Cleaning Inside Kitchen Cabinets and Drawers When You Move Out

That Cleaning Girl · Move-In / Move-Out

Cabinets are the quiet part of a move-out clean. Nobody looks inside them while you live there, but the moment they are empty, every crumb, coffee ring and sticky spill shows up. Once the appliances are done, which we covered in How to Clean Inside the Oven, Fridge and Dishwasher Before You Move Out, cabinets are the next job in the kitchen.

The good news: cabinets are fast once you have a system. The bad news: there are usually more of them than you think. Most kitchens have more doors and drawers than you would guess, and bathrooms, laundry rooms and hall closets add more.

Empty them all before you start

It sounds obvious, but half-empty cabinets slow everything down. Pack or toss every item, including the junk drawer, the cleaning supplies under the sink and the forgotten cans at the back of the pantry. Take out any shelf liner you added. If you are renting and the liner was there when you moved in, check your move-in notes before pulling it up.

Pulling liner can leave sticky residue. A little cooking oil or a citrus adhesive remover on a cloth softens it, then a wipe with warm soapy water takes off the oily film.

Work top to bottom, cabinet by cabinet

Start with the upper cabinets so crumbs and dust fall onto shelves you have not cleaned yet. For each one:

• Vacuum crumbs out of the corners with a brush or crevice tool.
• Wipe the shelves, walls and ceiling of the cabinet with warm water and a little dish soap.
• Wipe the inside of the door, which often has drip marks from reaching in with wet hands.
• Wipe the hinges, where grease and dust collect in the little gaps.
• Dry each shelf so it does not leave water marks on wood or laminate.

Then move to the lower cabinets and drawers. Drawers are easier if you pull them out entirely, if they come out, and shake the crumbs over a trash can before wiping.

The cabinets near the stove need a degreaser

Cabinets on either side of the stove and the ones above it pick up a thin layer of cooking grease. It feels tacky and catches dust, which turns into a brownish film. Plain water just smears it. Use a degreasing cleaner or warm water with a good squirt of dish soap, then wipe again with a clean damp cloth so no residue is left. Go easy on painted or older wood cabinets. Test any new product on the inside of a door first.

Do not forget the tops and the fronts

Cabinet tops, the space between the upper cabinets and the ceiling, are often the dirtiest spot in the kitchen. Dust lands there and sticks to the cooking grease. You will need a step stool. Wipe with degreaser, then a dry cloth. If you can only reach it with a stretch, do not risk it. A long-handled duster with a damp cloth wrapped around it works in a pinch.

Then do the outside of every door and drawer front, the handles and the knobs. Handles are touched every day and hold more grime than people realize. The edges of the doors, especially at the bottom of the lower cabinets, catch splashes and kicks.

Under the sink

The cabinet under the kitchen sink deserves its own step. It often has old drips from the disposal, cleaning product rings and maybe a little water damage. Wipe it down well and let it dry with the door open. While you are down there, look for any leaks. If you see a drip, mention it to your landlord or buyer rather than leaving it to be found later. Bathroom vanities are the same: hair, makeup dust and spilled products love the bottom shelf.

Pantries, linen closets and the laundry room

Pantry shelves collect flour dust, sugar crystals and sticky syrup rings. Vacuum them first, then wipe. Linen closets are mostly dust and lint, which a damp cloth handles quickly. In the laundry room, the cabinet above the washer is a magnet for detergent drips and lint. Wipe the shelves and check behind the machines if they are staying with the house.

Around here, plenty of homes in Red Oak and Midlothian have big walk-in pantries with wire shelving. Wire shelves are easier to wipe with a damp microfiber glove than a cloth, because you can grab each wire as you go.

Leave the doors open for the inspection

Once the cabinets are clean and dry, leaving a few doors open does two things. It lets everything air out, and it shows the next person or the inspector at a glance that you did the inside. A clean, empty cabinet looks cared for. A closed one makes people wonder.

A small job that makes a big impression

Cabinets take patience more than skill. Put on a podcast, work in order and the whole kitchen can be done in a reasonable stretch of time. When the next person opens a cabinet and finds it spotless, it sets the tone for the whole house. For the full empty-home clean, see our move-out cleaning services.