Likely, you have already invested much time, money, and effort in choosing cabinets for your kitchen and installing the same. And your dream kitchen is ready now! Now the thing is how you can ensure that it lasts longer.
In most homes, the kitchen gets subject to intense indoor environmental conditions mostly due to fluctuation in temperature from cooking. The grease and oil spread throughout the indoor air. Owing to this, it is required to be careful about maintenance and cleaning every facet of the kitchen including RTA cabinets. Being proactive ensures that you keep things in tip-top condition.
A kitchen cabinet care schedule includes proper cleaning, polishing, and maintaining everything without using any harsh chemicals. You need to undertake specific tasks frequently to enhance the life of the furniture.
A Kitchen Cabinet Maintenance Routine
Here is the basic routine that you may follow to keep the cabinets in your kitchen in a good condition for years.
Daily and Fortnightly Maintenance –
Oil and grease generated from cooking easily build up on the cabinets. Therefore, you should wipe the furniture down daily or at least once a week. If you are cooking something with a significant amount of fats or oil, clean the cabinets after you’re done with the cooking. To enhance the value and life of the furniture, don’t use any harsh chemicals like solvents, bleach, petroleum-based cleaner, ammonia, nail polish remover, and paint thinners. Don’t use any abrasive material like a scouring pad or steel wool to clean the cabinetry. Don’t allow excess glass cleaner or any other liquid to run off the cabinet joints. If you’re not sure about the suitability of the cleaner, avoid using it. Wipe spills instantly so they don’t cake on. Wipe them up with a lint-free clean cotton cloth as it won’t let the moisture be absorbed into the furniture. This is even more applicable to high quality RTA cabinets. Here is the list of things that you should avoid to let the cabinets last longer:
- Caked on spills
- Direct exposure to sunlight
- Extreme variation in humidity and temperature
- Abrasion or scratching
Yearly Cleaning –
Even if you do the cleaning regularly, you will find dirt to build up, especially around the hinges and hardware. You should go for a thorough cleaning once a year to clean the nooks and crannies. If possible, remove the door hinges and visible hardware from the cabinet unit for a real deep cleaning. Also, you may think about replacing the hardware every couple of years. This is a less expensive way to provide quality RTA cabinets with a new look and feel. This will also add more life to the furniture.
Essential Repairs –
Kitchen cabinets are an expensive investment. You’re not going to replace it every few years. They are made to last for years. However, you can make minor repairs and changes to keep the cabinets looking new and beautiful even over years. If there is a scratch in the unit, for instance, just get a touch-up kit to match the stained finish and do the repair. Usually, the kits come with a fill stick, a touch-up pen, putty, and other components so you can fill in the scratch yourself and restore the look. If you don’t have a touch-up kit, sand down the affected area, and apply a matching stain. Now, topcoat it.
So, if you want your kitchen cabinets to last longer without losing their beauty and sheen, follow the tips mentioned above.
