Cleaning Kitchen Cabinets

My house was built in 2002 and we moved in Jan. '03. I have custom made oak cabinets in my bathrooms, kitchen and laundry room. I am thinking about giving my kitchen ones a good washing or cleaning. They really are not very soiled because I don't do much frying in my kitchen. I am wondering about using Murphy's oil soap to wash them with. Does anyone have experience with this or another product. I am open to suggestions.

I use Murphy's Oil for my hardwood cabinets. It's great stuff and a little goes along way. It doesn't hurt the wood and there's no build up of gunk left behind. It's not a polish--it's actually soap for wood made out of oil. Just dilute a little bit in water and wipe down--no rinsing needed. OK, there's my commercial.

There's no oil in Murphy's oil soap, it's just a soap that is pH balanced so as not to mess up wood.

If you use it you must rinse the soap residue away. (I'm sounding like a broken record... I guess no one reads the posts I make with Murphy's oil soap info? )
One reason for this is because it can make the finish look dull and the other reason is because it's very much toxic to cats. And on that note, keep the cats out of the area when you're cleaning and out of the Murphy's oil soap.

I've always just used the concentrate and a bucket of warm water for cabinets and walls.

(and yes, I know you're kitties are outside, but other members have their cats in)

I use murphys in a spray bottle with water....about half and half. I called the manufacturer and that is what they recommended.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

There's no oil in Murphy's oil soap, it's just a soap that is pH balanced so as not to mess up wood.

If you use it you must rinse the soap residue away. (I'm sounding like a broken record... I guess no one reads the posts I make with Murphy's oil soap info?

)
One reason for this is because it can make the finish look dull and the other reason is because it's very much toxic to cats. And on that note, keep the cats out of the area when you're cleaning and out of the Murphy's oil soap.

I've always just used the concentrate and a bucket of warm water for cabinets and walls.

(and yes, I know you're kitties are outside, but other members have their cats in)

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I just did a search for the ingredients in the Murphy's Oil Soap. One of them is citronella oil. I have been told that this product leaves cabinets shiny. Does anyone know. I wiped down my bathroom cabinets with clear water. Then I used Guardsman creme polish. They look beautiful. There is no wax and no silicones in this product so there will be no buildup. Just gives moisture to the wood. But I think I am going to try the Murphy's oil in the spray bottle as Farleyv uses for my kitchen ones. Farleyv, do you rinse with clear water after you use this. I hope it works because I really didn't want to have to use the Guardsman on the kitchen ones.

I put some Murphy's in a basin with hot water and wash the cabinets with that. Even if you haven't done a lot of frying/cooking your cabinets are going to be greasy and gunky. What I did in our previous house (on light oak doors) was use 0000 steel wool which is extremely fine, with the soap and water, then wipe them dry with a clean damp cloth. I was amazed at how much dirt was actually coming off the doors and I am one of those anal folks that wipe down my cupboards on a regular basis. After cleaning them this way, I then used a good oil on a soft cloth and went over them lightly to bring back the shine and protect the wood.

Having said that, not all oak doors are "real oak". Mine were so that treatment did a wonderful job. If your cupboards are a laminate then don't be too aggressive in your cleaning or you may go through the veneer.

Originally Posted by Yosemite

Having said that, not all oak doors are "real oak". Mine were so that treatment did a wonderful job. If your cupboards are a laminate then don't be too aggressive in your cleaning or you may go through the veneer.

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Thanks. Yes, mine are custom made cabinets, made of white oak. They are stained with Golden Oak stain and finished with polyurethane. I was thinking maybe of using the Murphy's and see how they look. If I think they need anything else I believe I could go over them with the Guardsman creme polish I used on the bathroom ones.

Originally Posted by blueyedgirl5946

Thanks. Yes, mine are custom made cabinets, made of white oak. They are stained with Golden Oak stain and finished with polyurethane. I was thinking maybe of using the Murphy's and see how they look. If I think they need anything else I believe I could go over them with the Guardsman creme polish I used on the bathroom ones.

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You say they are finished with polyurethane so the wood is not exposed so that's a whole different ball game, as they say. The polyurethane is essentially a "paint" so you don't even need to use Murphy's. I would only use Murphy's to clean wood that is oiled rather than painted. You could use water and a mild detergent like Palmolive to clean them.

Originally Posted by Yosemite

You say they are finished with polyurethane so the wood is not exposed so that's a whole different ball game, as they say. The polyurethane is essentially a "paint" so you don't even need to use Murphy's. I would only use Murphy's to clean wood that is oiled rather than painted. You could use water and a mild detergent like Palmolive to clean them.

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I was going to bring up that point also. Polyurethane is like varnish - it puts a hard coating over the stain so that grease and dirt can't penetrate the wood.

Most hardwood floors are coated with polyurethane these days. I would look into products like Bona for floors that are used on those surfaces. Otherwise, just a mild soap/water and don't over saturate them with water - polyurethane doesn't like to be over wet.

I have just tried a new product for cleaning my oak kitchen cabinets. It is made by Method and called Wood For Good. It comes in a brown spray bottle. It works just great and I still have to finish up some of them. You just reminded me

blueyedgirl5946 said:

My house was built in 2002 and we moved in Jan. '03. I have custom made oak cabinets in my bathrooms, kitchen and laundry room. I am thinking about giving my kitchen ones a good washing or cleaning. They really are not very soiled because I don't do much frying in my kitchen. I am wondering about using Murphy's oil soap to wash them with. Does anyone have experience with this or another product. I am open to suggestions.

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I have very tough time dealing with these cabinets. There are many cleaners one of them which I use is magic cleaner but I want to suggest, if the work load is too much you can opt for expert cleaning. They will save your time and effort but will cost you some bucks

I've used Murphy's and always liked it. Once a year in the kitchen. I only had crappy veneer cabinets, though, but I never had any trouble with it.

If you want, you can try also lemon oil. I've used it for years on those old kitchen cabinets of mine; they were almost 30 years old when we took them down. I clean my kitchen cabinets and my hutch in the kitchen 2-3 times a year with lemon oil. Even my bathroom cabinets and the filing cabinet, my computer desk and my cookbook book case. Once a week, I take a Swiffer to everything. Once a month I do a thorough dusting with polish.

Thanks for the heads-up about Wood for Good! We now have oak cabinets, so will check it out at Target! 

Winchester said:

I've used Murphy's and always liked it. Once a year in the kitchen. I only had crappy veneer Gold coast carpet cleaners cabinets, though, but I never had any trouble with it.

If you want, you can try also lemon oil. I've used it for years on those old kitchen cabinets of mine; they were almost 30 years old when we took them down. I clean my kitchen cabinets and my hutch in the kitchen 2-3 times a year with lemon oil. Even my bathroom cabinets and the filing cabinet, my computer desk and my cookbook book case. Once a week, I take a Swiffer to everything. Once a month I do a thorough dusting with polish.

Thanks for the heads-up about Wood for Good! We now have oak cabinets, so will check it out at Target! 

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I will surely try your one. Cleaning is difficult and it is always better to have right solutions with you. Thanks