I use a product called Parker Bailey Kitchen Cabinet Creme. It goes on with a soft cloth and wipes off. I use it on the area around the handles and also on the wooden cabinet doors over the range hood. I bought it through a catalog. I think it may have been Improvements catalog. The bottle lists a website: parkerbailey.com

I just used that magic easer that they came out with last year. It worked great.

Hi everyone!
Would you agree with geting your cabinets clean professionally? Would you pay for a cleaning service?
How much would u be whilling to spend on such service?
What about getting your cabinets touched up?

everyone is welcome to comment

Nice to know I'm not the only one trying to find a product to clean greasy cabinets. After reading the postings for the "purple stuff" I went to AutoZone to see if they carried it. It is called Super Clean and is in a purple bottle. You have to ask for it because they do not put this on the shelf. I sprayed a small area of my oak vent-a-hood and wiped with a damp cloth. Grease gone, cabinet finish remained. THIS STUFF WORKS! Thank you for the helpful tip!

I use Murphy's Oil Soap. Not toxic and it works nicely, doesn't damage the wood.

I tried everything mentioned here. Finally I (yup) steamed them. Works.

I use Murphy's Oil Soap or a mixture of 3 parts white vinegar to 1 part jojoba oil. The vinegar really cleans the wood and the oil, I suppose, keeps it from getting dried out. I use the vinegar/oil everyday on my kitchen table and so far so good!

Where do you find jojoba oil?

You can get jojoba oil at any health food store or vitamin shop. I get mine at The Vitamin Shoppe, I'm not sure what state you're in but they're located in several states around the country. I've also heard you can use food grade linseed oil but I had a heck of a time finding that. Olive oil is also a substitute but not the best one because it goes rancid after a while.

I'm really afraid to ruin the finish on my cabinets. I bought the Parker Bailey Kitchen Cabinet Creme through Improvements catalog and it worked. On the really greasy doors over the stove I used a dishwashing detergent and water solution and lightly scrubed with a plastic mesh covered sponge, then used the Creme as directed. BEAUTIFUL!

Here is a link that might be useful: my kitchen

I have tried everything and I think the finish is ruined around the handles. I have cherry wood cabinets and they never look clean. I am thinking of getting something done professionally with them.

Hi,

I can give you the name of a franchised company. I am not connected to them in any way. I clean houses for a living and have seen this company in action and the actual before and after results here in Chicago. I had to look online as I was not able to remember the name but did find it. Go to WWW.kitchentuneup.com They do door replacements etc. Click on Services and then Cabinet Reconditioning They have a video you can watch with the before and after shots. They show the grease gunk you are talking about. the work I have seen in person looks great but it depends on whom owns the franchise and how picky he is. It is my understanding that the Co. trains them. The one house which comes to mind the woman wore all of these rings and there were huge gouges around the knobs. The next time I went to clean I could not get over how great the cabinets looked. I just thought it would be a place for you to start and watch the video and see if this is what your problem is.

Good Luck!

I just wipe mine off with moist soapy cloth,then when dry I go over them with an oil.I have wormy chestnut cabinets,med color stain

I had this problem when my DH & I moved into our new home. I bought some Minwax wood cleaner @ a local hardware store & used it w/ a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser... Worked like a charm! After I was done cleaning I used Pledge Orange Oil spray & the cabinets looked brand new again! I know some ppl say not to use this Pledge stuff, but I haven't noticed any adverse effects (affects?) from it yet, so I'm going to keep using it.

We just finished a mini remodel of our kitchen with all new appliances and door pulls. Cabinets were custom oak that were 10 years old and showing signs of drying, etc.
I was going to have my contractor clean and respray them he quoted $2500/

Found a product called renewiz-it. $50 for the cleaner and the sealer. Does 400 s/f. We spend 3 hours cleaning the cabinets with the cleaner and rinsing and drying. Then you just wipe on the sealer with a pad (sock) Cabinets look like brand new. Could not believe it.

You can order on the internet.

Hi pvrick

I was reading your post and thought renewiz-it sounded great..I googled it and could not find it anywhere..is this the correct spelling? Where did you buy it?

thanks!
Ree

I think it's called Restorz-it.

Plain old-fashioned lemon oil works wonders on greasy cabinets. If it has been years worth, a couple of applications may be necessary. Cabinets look brand new and smell fresh too!

I have oak cabinets and I have crud that has moved down into the wood grain and am wondering how and if I will be able to get it out of the wood grain. The worst area is the cabinets under the sink.

Carrie - Did you ever figure out something to get the crud off your oak cabinets? I'm in the same position -- probably 25-30 yrs since they were cleaned (ugh).

I use "Murphys Oil Soap" to clean my oak cabinets, it takes off any build-up. After that drys, then I use Pledge to give them a nice shine. They look like new afterwards. Good Luck!!

I found an unopened package of Pledge Wipes in a closet,I'll try them and report back.

I went looking in my cupboards for degreasers, but only came up with a thing of orange oil furniture polish.

I decided to use it, and now regret ever trying scrubbees, baking soda, and my steam machine.

Parts of my cupboards (around the handles) are ruined because the steamer melted the wood finish, but everywhere is so shiny, and it really did lift grease, and stuck on food.

I just sprayed each cupboard, left it for about 30 seconds, then wiped them down.

They look beautiful.

There's a reason Murphy's Oil has been around FOREVER. It works!!! Natural ingredients...won't harm your wood and works on a lot of other things too. I just did my Kitchen cabinets and the over-the-stove Adventium Oven (just to see) which haven't been cleaned in quite a while and I just wiped a couple of times and the grease and dirt came right off. There's no need to rinse. Buff a little and your cabinets will shine.

