Chose floating shelves over upper cabinets in my kitchen, kind of regretting it now.

I redid my kitchen in Raleigh about 6 months ago and went with open pine floating shelves instead of full upper cabinets. They look great but I didn't think about how much dust collects on everything up there. Now I have to wipe down my coffee mugs before I use them. Anyone else swap cabinets for shelves and find a good way to deal with the upkeep?

2 comments

2 Comments

leebrown1h ago

Oh MAN I feel your pain on this one. I remember reading somewhere that open shelving in kitchens basically turns your dishes into a giant dust magnet because of all the air movement from cooking and the HVAC system. It's like the shelves just catch everything floating around. I've heard people swear by using Lazy Susans or those little turntable things on their shelves so you can rotate stuff and grab the cleaner dishes from the back more easily. Another trick I came across was putting a thin layer of museum wax under the plates and cups so they don't slide around when you're wiping them all down every few days. But honestly the dust thing is the MAIN reason I went with cabinets in my place, even though the shelves look SO much cooler. It's just a trade off that never really goes away no matter how careful you are.

the_ben3h ago

Well, I gotta say I see it differently. I put floating shelves up in my place about two years ago and honestly I love them. The dust thing is real but it takes me maybe 5 extra minutes a week to wipe things down with a damp rag. For me, the trade off is worth it because I can actually see my dishes and use them as part of the room. You might try only keeping everyday stuff on the open shelves and storing the rest in a cabinet or pantry if you have one.