Tell Me About Your White Kitchen Cabinets!

I went from having wood stained cabinets to white painted cabinets and it has helped me keep my cabinets cleaner. Cabinets get dirty and greasy no matter what color they are. With my wood stained I could ignore them for longer, but once I got around to cleaning them they were so nasty it was nearly impossible to get off the greasy residue. With my white cabinets I notice the dirt long before they get horrible. I can then do a quick wipe down and I am done. More frequent cleaning, but much quicker and easier to clean often, if that makes sense.

I have a 4 year old and an 11 year old and those cabinets get SO dirty! Just keep a ton of magic erasers around!

I have white cabinets and can't wait to repaint my kitchen some other color. I HATE white.

I really like white cabinets. I have them now, in my 1920s apartment kitchen, and I grew up with them in the farmhouse we lived in. The house I was in previously had dark wood cabinets. Sure, things don't show as much on a darker color, but they are just as dirty.

I have "ivory" cabinets and I wouldn't trade them for the world. Just love the look with the black granite countertops. With this combo, you do see a lot of "fingerprints", but it's the price I'll pay as I wouldn't want anything else.

I have a 9 and 4 year old, and we have always tried to teach our kids to keep their hands off the walls/furniture/cabinets, and to wash them whenever they're sticky. I have to say, they do a pretty good job for their age. I've had house guests (adults) who have spilled juice/coffee/etc... and not wiped it off the cabinets. UGH! I usually try to wipe down my cabinets every 2 months or so. It's not a big deal as I did it with our old oak cabinets in our former home. I'm a freak about a clean kitchen, so that's just me.

I say go for it! The cabinets are cleanable!

I agree with Kris S,, No matter what color your cabinets are they get dirty. Do you really want to be touching the greasy dirty germy cabinets more just because you cant see the dirt on dark wood? We had dark stained cabinets in the house we bought 34 yrs ago. I hated the dark. I didnt see the dirt much, but it was there and I couldnt get them clean after a while. A few years ago we remoddled and I had white cabinets put in. I LOVED them! I saw L. smudges, and splatters, but Id wipe it off and then they whole kitchen looked great. It was simple to clean while on the phone, on hold, chatting, or whatever. I had the kids do the lower cabinets now and then as chores. Now that we moved to a new home with medium wood cabinets I really miss the white. Im seriously considering painting these but not sure yet. If I can get new cabinet doors that I like better, then they will be white. Get a top quality paint that can be washed and scrubbed and no texture to hold grime.

My son's favorite job from age 2-6 was washing the cabinets. Everyday when I did the counters, he did the cabinetry! Age 2-3 it wasnt any 'help' really, but 4,5,6? I had the cleanest cabs ever! When he switched to floor washing (sniff!) after years of never having to wash them, I just plain forget.

Yes. White cabinets show EVERYTHING. Ever drip, grease dusting, dust on the grease. They really need to be washed at least once a week, and preferably more often.

The places that get the worst are the knobb pull areas.

They more texture you have (beadboard, distressing, etc.) the less it shows. A L. harder to clean, but worth it IMHO, to not need to wipe down daily.

I have had white cabinets in the past and was suprised how well they stood up to daily use. When we bought the house w/ the white cabinets I was really concerned, but it turns out they hid more of the drips and dust than the cherry cabinets I have now. I say go for it. Although, I'm not sure how they would handle crayon or something else like that. A 2 & 4 yr old may see a blank canvas.... ;)

We have white cabinets. The cabinets are the original redwood cabinets in our 50 year old house which have been painted. They make our small kitchen feel bigger and work with our redwood ceilings which are hard to match. Our kids are 10 and 14 and have always lived in this house so the white cabinets have survived two grubby children thus far. Yes they get dirty but they can be wiped down and painted. The kids actually love to wipe down the cabinets when it's chore day (probably because it's easier than vacuuming). I wouldn't let the cleanability keep you from getting white if that's what you like. They wipe clean so easily. My two cents...

