How to Clean Laminate Kitchen Cupboards (100% Streak-Free!)
The other day, I looked above our rangehood at home and realized the cupboards were kind of greasy. My heart sank as I imagined the treachery ahead. Grabbing a chair to stand on. Maybe even climbing onto the kitchen bench. It just felt like such a hassle to think about. That's when mum stepped in with a clever solution she'd used before: a soft flat headed mop. Here's the video of her in action:
Watching her glide over those cabinets so easily was a lightbulb moment. I realized if I'm dealing with these challenges at home, chances are others are too. So I created this guide for common laminate types to save you the headache and the cost of hiring a cleaner.
Table of Contents
- What Are Laminate Kitchen Cupboards?
- What Most Homeowners Worry About
- Removing Grease and Fingerprints
- Cleaning Matte Laminate
- Cleaning Gloss Laminate
- Cleaning Textured Laminate
- Cleaning Acrylic Laminate
- Cleaning High Pressure Laminate (HPL)
- Restoring and Maintaining Shine
- FAQs
- More Kitchen Upkeep Guides
What Are Laminate Kitchen Cupboards?
Laminate cupboards are basically a decorative layer stuck onto a wood base. Think of it like a really durable sticker that comes in different finishes. You've probably got one of these common types in your kitchen:
- Matte, which has a non-reflective, soft look.
- Gloss. This is the one we have in our home as you saw in the video. It's pretty shiny and reflective, which means very prone to kids doing their thing on them.
- Textured. This type of laminate mimics the look of natural materials like wood or stone.
- Acrylic. These are ultra-glossy with a mirror-like finish. It's a step up from regular gloss laminate and perfect for modern homes.
- High Pressure Laminate (HPL). The most durable option of the bunch. These cupboards are tough and built for busy, high-traffic kitchens.
What Most Homeowners Worry About
- Streaks after cleaning. This usually happens when you use too much water or cleaner. In mum's video, the mop was quite dry to begin with, so this problem is voided from the get go. Warm water and going over the area using a fresh, dry mop head after will also really help with streaking.
- Grease and fingerprint buildup. There's no way to avoid children putting their hands in their mouth and then getting touchy feely.
- Dulling of the shine. This can happen over time as your home ages, but there are ways to slow this down, which we'll cover.
- Using the wrong cleaner and causing damage. Some cleaners are just superior to others. Period. Cabinets are basically decorative art since they're front and center in your home. You don't want to damage something so prominent especially when it comes to your kitchen.
Removing Grease and Fingerprints
- For cleaners, you've got two main options. The organic cleaning liquid we make, or a mild dish soap (which is what most guides recommend). Nothing wrong with that from a practicality standpoint, but it's slightly less healthy.
- Another tip I'll give you is to use your phone flashlight. It sounds stupid, but if you're not right under natural light like mum was, this can definitely help. Shine it on the surface at an angle and you'll spot every greasy fingerprint you missed. This is just way more efficient than squinting under the kitchen light (trust me, I would know, I'm Asian).
Cleaning Matte Laminate
These are probably my favourite finishes to deal with in my end of lease cleans. Simply because they're manageable and forgiving. As someone who's very detail-focused, matte is 100% the winner when it comes to hiding streaks and spots.
Professional insights
As long as you're using a soft, non-abrasive cloth, you should be fine. Microfibre isn't needed because matte is often quite firm and not likely to scratch.
Since matte is rather durable, I don't baby it - I work in broad strokes covering large sections at once. It's much faster like this and the surface can handle it.
Once there's a thin layer of soapiness splattered on, I get to work. I go over it with once with a damp cloth and then another time with a dry cloth to scoop everything up.
Side note: Harsh chemicals are a no-no, but vinegar is more or less acceptable if you dilute it. Both, however can cause discolouration despite matte finishes being tough.
Cleaning Gloss Laminate
Glossy surfaces, as you can expect, are fingerprint and grease monkeys. I would know because we literally have them in our own home (mum's video is proof!). The dirtiest doors in our home is the cabinet above the stove, but the others don't get let off the hook either. These cupboards need weekly care if you want to even think about maintaining them.
Professional insights
- Go with very soft flat headed mops or microfibre cloths here. Glossy laminates are ruthless at revealing scratches when under glare or bright lights.
- Oftentimes, as the video showed, cleaner will drip down the cupboard door as you clean. So if you're working above the stove, unless you enjoy the extra work, cover it first with a half-folded towel.
- Then, run your cloth alongside the bottom edge of the doors to sweep up any dripping residue.
Tip: I wouldn't recommend paper towels for this cabinet type since they're a bit too rough. Though it is a convenient fallback if you really can't be bothered.
Cleaning Textured Laminate
I'm gonna be honest - the first thing I do when I see these kinds of cupboards is touch them. Running my nails along the ridges is something I've been doing as a kid and am probably never gonna stop doing. These cabinets are super stylish and I wouldn't mind installing these in any of my own homes in the future. They're kind of groovy, which weirdly means that rougher cloths actually work better.
Professional insights
- I like using an older rag just because the tatteredness easily gets into the gaps of the raised textures.
