I'm in an apt at the side of a private house. My landlord won't fix these fifty or sixty
Year old kitchen cabinets. I won't invest in them because he keeps talking about
Selling the house. Anyway, these wooden cabinets are full of old grease, drippings
And just horrible. I have tried to use some sandpaper but I don't have the
Strength. I'm not going to fix the inside because I don't have that kind of money,
And since he's in his upper 80's my guess is he really will move into a senior
Community in the near future.

Is there any way I can cover up all these cabinets from under the stove to above
The sink and all around the kitchen?

You say cover up, but do you want to clean out the insides too?
Can you afford to hire a high school teen for about 2 hours each of 2 days, at $8 - 10/hr (because it's hard work)?
You will need some 'anything' cleaner like Fantastic or Mr. Clean or anything, or make something out of dish soap and white vinegar, in warm water.
You will need a step stool and a chair for standing on if your landlord doesn't have a ladder.
Buy a package of 3 sponges with green 3M pads on the other side, and some plain steel wool. Don't buy cheap knockoff pads because they fall apart and don't scrub anyway.
Make sure he or she rinses them well with plain warm water, and dries the cabinets.

That's it! Plain old clean is better than what they are. If the teen works out and you can afford a pint of paint and a cheap 2" brush, paint the doors. You don't say what kind of finish is on them now.

Your landlord might chip in or even pay for it all, given how much it will help with resale value. Keep all receipts, just in case.
If it's JUST the doors, all this will only take about an hour one day to clean, and an hour another day to paint, after the doors are dry.

Have done this before (actually twice to save money) and recommend you take off the doors and clean outside because the mess you create in the kitchen is harder to clean up then the cupboard doors !You will need lots of water, it sure isn't an easy job ! That built on grease, on wood, will take many scrubbings; I used SOS pads which seemed to cut through the grease easiest. Of course, if you intend on applying a coat of paint, you have to make sure cupboard doors are grease free, and if you take doors off keep the hardware in a safe place.

I'm printing out your replies... thank you both for your replies.

Purple Power or related de-greasers mixed with some dish soap make an awesome cleaner for old built up greasy messes, great for scrubbing.

Just checked out Purple Power. Maybe I can do this myself or at least try. So you're saying buy purple power (I saw the list of stores and I have access to almost all of
Them - I'm in NY- and mix with say DAWN dish soap... I'll give it a try... it's a win,
Win because if it doesn't work I can use PP for other things. Thank you so much

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Originally Posted by jammy23

Just checked out Purple Power. Maybe I can do this myself or at least try. So you're saying buy purple power (I saw the list of stores and I have access to almost all of
Them - I'm in NY- and mix with say DAWN dish soap... I'll give it a try... it's a win,
Win because if it doesn't work I can use PP for other things. Thank you so much

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You still have to have a very good water source; perhaps your shower, bathtub, whatever. All the residue cannot land up on the floor of your kitchen, so think it through whatever you use. AND one cupboard door at a time, and then the rest of the cabinetry the best way you can see how too.

Wood grained contact paper might help you. Honey Oak Wood Contact Paper - Wood Shelf Liner

A lot depends on what finish is on your cabinets. You haven't said yet.

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Originally Posted by joypulv

A lot depends on what finish is on your cabinets. You haven't said yet.

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The cabinets are wood with some sort of shellac.. but there is no shine to it.
The house (& orig cabinets) are fifty four-fifty five years old.

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Originally Posted by ballengerb1

Wood grained contact paper might help you. Honey Oak Wood Contact Paper - Wood Shelf Liner

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I looked at the site. That is for the inside of the cabinets. I could deal with that but
My attention is toward the outside cabinet doors. They are in need of serious
Work.

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Originally Posted by tickle

You still have to have a very good water source; perhaps your shower, bathtub, whatever. All the residue cannot land up on the floor of your kitchen, so think it through whatever you use. AND one cupboard door at a time, and then the rest of the cabinetry the best way you can see how too.

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Am I right in thinking you are saying I have to remove the doors on each
Cabinet?? This is getting more complicated.

Then you may find that this task will be much harder than any cleaner can deal with, because grease and stains go down into the wood grain, even with a light finish.

I wouldn't go out and buy any new cleaners. They are all pretty much the same ingredients, although some are more concentrated than others.

What tickle is saying about taking the doors off is that serious cleaning takes a lot of water and it's best done outside or in a bathtub. You also get more scrubbing leverage when they are horizontal.

Go to UTube and watch a few experts do it. At least you can watch and decide if you want to do it yourself, or pay a guy.