soap and water(wipe it dry quickly, dont let mositure sit or you loosen the laminate glue)
murphys oil soap(read and follow directions on bottle)
white vinigar and water 1 to 4 ratio
over the counter furniture cleaners
and painting them later is a simple matter of preperation, oil base primer and then 2 coats of latex for color(recomend a ben moore semi-golss in latex). if you want to get fancy you can add another 2 coats of water based polyurathane clear in either satin or gloss
your local ben moore paint store can help you with materials, supplies and more exact advice when your ready to paint
i do not recomend home dopot paints or the crumby advice they spit out the sides of there mouths