“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!
A lovely review you did here, however I must confess having a white kitchen decor puts on the consciousness of taking a stain serious. Thanks for sharing a wonderful tips
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Thank you!
Hi there Emily!
Thank you for your article and tips! I must say white cabinets look beautiful! I like gree with you with the tips you share about keeping it clean! I quite agree when you see food stand to clean it right away because it will stay in and it would not come out if you leave it for a long time! I miss you Jess Clorox wipe is something good to have it helps to keep it white and clean!
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Thank you!
Interesting point about decorating your white cabinets! I most often see people go with the clean bright white look, but decorating can certainly be fun!
Yes agreed!
Nice post!! It’s useful and helpful article for me. Thanks for sharing.
You are welcome! I’m glad it was helpful 🙂
Very nice post! It really helped me in my studies!
You are welcome!
Quality content is the main driver for users to go see a site and that’s what this website is providing. Thank you!
Thank you!
Great Tips!!
This is first I have read your blog. I love your outlook and reviews of white kitchen cabinets. Your presentation will help me to remodel my kitchen. Very helpful presentation to me. Thank you for the excellent sharing.
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Your are welcome 🙂
They indeed look good, thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you!
Lovely post! Glad I popped by your blog to check this out!
Hi Emily!
Loved your content. The way you gave pros and cons along with maintenance tips all in one article. White looks classic and luxurious. But, often it becomes quite a task to clean it up especially when you have kids at home. It becomes much easier to include secondary color as white goes with any other color, for instance, my favorite is white with dark green or white with beige. It creates a good balance, and easier to maintain. A touch of white always makes space more zen.
Hi Emily,
thanks for sharing wonderful tips. keeping the kitchen clean is not an easy task especially the white decor. Apart from the decor ideas, I want to know some useful kitchen appliances that are must carry as I am shifting to my new home. I am Lil bit confused. Looking forward to getting your response ASAP.
These are very easy to go to smoothie for busy moms too! Thanks for sharing this. I never tried adding unsweetened milk but I will try it this time.
I love my white lacquer and stainless cabinets, we entertain a lot have grandkids running in and out form a pool all summer 2 huge dogs they still look great 7 yrs later and I think they are no harder to clean than any other finish and color.
Hey, thanks a lot! Do you recommend using stainless steel?
Portella, I do really love our stainless steel appliances! I know there are even some stainless steel that don’t show finger prints which would be so nice!
Thank you for hosting this article! I got some emails in ideas out of your article! Which I could be using in the future! Looking forward to hear from you soon
You kitchen is really looking so beautiful and attractive. I love it. Amazing design of setting up the kitchen, thank you for sharing this great experience with us. Love this reading.
Great article. Most of the kitchens I install are white or light grey shaker style cabinets. I am a fan of white or grey painted cabinets. I also love grey washed cabinetry.
Thank you!
Thank you for hosting this article! I got some emails in ideas out of your article! Which I could be using in the future!
Just like your experience, my husband expressed his disappointment when I told him that I want white kitchen cabinets. He told me that those cabinets would be too hard to clean and would require extra work. However, I don’t mind doing those and spending extra hours cleaning the kitchen as long as I get to have the bright and beautiful feeling that you mentioned in this article by having them.
Lovely post! Glad I popped by your blog to check this out!
Make your kitchen as safe and family-friendly as possible by planning for good visibility to backyard and indoor play areas from the cooking area
This is a great help! Good thing I’ve read this. Thanks for sharing!
Wow!
I like your kitchen cabinet idea.
Thanks for excellent sharing
Jennifer Cef recently posted…Wood Versus Metal Pizza Peel | Which is the Best?
thanks for your helpful information.
I’m always following your blog.