Use and Care Guide

Other things to be aware of.

• Don’t drape damp dishtowels or clothes over your cabinet doors. Moisture can

cause permanent damage, like peeling and discoloration to the cabinet ﬁnish.

Dry wet surfaces immediately using a soft, clean cloth.

• More on the topic of moisture: Wood will expand and contract based upon

the amount of moisture in the home. Maintaining a consistent temperature

and humidity level is key to cabinet health. Please refer to the Cabinet

Warranty and The Homeowners Guide to Humidiﬁcation sheets for details on

proper humidity and temperature ranges.

• Heat from the self-cleaning oven feature is much greater than normal cooking

temperatures, and could potentially damage surrounding cabinetry. While it is a

rare occurrence, minimize the risk of cabinet damage by removing cabinet doors

and drawers closest to the oven before using the self-cleaning feature.

• Direct sunlight tends to darken the color of natural wood products, with the

exception of walnut, which will lighten. Painted wood surfaces and laminates,

including high gloss are also suspect to fading or discoloration. Draperies or

blinds are the best defense to shield cabinetry from direct sunlight.

• Additionally, don’t clean laminates and high gloss materials in direct sunlight.

Products to avoid.

• Harsh detergents, strong soaps, multi-purpose and abrasive cleaning products:

• Tub and sink cleaners

• Scouring powders and scouring pads

• Steel wool or self-polishing waxes

• Sponges or dish cloths. They could contain particles that could scratch your

cabinets, as well as food, oil residue or remnants of harsh cleaning solutions.

• Paper towels or similar products especially for high gloss cabinetry, due to the

ease of scratching.

• Solvent based or petroleum based products such as mineral spirits, nail-polish

removers or paint thinners.

• Ammonia, bleach or cleaning products that contain either ammonia or bleach.

• Silicone based cleaning, waxing or polishing products.

Uh-oh. I have a nick on my wood or painted cabinetry.

• Touch-up kits are available to help hide surface damage on cabinetry. Your

cabinet retailer can facilitate the purchase of the color-matched touch-up kit for

your speciﬁc cabinetry.

• The kit will contain instructions on what to do — the touch-up pen will hide minor

blemishes, while the tinted putty stick will ﬁll deeper scratches, gouges or nicks.