<p>I know this was discussed but I can’t seem to find the old thread. DH and I would like to clean and coat our oak cabinets. They just need a good cleaning. They have that “around the handles” grime and it does not wipe off. These are a honey oak finish. Need to clean and coat them. Any suggestions???</p>
<p>(CC is my source for ALL good information)</p>
<p>Orange glo: [url=<a href=“http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1420129&CAWELAID=328720285]Orange”>Orange Glo Orange Scent Wood Cleaner and Polish 16 oz Liquid - Ace Hardware]Orange</a> Glo® Wood Cleaner & Polish (11995) - 6 Pack - Furniture Polish - Ace Hardware<a href=“you%20don’t%20need%20a%20six-pack%20but%20it%20was%20the%20first%20link%20I%20found”>/url</a>. Just make sure you use it with lots of ventilation as the fumes will make you very stupid and dizzy. (I learned this the hard way.) (But the cabinets looked amazing.)</p>
<p>dm,</p>
<p>Would that work on 20+ years of “loving use”?</p>
<p>So, which is better, the Orange Glo, this:</p>
<p>[Murphy's</a> Oil Soap® with Orange Oil (01030) - 12 Pack - All Purpose Cleaners - Ace Hardware](<a href=“Murphy Orange Scent Oil Soap Liquid 22 oz - Ace Hardware”>Murphy Orange Scent Oil Soap Liquid 22 oz - Ace Hardware)</p>
<p>or something else?</p>
<p>I’ve already tried Murphy’s Oil Soap…it did not get the “around the handle grime” off. This stuff is not on the surface…otherwise it would wipe off.</p>
<p>Did you take the handles off before cleaning them?</p>
<p>Well, I’ve used the Orange Glo on some really beat-up old wood and it looks great when I’m done. Then I wax with good old-fashioned Butcher’s Wax: [Amazon.com:</a> 1LB AMB Paste Wax: Kitchen & Dining](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/BUTCHER-POLISH-910-01-1LB-Paste/dp/B000AS37SY/ref=pd_sim_k_1]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/BUTCHER-POLISH-910-01-1LB-Paste/dp/B000AS37SY/ref=pd_sim_k_1)</p>
<p>Fender…we actually don’t have handles. But we have the same “grime” where our fingers touch to open the doors. I’ll try that orange glo…it might work.</p>
<p>Today I tried something called Cabinet Wood Magic. I think the cabinets look better but it’s hard to tell.</p>
<p>dmd, this is good to know.</p>
<p>We’re in the same boat, hoping for good suggestions. All those nooks and crannies are full of gunk. I need to clean them so eventually I can paint them.</p>
<p>You could try baking soda and a damp cloth. That removed crayons of my bedroom wall, so it should remove sticky grime from your cabinets. Or maybe vinegar and water.</p>
<p>This “grime” is in the grain of the wood. I’m thinking I’m going to need TSP and then some kind of top coat for the cabinets.</p>
<p>I’m curious to know if we have the same cabinets, thumper. I have honey oak cabinets with no handles as well. :)</p>
<p>OK,</p>
<p>What is TSP?</p>
<p>Mine are honey oak w/o handles either!</p>
<p>After getting them in shape, though, I’m putting either knobs or handles.</p>
<p>I’m NOT putting knobs on…they cost too much. I would need 50 knobs!! Sorry too pricey. Plus it’s easier to wipe the plain cabinet than to wipe around the knobs.</p>
<p>Mine are Wood Mode, honey oak, raised panel cabinets. I LOVE them. But they need a “freshening up”.</p>
<p>and then I’ll get my new counters, sink and faucet and it will look like a new kitchen!!</p>
<p>Thumper, when I was moving into my house… My mother was out in the kitchen and I hear her counting something… which was odd since there was NOTHING in my kitchen yet. I went out and asked what she was counting and she goes “the amount of handles or knobs you are going to have to buy for this kitchen!”. To this day, I have not put on a single knob and every time she is over she’s out there pleading her case for me to have cabinet knobs, lol!</p>
<p>Dh likes TSP (just ask for it at a hardware store) and then I go over them with lemon oil. (He does woodworking as a hobby…built me an awesome cabinet for the den to hold the TV, Wii, etc, etc)
I use the Old English Lemon Oil on the cabinets near the sink/dishwasher to brighten them up. They are all red oak, stained honey. I’d like handles, but he really doesn’t want them. It’s not that big a deal to me, so they are handless.</p>
<p>Fendergirl…just tell your mom how much those handles cost EACH. She’ll stop counting them!!!</p>
<p>TSP is pretty nasty stuff. I’m going to wait until summer when I can open the windows to use it…if I end up going that route.</p>
<p>I too was thinking how expensive handles were, but then went ahead and bit the bullet (nowadays, Costco sells them in multipacks for less than a dollar a handle!).</p>
<p>[Costco</a> - Kitchen Cabinet Hardware By Imperial USA](<a href=“http://www.costco.com/Browse/Productgroup.aspx?Prodid=11312172&search=cabinet&Mo=101&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Sp=S&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=cabinet&Ntt=cabinet&No=0&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1]Costco”>http://www.costco.com/Browse/Productgroup.aspx?Prodid=11312172&search=cabinet&Mo=101&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Sp=S&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=cabinet&Ntt=cabinet&No=0&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1) </p>
<p>It was one of the best purchases I’ve made. I use a simple rule: I always wipe my fingers with a dish towel if I need to reach into one of the cabinets - it really keeps the wood clean. I keep plenty of kitchen towels around.</p>