Moisture rarely hurts a lacquered face; it hunts unsealed edges and trapped steam. Kill those three conditions and the kitchen shrugs off decades.
The dishwasher plume
Opening the door mid-cycle vents steam straight into the adjacent panel undersides. Fit the heat-shield strip the appliance ships with, and encourage clients to let cycles finish — condensation dripping down faces should be wiped, not left.
Kettles and combi-ovens under uppers
A kettle parked under a wall cabinet steams one spot thousands of times. Move it to open counter, or add a shelf-liner drip edge; combi-steam ovens need their vent path clear of door edges per the appliance spec.
What real moisture damage looks like
Early signs are sheen change or edge softening near the source — caught early, a reseal or local respray fixes it. Our doors are sprayed on all six faces precisely so casual humidity has no raw MDF to find.