Tried Gunk engine degreaser to clean cabinets. It works great! However, you MUST clean them OUTSIDE. Ventilation is key. Tried this on one of my cabinets as a spot check and did it in the house. BIG mistake for the odor.

Scrubbing Bubbles Bath room cleaner spray it on give it some time to set then use hot water and a rag to scrub it works like a charm

Oh my goodness folks; I cannot believe that this post was started almost 7 years ago! Apparently, some problems never get solved. LOL.

I know! I'm the original poster; those cabinets are long gone in a kitchen remodel in '07, but every now and then I get another response to this question!

Oh well, there are others that still need information and suggestions. At some forums they don't want people to start new threads about the same subject, asking people to bring up old threads. Personally I don't agree with that line of thinking but rules is rules...HEEHEE! So often threads are bumped up by spammers though which is a drag!

I came across this while trying to answer the same question. One problem is, I don't think it matters as much what the wood species is (cherry, oak, etc.) but how it was finished - varnish, polyurethane, etc. I believe you use different cleaners for different finishes - some love oil=based cleaners (like Murphy's or lemon oil), and on some, oil will wreck the finish. I don't know what the finish is on my cabinets, so I'm hesitant to commit to a specific kind of cleaner. Anyone know how I can tell? Or should I just test an inconspicuous area on the back of the door and see how it turns out?

I did Small area with "Cabinet and Wood Magic". Now it feels a little sticky. Do I keep cleaning, or have I ruined my cabinet?

Have you tried Murphy's soap? It is specifically made for wood and works great!

I use Murphy's oil soap, it works for me every time. After that I put a coat of Howard's Feed-N-Wax on it. My wood is oak. Here in CA it's very dry and this conditions it and polishes it as well. It's Beeswax and Orange Oil.

I'm painting my 1978 kitchen cabinets and don't care about the finish. However I do care about the paint taking to them. I'm using oil based paint and figured that an oil based product would keep the paint from adhering evenly. I tried sand paper but it smears it in rather than removes the grease. Any suggestions? I'm thinking Murphy's is best for protecting rather than striping.

Scrubbing bubbles!! Spray it on let it set for about 10 minutes and you'd be suprised at how well it works for all that grease around the handles. Plus its easy on the wood!

I have a natural method of cleaning your kitchen cabinets. Just prepare a solution of water, baking soda and few drops of jojoba oil and mix all of them. Pour this solution in a spraying bottle and spray this on the cabinets. Then wipe the solution with dry microfiber cloth. Your task will be done.

is there any difference between Howards Orange Oil and Orange Glo?

A friend just told me the best way to clean greasy kitchen cabinets (or anything greasy) is with Dawn dishwashing liquid and warm water. She said, "That's what they use on oil spills. It cuts grease so well you don't need much. One of our cats got into kerosene and the vet told us to wash it in Dawn. We thought any dish detergent would work so we used Joy. It didn't and when we went back to the vet he was so very insistent we use Dawn that he gave us some. We haven't used anything since. It was amazing."

I'm going to try this.

Let's keep this going! I tried Murphy's Oil Soap, and it doesn't work! I have 1995 Kitchen Craft cherry doors with grease streaks, lumps and especially dirt by the knobs. I slathered straight Murphy's on, wiped with a wet paper towel, and let it sit overnight. I rubbed and then rinsed with many wet rags, and two days later, the door is quite sticky. And although most of the raised dirt came off, it is still apparent where the grease was (is). I did another door without letting Murphy's sit overnight, and it has all the same issues.

Murphys for the grease and dirt around the handles and Howards Orange Oil to top it off.

Most of what is listing here has not worked to remove the grease off of my Oak kitchen cabinet doors. My cabinets are not horrible just a few areas. Dawn, Murphys Oil, Lemon oil, vinegar and jocoba oil, baking soda and jocoba oil-NONE OF THESE PRODUCTS REMOVED THE STICKINESS.

Next going to try and find the Castrol or Minwax cabinet cleaner. Will repost as to what works for me. Wonder if it has to do with the grain of the wood? Maple is a lot smoother than oak.

I had some luck with scrubbing the cabinets with a textured sponge and a solution of Dawn and hot water. Any sticky crud that remained got scrubbed with a combination of WD40 and Goo Gone. I used it sparingly and then washed the cabinets again when I was done to make sure none of the WD40/Goo Gone combination remained. Worked really well for me!

OK, I know this is an old thread, but the information is good! My problem is the tops of the cabinets. I have a cathedral ceiling in the kitchen (never again!!) and the tops are gross - years of dust and grease. I've tried the usual kitchen spray cleaners and they haven't touched the mess. I'm going to try the Purple stuff. Any other thoughts?

I have new cabinets, and I want to keep them looking new - that's how I found this thread. My cabinets also have exposed tops, and I was thinking of putting something that won't show down on the tops (possibly sewing fabric "cabinet toppers") which I can then toss in the wash every so often. For maintenance of the cabinet doors, it sounds like a weak solution of dishwashing soap or Murphy's is the way to go.

I put down newspaper on the top of the cabinets, every month or so roll up and throw away.

Again, which one of the Castrol is the purple one? Need some specifics. Thanks.

Purple Power!!! I live by this stuff!! I'm having the same issue with the cabinets of a house I just moved into and a family member brought me murphys oil I thought maybe I was using it wrong because it wasn't working. So I of course went straight to the store to get me some Purple Power! It really is amazing on everything!! This house also has a very light blue tile grout and you never would have known because it was black! Purple Power fixed that right up! Love it!

Just discovered lestoil! It works and my cabinets were GROSS!!!

It's a store degreaser

I used powered spic and span and ammonia on old varnished woodwork. Better than stripping and revarnishing. Careful breathing fumes.