Metal cabinets are most commonly found in office buildings, home offices, industrial warehouses and other industrialised settings. This is for a couple of reasons: they’re not aesthetically pleasing to look at – they often come in flat colours of brown, black or grey and have a very boxy shape. They’re designed for function, not form. Secondly, they’re designed to be industrious and be able to withstand impact without breaking.
This design and placement in the cabinetry world often mean they find themselves in dirty spaces industrial offices, with all manner of grime and grit hugging up against them at every turn. It’s only natural that after a certain amount of time, these metal cabinets will need to be cleaned.
So, how do you properly clean a metal cabinet anyway, and what can you do to avoid having to clean them so often in the future? Before we get into that, let’s look at the dirty spaces where metal cabinets are so often found.
What Are the Most Common Uses for Metal Cabinets?
- Industrial Offices
Metal cabinets are often seen in very industrial office spaces, whether this is tucked into the tiny corner of a warehouse, or in an upstairs office at a trucking company. Simply, metal cabinets are often a practical choice for storage and organization for people who work in industrial environments.
- Mechanic’s Garages
Not only can metal cabinets be used in larger industrial settings, but they also typically find a home among mechanics, and as such, they can be found in their garages – simply for their robust nature. Mechanics aren’t necessarily the most organised people and so it’s easy to throw something into a metal cabinet that you know can take the punch.
- Bathrooms
While not that common in modern bathroom designs, metal cabinets still find themselves on the bathroom walls of older bathrooms throughout the country. These are most commonly lacquered steel cabinets.
Cleaning Options For Your Metal Cabinets
There are four main types of metal used in the production of metal cabinetry today: zinc, stainless steel, anodised aluminium and lacquered steel. Here are the cleaning options for all four different types.
Zinc Cabinets
Cleaning zinc metal cabinets is a relatively simple task requiring little elbow grease. Simply wet a cloth with warm water and mild detergent before gently cleaning the entire inside and outside of the cabinet. There’s no need for a wire brush or any hard pressing when cleaning zinc metal cabinets, just a gentle application of some soap and water.
Stainless Steel Cabinets
Luckily, stainless steel metal cabinets are actually resistant to rust by nature – and thus won’t require more than a simple wipe down with a disinfectant spray and paper towel once cleared out.
Anodised Aluminium Cabinets
Avoiding a bleach-based cleaner is critical when cleaning anodised aluminium metal cabinets. A gentle circular motion with a wet cloth and mild detergent with almost certainly do the trick. Don’t use anything abrasive so as not to scratch the metal surface.
Lacquered Steel Cabinets
Cleaning a lacquered steel metal cabinet will require the use of an alcohol-based cleaner. These include things like Lysol or Mr. Clean wipes. A gentle rub down again will strip the steel of any grime or grease while maintaining the lacquered finish.
Metal cabinets are used in all sorts of situations where they get grubby and dirty, knowing how to clean them and what with will allow you extend the life of your already-robust metal cabinets long into the future.
