This post contains affiliate links, please read our disclosure policy.
I am over here in full on kitchen renovation mode. I am starting to prep my kitchen cabinets to paint them. Funny thing with cabinets if you want the paint to last you need to prep them. Prep work is very important I cannot stress this enough. Last week I shared my plans for the kitchen renovation and this week it is underway!
Now there are a lot of paint out there that will say no prep work needed. Even if the paint says that you need to clean your cabinets. The importance of cleaning them is to degrease them. When you are cooking grease becomes airborne and clings to anything in site including your cabinets. Over the years the grease builds up. Painting over grease just seems like a bad idea to me. Even if you’re not painting your cabinets and just doing some Spring cleaning this will work for you to.
This post contains affiliate links
So what is this TSP I speak of? Trisodium Phosphate is a chemical that is found in most cleaning solutions. We are just going to be using a more concentrated powder that we will dilute in warm water.
What You’ll Need
- 3 Gallon Bucket
- 2- Quart Bucket
- TSP
- Sponge
- Rags
- Rubber Gloves
Now I happened to facebook live to process of cleaning the cabinets if you would like to view it below or you can just keep reading.
Step 1
Remove your cabinet doors from the cabinet boxes. The first thing you are going to do is in your quart bucket measure 4oz or a 1/2 cup of TSP. Then fill your larger bucket with 2 gallons of warm water. Pour the 1/2 cup of TSP into the water and using a paint stirrer stir the water dissolving the powder. In your second quart bucket fill it with clean water.
Step 2
Set yourself up a workstation that gives you the room to wash a few cabinet doors at once. There is some dry time so the more doors you can wash at once the better.
Step 3
Make sure to put your rubber gloves on. This TSP is concentrated so you just don’t want to irritate and small cut or opening on your hands. Saturate your sponge in the bucket and start wiping down the doors. I like to go with the grain of the wood and also concentrating on the corners and close to the handles. This is where grease and dirt tends to build up.
Step 4
Using a rag saturated in the clean water and start to go over the doors that you just cleaned a few minutes ago. This will help take up any excess grease and also rinse the TSP.
And that’s it. It was easy as that. These are just the doors you are going to do the exact same thing to the cabinets on the wall. My next step is going to be to sand the cabinets before painting.
There seems to be a lot going on upstairs so I want to leave you with this beautiful photo. At least it shows progress and can you hear me singing from Massachusetts. Do you spot what I am singing about!? A full size dishwasher!!!! Who knew I could be so excited about dishes.
So many projects are in the making with this kitchen so make sure to check back. Also if you are looking to remove your current backsplash make sure you check out how I removed mine here.
Thank you so much for this. My cabinets are already painted white. I would like to clean them and am wondering if you have suggestions. I assume it does not require the tsp atthat strength.
I am wondering the same thing but my cabinets are like a glossy finish, they are not painted but it’s some kind of glossy finish ,(the cabinets came that way). I wonder if tsp would be ok to use? I live in an apartment the cabinets are new and I assume whatever very cheap glossy white cabinet material is what they used.
I am not sure. I used this on oak cabinets. I would be hesitant since we don’t know the material especially if you are renting.