Why Toronto Kitchen Cabinets Get So Greasy
Kitchen cabinet grease accumulation is one of the most common cleaning complaints from Toronto homeowners — and it's especially pronounced in the Toronto market for several reasons. Toronto's multicultural cooking culture (high rates of South Asian, Chinese, Caribbean, and Middle Eastern cuisine — all involving high-heat cooking with aromatic oils) generates significantly more airborne cooking vapour than a lighter-cooking household. That vapour — a fine oil mist — deposits continuously on the surfaces nearest the cooking zone: the range hood exterior and filter, the backsplash, and especially the cabinet faces on either side of and above the stove. Over weeks without dedicated cleaning, this film thickens and becomes tacky, trapping additional kitchen particulate (steam, flour, dried sauce splatter) into an increasingly difficult-to-remove layer.
Cabinet Exterior Cleaning — Degreasing the Faces
What You Need
- Dish soap (Dawn or similar degreasing dish soap — not an all-purpose cleaner)
- Warm water (hot enough to feel warm on your hands)
- Microfibre cloths (2–3 dedicated to kitchen cabinet cleaning)
- Soft-bristle toothbrush (for hinges, handles, and detailed areas)
- Optional: diluted white vinegar (1:4 ratio with water) for finishing step
The Method
- Mix solution: A few drops of dish soap in a bowl of warm water — not a spray bottle. You want a solution, not suds.
- Test on an inconspicuous area first: This is especially important for painted cabinets (flat or matte paint scratches) and wood cabinets (excessive moisture can lift veneer or warp solid wood). Behind the lowest cabinet face near the floor is usually the right test area.
- Wring the cloth well: The cloth should be damp, not wet. Excess moisture is the enemy of all cabinet finishes, especially painted MDF and real wood.
- Wipe with the grain (wood) or in one direction (painted): For wood veneer or solid wood cabinets, always wipe with the wood grain. For painted cabinets, wipe in consistent overlapping horizontal strokes.
- Work top to bottom: Any drips fall downward — start from the highest cabinets above the fridge and work down to the lower cabinets and the kick plate.
- Rinse with clean damp cloth: A second pass with a clean, plain-water-dampened cloth removes the soap residue that otherwise leaves a film.
- Dry immediately: A dry microfibre cloth or paper towel pass immediately after the rinse step — don't let moisture sit on any cabinet surface.
Stubborn Grease Spots
For the heavy, tacky grease accumulation directly adjacent to the stovetop — the build-up that doesn't release with standard dish soap solution — apply undiluted dish soap directly to the cloth and work the affected area with gentle circular pressure. On particularly stubborn spots (months of accumulation), a paste of baking soda and dish soap (1:1 ratio) applied for 5 minutes before wiping can break through without scratching the finish. Commercial degreasers (Murphy's Oil Soap for wood cabinets, Fantastik or 409 for painted or laminate) are appropriate for severe build-up.
Inside Cabinet Cleaning
Inside kitchen cabinet shelves should be emptied and cleaned annually (or bi-annually in high-cooking households). Remove all items, wipe the shelf liner or the shelf surface with a damp cloth, check for expired food, and allow to dry fully before returning items. Cabinet interiors near the stovetop accumulate grease vapour through even small gaps in the cabinet face — these will need the same degreasing treatment as the exterior faces.
Cabinet Hardware
Handles and knobs are high-touch surfaces that accumulate grease and grime rapidly — and are often the most visually obvious dirty surface on an otherwise clean cabinet face. Use a soft-bristle brush (toothbrush) with dish soap solution to clean around the hardware mounting points; for metal hardware, a quick wipe with a diluted white vinegar cloth removes water spots and oxidation film.
Professional Kitchen Deep Cleaning in Toronto
Inside cabinets, inside the oven, inside the refrigerator, range hood filter, and comprehensive cabinet face degreasing are all included in Maidless's deep clean service. Book a Toronto kitchen deep clean at maidless.ca/ontario. All supplies included, HST 13%, 4.9★ rated.