus kitchen or bathroom – Congratulations! We hope you are loving your new space thoroughly and looking forward to enjoying it for years and years to come. To help you keep your new room as beautiful as it was on completion day, we’ve compiled our favorite tips, tricks and cleaning products for you to take care of the biggest part of your remodel: the cabinets.
We already did a post about how to care for your hard surfaces, sharing how to take care of tile, granite, quartz and more. But, this post tackles cabinets, which are largely ignored in the cleaning world. But, as you probably know, those hardworking cabinets really take a beating and can use some TLC.
Here’s the best way to maintain your new cabinets:
- Dust them regularly
Using only a microfiber cloth or a dusting rag, wipe down your cabinets regularly. This will keep dust, dirt, and grime from collecting on the cabinet surfaces, which will reduce the amount of time and energy you have to spend deep cleaning. Win, win.
- Clean from top to bottom
Just like with all cleaning, you want to start at the top and work down. For cabinets, you want to start with the uppers and work your way down. If the tops of your uppers are exposed, start there. If not, start at the ceiling and work down. After uppers, tackle the lower cabinets and then do the countertops, then floors.
- Make your own gentle cleaner
Mix up a solution that consists of a squirt of mild dish soap, 8 oz of hot water, and a few tablespoons of vinegar into a spray bottle. In another spray bottle, put plain old warm tap water. You don’t want to damage your cabinets, so the goal is to make as gentle of cleaner as possible. Dish soap and vinegar can cut through grease buildup without being harsh to surfaces, which is our ultimate goal.
NOTE: We recommend using as little cleaner as possible. Prolonged water and liquids on your painted and finished wood cabinet surfaces will damage them quicker than grime, so use sparingly. We’d even recommend spraying the mixture onto a microfiber cloth instead of spraying directly onto the cabinet surfaces so you don’t have moisture sitting on the surface. Or, you can use one of these “continuous spray” bottles shown below that has a fine mist instead of a spray.
- Clean those cabinets
Spray your microfiber cloth with the water/soap/vinegar mixture and wipe down the cabinet fronts and sides. Pay close attention to any trim, as grime will build up on flat horizontal surfaces. When you’re done with the front, open the cabinet doors and drawers and wipe front and backside thoroughly. When they are nice and clean, quickly wipe them down again using the plain warm water sprayed on a microfiber cloth. This will remove soap and vinegar residue and keep them sparkling clean. Dry them when you’re finished and stand back and admire your hard work.
- Clean the glass accents, too
If you have display cabinets, you will want to clean the glass front and back regularly to keep it sparkling clean. Using a glass cleaner of your choice as well as a lint-free glass cloth, wipe both sides down thoroughly.
- Degrease if necessary
Using the mixture you made in step 2, go at the grease on cabinet surfaces with a soft bristled brush. Do not scrape at it, gentle is the way to go. If you need something even more powerful, try a water and baking soda mixture and let it sit for a few minutes before cleaning off with a dampened soft bristled brush. Rinse with a moist microfiber cloth and then dry with another microfiber cloth.
- Handle the most-touched surfaces
If your cabinets have handles, you already know that those will get dirty the quickest. If they are made of metal or are ceramic, we recommend doing a quick wipe down or spray of heavily touched drawer/door pulls whenever you wash your countertop surfaces. This will make caring for your drawer and door hardware incredibly easy, as food and grime won’t ever have a chance to build up. If dirt, dust and grime does build up on hinges or pulls, use a soft bristled brush with the cleaning mixture to scrub it off. If necessary, use the baking soda and water mixture.
- Clean the insides at least once a year
We tend to throw things in our cabinets and forget all about them, creating cabinet clutter unintentionally. Try and remember that first day you filled your brand new cabinets and how great that felt having all that extra storage space. Remember that less is more, and pare down regularly. When you do your yearly cabinet purge, wipe down the inside of the cabinets with your spray mixture (you can vacuum it out first if necessary). Pay close attention to corners of cabinets and drawers where crumbs and dust will collect. Consider putting down shelf liners or drawer dividers to keep things tidy and easy to care for.
Consistency is key
These 8 steps done regularly will help keep your space feeling new for decades, and keep your Corvus cabinets looking clean and tidy. We all know that styles change and décor will differ throughout the years, but your cabinets don’t have to date your new space. Keep them looking clean and new and you will prolong their life and protect your investment.