Melamine is a material that is very much in use today for making furniture. It has the aesthetic advantage of imitating the look of raw wood. Melamine also offers a number of other advantages: it’s less expensive than solid wood, easy to assemble and disassemble and, above all, requires little maintenance.
Since melamine comes in a wide range of colors and shades, it can easily become stained. For this reason, regular cleaning is essential.
But how do you clean melamine furniture?
Here are a few tips to apply at home.
Scrub with a mixture of water and dishwashing liquid
Melamine is made from agglomerated wood particles (Medium Density Fibreboard or MDF), hot-pressed with a sheet of decorative paper. They are assembled with an iron-on resin, hence the name: melamine.
Melamine stains easily, so it’s just as easy to clean. To clean a melamine table or cabinet, you can make up your own cleaning product using dishwashing liquid and water. The result is a gentle, stain-removing mixture that will remove stains in a single wipe. Be sure to use a soft microfiber cloth to avoid scratching the surface.
Glass cleaner to shine melamine
Melamine can have a glazed appearance that makes fingerprints easily visible. To make them shine, we recommend using glass cleaner instead of soapy water. Spray a cloth with the glass cleaner. Then rub the soaked cloth over the surface in circular movements, paying particular attention to any marks. Repeat until the surface is smooth and shiny, then dry with a dry microfiber cloth.
Baking soda for cleaning yellowed melamine
Melamine can stain and tarnish over time, under the effect of various external aggressions. The most obvious sign of this is the yellowing of furniture. In this situation, it is necessary to remove the stains with a product, but to avoid damaging the furniture, the use of a stripper is not recommended.
To whiten yellowed melamine furniture, opt instead for a mild abrasive such as baking soda, which removes stains without scratching or damaging the surface. The technique involves mixing baking soda with a little water to create a malleable paste. You must then scrub the surface with the mixture using a sponge. Make circular movements over the stains, then rinse with a damp, but not soaked, cloth. Leave to dry in the open air.
Household alcohol for grease stains
Melamine kitchen furniture is often exposed to water and grease splashes. Over time, deposits can form and stain the surface. That’s why you need to clean your furniture at least once a week.
If grease has piled up on your melamine kitchen cupboards, rubbing alcohol is an effective way of cleaning them. All you need to do is rub the surface with a foam sponge onto which you’ve poured a few drops of alcohol. Once all greasy parts have been rubbed off, wipe again with a damp cloth and leave to dry.
Note that white vinegar can be used instead of household alcohol for stains that are not too deep-rooted.
Ammonia for stubborn stains
Some stains may be hard to remove due to a lack of regular cleaning. To deal with this problem, you can use a little ammonia to restore the shine to your melamine furniture. Simply dilute a little ammonia in water and rub the surface with a soft sponge.
Be sure to put on plastic gloves before handling ammonia, as it is particularly harsh on the skin. Likewise, never use it undiluted on melamine surfaces, as this could otherwise damage them.
Lastly, the best way to space out cleaning is to protect your furniture from dirt. You can cover it with a tablecloth (if it’s a table) or stick sheets of wax paper on top, to create a barrier against stains and humidity.
