I'm moving into a house this week, and it's my first time as a home buyer! The place was built in the 1960s and has only had one owner, so it's overall well maintained. However, while checking out the kitchen today, I noticed a few issues that I'd love some help with. The cabinets and handles are pretty greasy, and the walls have a similar problem. The shelves and drawers are painted but feel sticky – and honestly, I'm not a fan of the paint job. Also, there are Lazy Susan shelves in the corner cabinets that seem a bit odd. I'm looking for ways to mask these issues for now, possibly some upgrades I can do for under a thousand bucks. I'm not ready for a full kitchen remodel at this point, and ideally, I'd like to keep the cabinets and only work on the insides. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
5 Answers
When I moved into my older home, I faced similar issues. I removed all the handles and soaked them in an orange cleaner – they came out looking like new! For the Lazy Susans, I disassembled them and spray painted them to match my existing wallpaper, which I’m not ready to change yet.
Start by degreasing everything with a strong cleaner like TSP, and consider swapping out those cabinet handles for something fresh. Lining the shelves and drawers with peel-and-stick liners can help disguise that sticky paint too. A new coat of paint on the walls and some updated light fixtures would definitely make your kitchen feel a lot more modern without breaking the bank!
A quick fix is to use sugar soap on the cabinets and then line the drawers with some nice drawer liner paper. It helps with the stickiness! Installing a fan above the stove would be a big help too, especially when you're cooking.
For that grease problem, definitely check out TSP cleaner; it's super effective. If you want to deal with the sticky paint, Citristrip could help you strip it away and redo those surfaces yourself. Also, consider looking at Rev-A-Shelf for cabinet inserts to organize and upgrade your space without spending a lot.
You can give your cabinets, handles, and drawers a good clean using Dawn dish soap mixed with water. Just make sure to rinse them with clean water and dry everything thoroughly. I find microfiber towels really do the trick here.
That’s a great idea! I hadn’t thought about just painting the Lazy Susans. Thanks for the tip!