Caring for a wooden bathroom vanity cupboard

Although we have already looked at general ways to clean your vanity, one constructed of wood such as oak or cherry needs special care. These vanity cabinets can last a lifetime if looked after properly. Over time however, they may need a little maintenance work, especially if you have children who like opening cupboard doors!

Cleaning

Never use any abrasive cleaners or cloths on your wooden surface. This will ruin it over time, removing any sealant and eventually letting water and steam from your bath or shower penetrate the wood, ruining it.

To clean your vanity cabinet, use warm water with a little added oil soap or even a dish washing detergent – a mild one, however. Many oil soaps are perfect for wooden surfaces. Now take a soft cloth, thoroughly soaking it in the water and soap solution. Wring it out before beginning to wipe the cabinet clean. Clean and dry as you moved through the panels of the vanity. Consider a few drying cloths as your first may become too damp. Clean your vanity in this way every week.

Maintenance and repair

A well-built wooden vanity constructed out of oak or a similar wood is a fixture you will have in your bathroom for a long time. Needless to say, other than proper cleaning, it will require maintenance from time to time. What should you be looking out for?

Scratches

Scratches in a wooden surface are a fact of life, especially if you have kids. They need to be dealt with quickly as in a bathroom environment, mold is a real possibility. Use the method above to first clean the scratched area. Now sand gently around the scratch, eventually the it will disappear. Finally, reapply wood stain.

Door handles

Clean wooden door handles every week as you clean the rest of the vanity. If you have metal handles and they begin to fade, remove them from the doors and soak in a solution of 2 cups of warm water and ½ a cup of ammonia for around fifteen minutes. The ammonia will help to breakdown any grime on the door handles, but use a small brush to get into the corners to clean thoroughly.

Adjusting doors

At times you may need to make adjustments to the cabinet doors, especially if they are not hanging correctly. Usually, this is easily achieved by tightening the screws holding the door to its hinges as well as where the hinges fasten to the vanity cabinet itself.

If this doesn’t line the doors up effectively, you may need to rehang them. To do this, remove the door and reposition properly. Make marks for where the hinges will now sit, drill new holes and reattach the doors. If you are unsure of this step or have never rehung cabinet doors, consider calling a professional to do the job as there are only so many areas where the hinges can be placed.

Caring for a wooden bathroom vanity cupboard

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