Cleaning 30+ years of gunk off kitchen cabinets???? how?

[NMDemDist2]

i tried Murphy's, Dawn dish-washing liquid, if it strips the grease it takes the finish with it......

Suggestions?

[japple]

1. Those Mr Clean Magic Erasers work great. Just wet them and start erasing!

You might need to lay in a supply as they wear out pretty quickly. They do a good job, though. Might be even better if you use in combination with something else like vinegar or ammonia.

[Kali]

2. super hot water and ammonia

lots of rinsing, still may strip finish

bottom line? tsp and repaint...

[NMDemDist2]

3. they aren't painted

i'd say they are walnut

[Kali]

4. well, if Dawn strips the finish, ammonia may do it too

but if they are solid would that may be the best bet anyway - strip and refinish...

I hear ya on the 30 years of gunk though. about ready to just toss the stove as opposed to cleaning the sides and back.

[friendly_iconoclast]

5. Try hand sanitizer (AKA 70% alcohol gel), a pile of rags, and elbow grease on an inconspicuous spot

It did a great job on a really gnarly looking side table I got dumpster diving.
It really brought back the grain, which looks like cherry or mahogany.

[NMDemDist2]

7. wow, never would have thought bout using that!

I'm thinking Simple Green, i don't have the time or energy to do a lot of elbow grease on 30+ cabinet doors.

[Lars39]

6. TSP De-greaser

Home Depot, Lowes etc

[NMDemDist2]

8. Simple Green maybe?

[Lars39]

9. I've never used that one before.

I've had results with Krud Kutter.
Saw a post on Pinterest about Borax and Dawn, but I didn't save it.
We bought a fixer-upper last year. I swear the cabinets had never been cleaned. The doors are cleaner after about a week and a half of scrubbing, but I ran into the same problem of clean versus stripped. I think at a certain point wood just can't be salvaged.
We're going to keep the boxes, make new doors and paint.

[NMDemDist2]

10. hmmmm... i'd love to paint

but hubby loves the wood look.

I'll probably have to have a cabinet guy refinish all the doors

[Lars39]

11. Ah, the great oak/paint gender divide!

My husband loves oak cabinets, with maple a close second!
Hopefully refinishing the doors won't be too pricey. At least they can take them and the smell elsewhere to work on them.

[NMDemDist2]

12. yup

that's our thinking too, let them take the doors to their shop

[demigoddess]

13. I've done a dirty kitchen clean up with ammonia and water on a bath towel.

I would follow up on wood cabinets after cleaning with lemon oil furniture polish. It should restore the wood after such a harsh cleaning. But it takes something like ammonia to clean that kind of gunk. Go over it twice in the scrubbing phase. the kitchen I did took me two or three days to clean. Renters who apparently fried a lot of their food and smoked.