Few people like cleaning their kitchens, but scrubbing the cabinets is probably at the bottom of the list of chores. With easy-care cabinets, you can cut out much of the time and energy needed and focus on more pleasant tasks instead.
Although cabinets do not usually get dirty like surfaces like the countertop and floor, they can take longer to clean because of their vertical nature, hardware, and particular surface features.
Cabinets can quickly become covered with grease, splatters, and stains, especially if you cook or fry nearby.
Your best bet for a low-maintenance kitchen is to choose basic cabinets that are high in convenience and storage space and low in fancy decoration.
Avoid Excessive Detail, Dimension, and Fancy Finishes
When you are first shopping for kitchen cabinets, especially the doors, consider how easy it will be to clean them before you make your final choice. Slab or Shaker doors are smooth, solid pieces that can easily be wiped down with a cloth or sponge.
Other doors with raised panels, carved trim, or beadboard inserts will be much more difficult. Although things like glass panels, lattice, and shutter-style features may look attractive, cleaning them would be a massive headache.
Paint options can also help make your cabinets more straightforward to clean. Choose satin or gloss finishes rather than matte, and avoid artsy techniques like crackle paint.
Avoid Using Excess Trim and Add-on Features
Besides opting for smooth doors like suggested above, choose cabinet construction that does not include a lot of trim or features such as light rail molding, corbels, crown molding, and legs or feet for the bottom cabinets.
These options may look nice, but require much more scrubbing than plain surfaces. This is especially true for 3D options with open spaces on the sides or behind them, like cabinet legs.
Well-sealed Stain Makes Cleaning Easier than Paint
Some may find that glossy paint makes seeing and cleaning up splatters and dirt easier. One thing to consider when choosing the finish for your kitchen cabinets is how much the dirt will show up and how easy it will be to repair the finish if it is damaged.
A low-maintenance kitchen not only makes it easier to spot clean or do a thorough cleaning every week. Too much scrubbing can even damage the finish on cabinetry. Stain is more forgiving.
If the cabinets get scratched, you can easily find the touch-up kit or use a permanent magic marker to disguise the damage.
The Right Wood Grain Can Camouflage Dirt and Stains
While you should always clean your kitchen regularly to keep it looking its best and staying healthy, sometimes stains or dirt on cabinets stubbornly refuse to go away with your everyday cleaning regimen.
If you want your kitchen to look better longer, choose cabinets that camouflage dirt and stains instead of showcasing them like white or light-colored paint would.
Dark stain works best, especially if your cabinets are made of woods with distinctive grain patterns, such as hickory or oak. While maple is a popular wood type for building cabinetry in the kitchen, its smoother appearance makes stains and damage more obvious.
Wood grain contributes to less maintenance and cleaning time and looks attractive in any style home.
Choose Flush Cabinets Ends Instead of Other Options
A flush end to your cabinet consists of plywood or whatever wood your cabinets are made of, creating a smooth end to the corners and front of the structure. This makes cleaning easier because there are no protrusions or different surfaces to worry about.
Another popular style in kitchen cabinetry involves matching ends. These sides include three-dimensional or raised-panel construction, so they match the cabinet doors. Just like a highly designed cabinet door takes longer to clean, a similar cabinet end does.
Always Use Functional Hardware on Cabinet Doors
It makes logical sense that a cabinet door without hardware will get dirtier or faster than one with knobs or handles to pull on.
When you are cooking or doing some other task in the kitchen, your hands are frequently dirty, oily, or have some crumbs on them. If you open a cabinet without a handle, you transfer all that directly to the door.
Not only does having hardware help keep your cabinets cleaner, but the material you choose can also keep your kitchen looking fresher for an extended period.
Metals like chrome and stainless steel show smudges, fingerprints, and water spots much more easily than brushed or polished nickel, ceramic, satin, or oil-rubbed bronze.
Never Choose Glass Cabinet Doors
As mentioned above, the material you choose for your cabinet doors affects the maintenance required to keep them looking new and clean.
Nothing requires more frequent scrubbing and polishing than glass. It attracts dust and problems, shows fingerprints easily, and any smudges or greasy spots will make the cabinets look filthy much sooner than they would on wood.
The problem worsens if multiple glass panes are separated by metal or wood trim.
Many homeowners enjoy glass cabinet doors because they create an inviting, open style and show off their delicate dishes. Although no other material is transparent like glass, other excellent options exist to achieve the same feeling in your kitchen.
Avoid Open Cabinets and Shelving
Cabinet doors exist for a reason. They not only help keep your groceries and dishes out of sight, but they also help keep them clean. If you install open shelving or bins, all the dust, splatter, grease, and other dirt in the kitchen will end up on your plates and bowls instead of the cabinet door.
This means you have to clean every plate and bowl whenever you use them if you want them to be spotless, and you also have to clean the shelves and cabinets regularly.
If you have decorative plates and bowls you want the world to see, consider displaying a selection as a centerpiece on your table.
Prevent Dirt, Grease, and Moisture to Minimize Maintenance
Nothing affects the maintenance and cleaning you must do in your kitchen more than preventative measures to stop dirt, crumbs, grease, and moisture from reaching your cabinets.
This is especially true for the sink cabinet, which may get wet frequently. Ensure no water reaches the wood, or you may have rot and mold problems, which are much more serious than cleaning up.
Install a powerful stovetop hood to vent smoke and grease particles out of the kitchen before they reach the cabinets. Cover your pots or use a splatter screen. Clean up spills promptly, and they will not have a chance to cause stains.
Prevention and the best choices for low-maintenance kitchen cabinetry can help you spend more enjoyable time cooking or eating with your family and friends instead of cleaning up messes.
