“You are choosing white cabinets for your kitchen remodel?!?!?” -My mother. Yep, like most people when I first told them about our kitchen remodel plans they thought I was crazy for wanting WHITE kitchen cabinets (checkout out our kitchen remodel here). So after living with our white cabinets for over two years, I wanted to share with you my thoughts, pros and cons in a blog post:
CONS of White Kitchen Cabinets
1 You will see food spillage
Food spillage will happen in any kitchen. So if the food is dark it will most likely show on your cabinets. We do not cook much red sauces or dishes that create a lot of dark spillage so I can only remember one time I saw a red splash on one of my lower cabinets. I freaked out a little bit then used a wet paper towel to clean the mess up… that was it! No stain and my door looks good as new 🙂 If you have a good paint and finish on your white cabinets food spillage won’t be an issue.
If you think about any kitchen, what gets dirty the quickest and what do we wipe down the most??? The counter-tops! I wipe down my counter-tops almost everyday but with my white cabinets I would say I do spot wipes once a month and I clean them with soap and water once a year.
2 Dust
Since we have the shaker style doors on our cabinets, dust does tend to gather there over time. I dust once a month-ish and it takes me two minutes.
Honestly, these were the only cons I could think of. The lowers get dirtier than the uppers and the garbage cabinet gets the dirtiest. If you tend to spill a lot then white cabinets might not be for you.
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PROS of White Kitchen Cabinets
1 Light and Airy Feel
If you haven’t noticed light and airy is my jam! So the room I spend the most time in must be bright and beautiful. The light seems to bounce off the white and makes the kitchen feel bigger and more open. So this is probably my favorite part of having white kitchen cabinets.
2 Simplify the Space
I am all about simplifying my home and I really do think the neutral color of my cabinets helps simplify my kitchen. Kitchens can be so busy with appliances, toasters, knife sets and anything else that sits on our counter that the white really gives my kitchen a feeling of clean and simple.
3 White is Classic
White cabinets are timeless and classic. The fact that white is so neutral in color is why I think white cabinets never really go fully out of style.
4 Decorating will be easy
The white color of my cabinets really gives me a blank canvas to decorate any way that I want to. So when decorating your kitchen, the options are endless! You can choose wooden textures or bright colors or keep it plain and simple with a little bit of greenery. It’s also easy to switch out decor for whatever season or mood you are in!
Disclaimer:
I will say I do not have kids yet. I hear they are messy 😉 but I have had my niece and nephews over many times and I didn’t have any issues. I know so many families with white kitchen cabinets and they don’t seem to complain.
If you aren’t consistent with cleaning and do not plan on wiping down your cabinets ever do not choose white cabinets.
If you love white cabinets but are nervous about keeping them clean, don’t be! Like I said before, I try to wipe them down with a warm wet paper towel about once a month and then do a really good cleaning on them once a year. It’s easy!
Tips:
- Make sure to ask your designer, painter, or contractor about getting white cabinets that will wipe down easily. You don’t want them painted with a matte type finish.
- Dust the nooks and crannies on a regular basis.
- Use warm water and soap to clean cabinets (we do this once a year in the spring!).
- When you see food or a stain, clean it up quickly with a wet paper towel.
- Too scared to have an entire kitchen filled with white cabinets? Try using white cabinets as your uppers and do a fun color or wood stain on the lowers!
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