My house came with cabinets that had been painted white a long time ago (apparently they were originally dark-stained wood). They didn't look so hot when I bought the house and proceeded to look worse and worse as time went on. Two years ago I decided to bite the bullet and repaint them (plus add updated hardware). It was a bigger job than anticipated, but I painted them a cream/cottage white and they look fantastic. Of course they get smudges and need to be wiped down (I use the magic sponge), but the off-white looks cleaner than pure white while maintaining the airy look of a white kitchen.

Love my white cabinets. They are 9 years old and still look brand new. I have a 4, 6, 7, yr old and always have a ton of kids in my house. They are so easy to wipe down when needed, whether it's a baby wipe, or a magic eraser. Personally I would prefer white cabinets to show the yuck so I can clean it up easy & fast rather than dark wood that will soak it in and build up the yuck over time.

We have antique white cabinets (they came with the house) and for the longest time, I would get frustrated b/c we didn't have any touch-up paint to cover up any flaws that happened over the years. I didn't want to paint them and it was way too expensive to replace them.

So I discovered distressing. I distressed all cabinets and gave them the "worn" look. They look amazing now and I'm so glad I did it.

We painted ours white to brighten the kitchen, but it was a mistake. They showed every L. smudge and speck of dirt. With kids it was awful. We finally just redid our kitchen and went with wood.

I have white cabinets too, and they are too high for my son to mess them up( when he was younger). Now at 8, yes their are more dirty handprints on them, but when I clean the kitchen, I just take a chlorox wipe and wipe the cabinets and counter tops..It isn't too bad, really.

I've had white cabinets a few times and if you can keep up on cleaning them (just a quick wipe down) maybe once a month, then they look great! But if you don't ever wipe them down, then yes, they will show EVERYTHING.

My white kitchen cabinets are ALWAYS dirty! I have to dust and wash them more than any other room in the house because I cook a lot and the grease and steam cause the dust to lay and it builds up quick. They also always have finger prints on them, dirty finger prints. Also, any L. splash or drip is a huge eye soar and will not go unnoticed, at least not by the person who cleans, but can go unnoticed for days by anyone else in the house ;).

I don't know anyone else with white cabinets but I don't think anyone with darker colored cabinets have to wash theirs as much as I do. Sure they make the kitchen brighter and feel more spacious but it's not worth the hassle, especially if you are going to have a lot of them. There you have my two cents on choosing white....DON'T!!!

As a general rule, white shows more dirt.
Thus, you need to wipe them clean, more often.

However, wood cabinets, no matter what color, IS finished with a lacquered clear coat, on top of the stain.
Or, there are colored lacquer finishes. Of which white is one of the colors.

Because cabinets are lacquered, you can wipe them, with a damp cloth etc. To get off smudges etc. Because the lacquer, protects the wood and seals it.

If the cabinets you have in mind are NOT lacquered, then you should have it done.
The lacquer, protects the wood and finish more and makes it more resistant, to moisture, and protects it against wear and tear.

Lacquer finishes are not the same as shellac or polyurethane or varnish.
Only a Professional should apply the lacquer finish, because it has to be done in a dust-free environment.

I am assuming, the antique white cabinets you are thinking of, is also wood. That is antique white in style and color.
Not synthetic materials.

I like that my white cabinets brighten up the kitchen. I also have a 4yo and 2yo, and yea, there are some food spots on the cabinets/drawers that I need to wipe up, but frankly, I'd prefer to be able to see the spots and clean them up, than have spots there that I cannot see and have that food/dirt building up! LOL!

I love mine, they are painted white over some dark stain, but since they have been sealed they are easy to wipe down, no big deal really. If it was more of a flat finish then they would be harder to clean, but I doubt you would get that. My kids are 4 and 6 and crazy messy.

My answer would have been the same as Christnia N.

I have white cabinets. Even before we had our daughter, they always attracted dirt. So now you can imagine.

It's like one more thing to wipe down in the kitchen.

If you are a clean machine than go for it!