Beautiful cabinets are the centerpiece of any kitchen. If your cabinets are beginning to look a little worn, there’s no need to replace them if they still have a good structure. Cabinet refinishing can give your old cabinets a fresh, new look. However, you must properly care for them after the cabinet painting service is complete. Here are some tips to help your revamped cabinets look great.
Don’t Be Harsh
Did you know you’re supposed to clean your cabinets just as you would any other part of the kitchen? Keeping your cabinets clean is a great way to ensure they’re not getting soiled by moisture, which can ruin the wood. However, you must be mindful of the type of cleaners that you use on your cabinets. Abrasive cleaners can strip away your refinishing work. Such cleaners can cause major discoloration and scratches.
When cleaning your refinished cabinets, it’s best to keep it simple with a mild soap and water solution. You can also use one part of distilled white vinegar along with two parts of hot water. You could also use a gentle wood cleaner to wipe them down. In addition to the cleaning products that you use, be mindful of the cleaning tools as well. Make sure that you gently wipe your cabinets down with a soft cloth or sponge as opposed to a brush or anything that will scrape them.
Some of the best cloths to use include microfiber clothes, as they’ll never scratch the surface. However, instead of a microfiber cloth, you can also opt for a paper towel or soft rag. With good cleaning products, you’re sure to keep your cabinets in great condition for years to come. The better you take care of your refinished cabinets, the longer the paint will last!
Keep Them Dry
Whatever you do, don’t leave your refinished cabinets wet after you clean them. It’s no secret that wet wood can result in rot. Over time, your wood can begin warping and swelling. In worst cases, mold can begin to develop inside or on your cabinets. This can lead to bigger problems down the road and end up increasing other costs.
If mold develops in your cabinets, you can now have a major health issue in your home. It only takes mold 24 to 72 hours to sprout in a wet environment, according to Qipa. Those mold spores can easily latch onto your lungs and cause respiratory infections, asthma, emphysema, and other allergic reactions. Plus if you have food in your cabinet, that mold can have contact with the food that you will eventually eat.
You can always use a very dry towel or cloth to remove excess water after cleaning. In addition, keep your cabinet doors open so they can air out and dry faster. You may also want to open windows in your kitchen or use a big fan to thoroughly dry the cabinets before you put things back inside and close them.
Protect Cabinets From Heat
When you cook food in your kitchen, anything in the room is exposed to smoke and other liquid that may end up splashing around. So be mindful to not place anything hot or wet directly in or on your cabinets. Your beautiful refinished surfaces can end up with stains, peels, or burns. If some hot liquids from soup or other food end up splashing on your cabinets, make sure you quickly wipe them off. If you don’t immediately clean the hot fluid off, it may end up seeping into the surface, ruining your finish, and damaging the underlining wood. Before you know it, you may have to call your cabinet painting service back to redo the work.
Use Your Kitchen Ventilation
Most modern kitchens have a vent over the stove that catches smoke when you’re cooking. Try to remember to turn it on whenever you have something on the stove. If you cook a lot in your kitchen and don’t properly use the vent, some of that smoke can eventually creep into your cabinets and wear them down. Be extra mindful of cabinets that might be near or over your oven. You could also open kitchen windows when the weather is nice enough or use fans. Do whatever you can to properly ventilate the room so that your cabinets don’t become overcome by smoke.
Avoid Direct Sunlight
The heat from your kitchen isn’t the only thing that can damage your refinished cabinets. Direct sunlight can also wreak havoc on those surfaces. Just like with some other furniture in your home, excessive UV rays in sunlight can fade, warp, or even crack your refinished cabinets. One way to prevent this is by making use of proper window treatments in your kitchen. Invest in blinds, shades, curtains, or anything else that can block out the sun when it’s too intense.
Check the Inside Regularly
It’s easy to forget about things inside your cabinet, especially when you’re using it for a great deal of storage. However, you should frequently just open all your cabinets to air them out. During this time, investigate your cabinets to see if there’s any grease, dirt, dust, or crumbs. Food crumbs or open food may attract pests that can cause damage to your beautiful cabinets. If the inside of your cabinets appears dirty, make sure you thoroughly clean it out with the steps mentioned above.
Organize Things
Once your local cabinet painting service has completed its beautiful work, you can respect your cabinets by keeping things organized as much as possible. Even if you have your cabinets filled with items, proper organization can make it easier to find things. Plus, you’re less likely to have opened items that may end up causing a mess that you’ll have to clean up. A great way to organize a full cabinet is with dividers, bins, racks, or even baskets. You can also use glass or plastic jars to store bulk items like pasta, sugar, and grains.
Schedule Follow-Up
At some point, you’ll need to call the contractors back in for follow-up work to keep your cabinets looking beautiful and new. According to Mordor Intelligence, the kitchen cabinet market is expected to reach 160 billion dollars in 2025, so you always have a professional available to keep your cabinets looking fresh. The frequency of a required follow-up depends on the finish and how well you maintain it. You may need new work done on your cabinets after a number of years, depending on the type of paint and finishes that they use.
These are just a few ways you can protect your finished cabinets. Thanks to talented cabinet painters and refinishers, you don’t have to resort to buying a new set of cabinets just because your existing ones look worn down. A refinishing project or a new coat of paint can add years to the lifespan of your existing cabinets. Plus, they can make your cabinets look brand new and may fool people into thinking you had a new cabinet installation. Now that you understand how to maintain your newly refinished cabinets, it’s time to get the ball rolling on this upgrade. Call our local experienced team today at Artistic Cabinet Finishes so we can get started on the process.
