If you are thinking about the best way to make your kitchen cabinets last as long as possible, you are making a good decision. With the right care, kitchen storage cabinets last for many decades without many problems along the way.
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One maintenance problem that comes with modern kitchen cabinets, cheap kitchen cabinets, and wood kitchen cabinets. DIY kitchen cabinets and dark kitchen cabinets are humidification. If humidity gets trapped inside your kitchen cabinets, soon they can start to wear out.
For this post, our kitchen and bath remodelers, will give you their best kitchen cabinets ideas that will help protect them from humidification. After reading these incredible kitchen cabinet ideas, you can maintain them and protect your investment.
How To Organize Kitchen Cabinets
How you organize your kitchen cabinets can help with the amount of humidity that will get trapped inside them. You want to get as much airflow as possible, that way any moisture that is inside of the cabinets can move out of them in an efficient manner.
Basically, if the insides of your cabinets look as neat and orderly as possible, there will be better airflow. Not only does a well-organized cabinet look great, but it can help with preventing over-humidification as well.
A messy or cramped kitchen cabinet is a surefire way to end up with moisture or humidity problems. While it is always tempting to throw your food storage containers and dishes behind the doors of the cabinets where they won’t be seen, keeping them organized helps your cabinets last longer. The cost of kitchen cabinets can get very expensive, so keeping it organized and clean is essential to maintain it’s condition for a long time.
What Problems Does Humidification Cause?
Water and cabinets don’t mix very well, and that is why it is important to avoid humidification as much as you can. One problem that can come from too much moisture in your cabinets is rot, which weakens the wood and makes your cabinets fall apart.
Rot is a fungal growth that literally eats wooden cabinets. The fungus that causes cabinets to rot needs moisture to grow, so if you keep your cabinets dry, you won’t have to worry too much about rot. Therefore, learning to protect your cabinets from humidification helps prevent rot. Including your kitchen cabinets in your deep house cleaning checklist is always important. This way, you can keep it in fresh and of course, pristine condition.
Another problem of kitchen cabinets associated with humidification is swelling and shrinking. If your cabinets are exposed to a lot of humidity, the wood can swell and this will cause the hinges to squeak or the doors to not close. If the cabinets then dry out, screws can loosen and the cabinets can fall apart.
Are Certain Kitchen Cabinets Prone To Humidification?
The tighter your cabinets fit, the more likely that water will get trapped in them. But under normal conditions, kitchen cabinets shouldn’t have problems with humidification.
There are kitchen cabinet styles that are better at getting rid of humidity, mainly, louvered kitchen cabinets. The doors of these kitchen cabinets have slats in them that air can pass through. If you live in a high-humidity region, you might consider louvered cabinets to protect them from moisture.
If you feel like your cabinets are holding a lot of humidity inside of them, you could try drilling air holes on the sides of the cabinets, out of sight. This would give the air a way to circulate through your cabinets and blow the moisture away.
Can I Use A Dehumidifier In My Kitchen Cabinets?
If you have space, a small dehumidifier could work to keep the inside of your kitchen cabinets dry. You would have to be careful that any chemicals or fumes from the dehumidifier can’t contact dishware that is stored inside of your cabinets.
Desiccant dehumidifiers use a type of crystal that sucks the moisture out of the air. These devices come in small sizes that could work inside your kitchen cabinets. Once the device fills with water, you can empty it into your sink.
Baking soda might be another way to pull some of the moisture out of your kitchen cabinets and it eliminates odors as well. Put a fresh box of opened baking soda into your kitchen cabinets and change it every few months.
Control The Humidity Inside Your Home
The humidity inside your home can affect your kitchen cabinets. You can use a home dehumidifier to keep your home at an ideal and comfortable humidity level. This will also protect your kitchen cabinets from moisture.
The ideal humidity in a home is 30 to 40 percent in the winter, and between 50 and 60 percent in the summer. This humidity will be more comfortable to live in, and they will ensure that your kitchen cabinets aren’t being damaged by the moisture.
To get an accurate picture of the humidity inside of your home, you can get a humidity reader that will tell you. Many home thermometers come with built-in humidity sensors, or else you can buy a standalone humidity meter.
What Are The Signs Of Too Much Humidity In Kitchen Cabinets?
One of the main signs of humidity in your kitchen cabinets is a strange odor coming from them. You might also see mold growing in the corners of the cabinets or black spots on parts of the cabinets. Mold can be stubborn, and if you couldn’t sort it out on your own, look for a professional mold removal and remediation service.
Sticking kitchen cabinet doors are another sign of high humidity in your kitchen cabinets. The doors might start making strange noises when you open and close them, or they might seem to fit differently on the kitchen cabinets frame.
You can also look for signs around your house, like fogging or wet windows on cold days. Having too much moisture in your house is not only bad for kitchen cabinets, there are other problems that it can cause and you should try to get your house drier.
On the other hand, if you think it’s already too late to save your kitchen cabinets from humidity and rot, it’s probably the time you need to replace them. This time, it’s better for you to look for kitchen cabinet design ideas that could fight against rot and humidity.
Should I Worry About Kitchen Cabinets Humidification?
If you notice problems with humidity in your kitchen cabinets, you definitely need to correct them. But if you can get the humidity under control, the wood won’t be damaged and should go back to its original state.
You can seek professional help with your kitchen cabinet humidity to ensure that they last as long as possible. You use your cabinets every day, and having them last a long time helps you enjoy your home more.
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