A major factor in how long your kitchen will look like new depends on how it is maintained and cleaned. Here are a few easy things you can do to help keep your finishes looking like new:
Always immediately dry off your cabinets if they get wet. Often while doing dishes, water will splatter on the cabinet doors. After doing dishes, take a dry microfiber cloth and dry off any moisture on the doors or frame.
If something gets on your cabinet doors or drawers such as coffee or ketchup, immediately wipe it off with a slightly damp microfiber cloth. A little bit of gentle dish soap can be added to the cloth for stubborn stains.
Avoid using harsh cleaners or Magic Eraser sponges. The high PH in harsh cleaners will prematurely break down most finishes and Magic Erasers is essentially fine sandpaper which remove a small amount of finish with each wipe.
If doors or drawers are rubbing , adjust immediately. When drawers or doors rub, either on each other or a face frame, it can rub off the finish , which will make the door much more vulnerable to finish failure since now moisture can get into the wood itself.
If a door or drawer gets a ding, touch up immediately. Since dents, chips and dings can lead to moisture or chemical intrusion behind the finish, it's important to touch-up with a touch up kit. If one isn't available from your cabinet supplier, standard color touch up kits can be found at Home Depot or Lowes. If you can't locate a touch up kit and don't want to hire someone, you can usually get some color matched paint at your local paint store. Use an artist brush to carefully dab some paint on the effected area. This repair usually won't be invisible nor will it be as durable as the original finish, but it is better than nothing since it will seal the wood.
Don't leave doors open! This may seem obvious but in my experience most broken cabinet doors are from them being left open and someone walking or bumping into it , which can break the joint between the hinge stile and rails .
Keep the environment temperature and humidity controlled. Wood is susceptible to changes in humidity and extremes in either direction can cause warping and excessive stress on joints.
Avoid direct UV light exposure: UV light will alter the color of wood and finishes fairly quickly. Newer double-glazed windows help block some of the UV light, but UV blocking window films ensure that the vast majority of UV rays are blocked.
I hope these tips help you. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at phil@perriswoodworks.com
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