How to Clean Greasy Kitchen Cabinet Hardware?

The kitchen looks 30 % dirtier if the cabinet hardware is greasy. Who likes the gray and black gunk over the polished surface?

Cleaning the kitchen doesn’t only include cleaning the dishes, my friend. So, if you want the kitchen to look like the Instagram interior dreams, get the brush ready to scrub off the grease!

Today, we will talk about three different methods on how to clean greasy kitchen cabinet hardware. And after these, the handles and hinges of your cabinet will shine like diamonds!

Methods to Clean Greasy Kitchen Cabinet Hardware

Here, we have a list of three different methods of cleaning the oil and grease from the cabinet hardware. If you want it clean- you’ve to work for it!

Vinegar Cleaning:

Vinegar has always been one of the top favorites of homeowners when we talk about any kitchen cleaning situation.

Just like that, you can clean the grease off your kitchen cabinet hardware with vinegar too! For this, you will need to make a vinegar solution- try out this method!

1. First of all, you have to get your hands on vinegar. But here, you will need white vinegar- keep this in mind. About ½ cup of distilled white vinegar will do the job for you. Also, you will need some water to make the solution.

Get some water in a bowl. In ½ cup of water, you have to put the vinegar. Here, the ratio of vinegar and water will be 1:1

2. Now that the mixture is ready, you have to get a spray bottle. This bottle will help you spray the solution on the greasy hardware. First, pour the mixture into the spray bottle and add the cap. To ensure that the ingredients are mixed, you must give it a good shake

3. It’s time to spray the solution on your hardware. But well, we recommend not spraying it directly on the hardware as the paint on the cabinet might get ruined. Get a rag on your hands and spray it on the rag. Ensure that the rag isn’t dripping wet but damp.

4. Now, you are free to wipe the hardware with the help of the rag. Rub the hardware properly with the soaked rag. You might need to reapply the vinegar solution on the rag and rub off the grime once again.

Use an old toothbrush for cleaning off the tough-to-reach areas. But how to clean sticky kitchen handles? As we have mentioned- use a toothbrush!

5. And finally, you can wipe down the vinegar from the hardware with a clean rag, and you are done! The hardware will be grime-free for a while! You have to go for this method once again after a few days to keep the hardware neat.

If cleaning is not giving you the right vibe, you can simply reface the kitchen to bring a change! But is it worth to reface kitchen cabinets? That’s something you should know before you invest!

Soapy Water Cleaning

And how do you get grease off kitchen cabinet handles? You can settle for this simple soapy water cleaning method if you want to clean the everyday grease on your cabinet hardware. Here’s how to do it!

1. First of all, you have to get your hands on a bowl. Heat some water and fill the bowl with that warm water. Here, you will need a bit of dishwashing liquid soap.

Dishwashing soap works great for the regular grease buildup on your cabinet hinge, handles, and other hardware. You can also go for an olive-based soap instead of dishwashing liquid- both will do the same job.

2. Once you have added the dishwashing liquid soap into the water, give it a good mix. Make sure that the liquid soap has dissolved in water. Squish the water a little and you will see suds!

3. Now, you are ready to clean the hardware of your kitchen cabinets. Get a hold of a rag and dip it onto the warm soapy water. Take it out and wring it now.

4. Start cleaning the kitchen cabinet hardware with that rag. You have to wipe the hardware of your cabinet carefully. Rub the rag and take off the grease buildup. At times, there can be tough grime buildup.

In that case, an old toothbrush can help you out. Use the brush for scrubbing the specific areas. It will help you clean the precise areas. Get the toothbrush into the soapy water and take off the grease by scrubbing it on the cabinet hardware.

5. When you are done, you have to give the hardware a final cleaning. Get some clean water and get the rag inside the clean water.

Once again, wring it out and start cleaning the soapy water from the hardware. Wipe out the dishwasher soap on the body for the hardware and you are done! You can use dry chamois cloth in this step too.

It will help you restore the shine and polish of the hardware. And if you break any drawer slides while going through the process, you must take a look at the best drawer slides for cabinets! 

The Old Gunk Cleaning

When it comes to very old gunk and grime, the vinegar or dishwasher soap method can be less fruitful. In this case, no more half-measures; instead, go for a more powerful way of cleaning.

And we must mention that it’s not an everyday cleaning method as it includes taking off the hardware for cleaning purposes.

Once in a blue moon, if you plan to clean the kitchen from top to toe- this is worth it! When you ask- how to clean metal handles on kitchen cabinets, we bet this is what you need!

1. Firstly, you need to get your hands on all the hardware of the cabinet and take them off. Well, saying it is easy but removing all the hardware will take a good deal of time.

For the job, a screwdriver can help you. Take out all the screws and remove the hardware one by one. At times, the screws can be on the inside.

In this case, using a drill will make the job quicker. Check out how to remove drawer from cabinets and get your hands on all of the hardware so that you can clean them!

2. Now that all the screws are out, certify that you are storing them in a safer place. If you lose one screw, it will be difficult for you to add the hardware back. Take a bowl or a bottle and store the screws.

3. Once the screws are secured in a safer place, you have to check the hardware. Get a hold of all the hardware and get it inside a bucket. In that bucket, you have to make a mixture of vinegar and water. Make sure the water is warm. Also, the amount of vinegar and water will be equal.

4. We have cleaned the hardware with a rag before. But in this step, we will keep the hardware soaked in the water for a while. As the gunk is old, you need to afford the time to get rid of it.

Let it soak for a few hours. It’s best if you get it to stay there for the night. This will loosen the age-old grease and gunk and make it easier for you to clean it.

5. After a few hours, you have to take out the hardware from the water. And now, dump that vinegar water. Once again, fill up your bucket with warm water. But instead of vinegar, now, we will add Dawn soap.

Go for a big squirt of soap into the water and give it a good mix. Once again, put all the hardware into the bucket of soapy water.

6. Wait for an hour and let the hardware soak into that water. After the specific period, go back and check the hardware. The gunk will be falling off on its own. This is when you start your scrubbing process.

Get your hands on a rag and go for scrubbing. Gentle scrubbing will mostly do the job but go a little extra if needed.

7. For the tough-to-reach location, just like before, you have to use an old toothbrush. Scrub off the areas with the brush and the rag until the entire gunk is gone.

8. Dump the previous water and add clean water to the bucket now. It’s time to add the hardware again and give it a good shower. You are done cleaning the greasy kitchen cabinet hardware. Now, you can add the hardware to the cabinet and secure them with the screws!

Wrap Up

There are several other ways to clean off the grease and gunk from the hardware. But these methods are the most fruitful and easier ones out there. If you go for everyday cleaning, you won’t have a buildup of gunk. If the gunk is old, keep in mind that it will take more time. This means- you have to provide more effort to take it off!