- Clean toothbrushes are also effective when it comes to getting into the grooves. If only toothpaste wasn't just a bit too harsh, all the stars would have aligned...
- The tradeoff with the grooviness is higher potential for mould however. My suggestion is to be unrelenting with every drop of moisture that you encounter.
Optional: If you're a clean freak, you can use a steam cleaner on 'low' to get into the gaps. This will be a very thorough clean, but again, ensuring complete dryness is key.
Cleaning Acrylic Laminate
Acrylic cupboards are by far the most aesthetically pleasing. They offer a glass-like shine and high reflectivity. The caveat sadly is that there's no in-built scratch resistance.
Professional insights
- Super weird reference, but if you've done calligraphy, that's the care level you need with these. One overly heavy wipe and you're looking at permanent marks etching in.
- Take extra care when moving pots and pans around the kitchen. You don't want to be bumping into and leaving these cabinets looking clawed. There are also some other things to be careful of. Things like utensils, appliance cords, hell, even jewellery and belt buckles. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so I feel the need to mention these things from a care perspective.
- One thing I will say though is this. Don't even think about using anything besides microfibre cloths. Softness here is your best friend, with no exceptions.
Keep in mind: Distribute your wiping pressure and never press too hard even with microfibre.
Cleaning High Pressure Laminate (HPL)
I think the name is a good giveaway as to how much sh*t this type of material can handle. HPL and durability go hand in hand, so it's good for people with several children around the house. That said, durable isn't invincible, so don't go whacking it too bravely.
Professional insights
- Here's the irony. HPL is the most durable. But it can also look the most beat up if you get too lazy with the cleaning.
- Here's the other thing. Unlike acrylic, you can be slightly more aggressive with it when you're cleaning.
- Finally, it still doesn't hurt to use organic cleaning products despite HPL's toughness.
Important: People think "high pressure" means they can scrub their asses off (it's still best not to do that). Also, because it's supposedly "high-pressure", we tend to neglect it more than we should. When you're dealing with grease, it just doesn't help if you let it dry and crust into oblivion.
Restoring and Maintaining Shine
- Avoid hanging wet cloths over cupboard doors. This is actually a big one that I see people do all the time. I'll admit, I'm guilty of this every time I stay at a hotel (sorry, housekeeping!). But when it comes to home care, definitely refrain from this.
- Do weekly cleaning. This is in an ideal world unless you're an ultra-disciplined individual (which I'm not). But it really does stop that stubborn buildup from scaling into a bigger problem.
- Catch spills in the moment. I know what it's like when saliva dries out and reflects light directly. It's not pretty. And yes, laminate is child-friendly, but you need to stay vigilant with what gets left on surfaces.
- Use handles where possible to minimise finger marks. I'm definitely very lazy when it comes to this. I often use the bottom of the cupboard door to open it out of boredom, probably 50% of the time. But right, this is a cleaning guide, and I'm a professional, so I should probably be advising against this.
FAQs
How often should I clean them?
Once a week ideally, but realistically once every couple of weeks. It doesn't hurt to spot clean right then and there though as soon as you notice anything strange.
What about vinegar? Is that suitable for laminate cabinets?
It's acceptable but you're running a bit of a risk, and an unnecessary one at that. With the amount of options available nowadays, why use vinegar? It's too acidic in general when you're potentially dealing with delicate surfaces.
The grease buildup is so thick it's not coming off. What now?
This is one of the times when baking soda can actually help. Baking soda is safe on most laminates, but I'd suggest doing a quick spot-test first. It's mildly abrasive, but it's worth a shot if the grease gets too bad.
Worst case, if making a baking soda paste doesn't work, consider a proper refinishing.
My white/light coloured laminate has yellowed over time. Is this fixable?
Unfortunately, UV yellowing is usually permanent. Though further yellowing can be deterred by keeping the blinds closed when it's sunny. For cooking-related incidents, you can try baking soda as well, but even then, it might be hard to revert.
Final Thoughts
To be honest, if it weren't for cleaning out of necessity for my job, I'd have lots of trouble staying consistent. However, with the trick my mum uses, I don't see why consistency would be difficult. That said, don't overthink things too much. They're just cupboard doors at the end of the day.
More Kitchen Upkeep Guides
I'm a big believer of spotless sinks because of their place in the kitchen. If you'd like, read my stainless steel sink cleaning guide.
I'll also confess to ruining baking trays at home from chicken baking. They're almost completely toast because of me. Although, I have figured out how to recover burnt trays for the most part. Here's how you can too.
Also. I'm an advocate of clean cutting boards. I hate it when my dad disrespects the fact that when raw meat touches it, it needs ASAP decontamination. I show you how to decontaminate a wooden chopping board here.
Beyond these points, I watch my mum clean the stovetop everyday in this really unique way. I'll share this some other time, but for now, see my complete stovetop cleaning guide.
Finally, I'm a big enjoyer of coffee in the mornings and tea at night. This means my kettle gets used a lot and limescale builds up heaps. Here's my method on how to tackle that.
