Walls, painted white and cabinets sanitized or painted to remove stains and residue, New light bulbs with natural color, not the LED type, Fix floor tiles if necessary.

The same thing goes for counter tops, not to mention that certain granites/marbles/etc. can stain if wine (or other liquids) spills and sits.  

In the span of 5 years I painted the entire house, updated all of the fixtures on the inside and outside of the house, sanded and stained a 200 square foot deck, and found an awesome handyman to renovate 2 bathrooms for $700.

And would you go with a lighter or darker color stain? 

Just a poly coat on them, no stain, and it's at the bottom of the cabinet.

Over time it will stain to a dirty color. 

Trim is stained, so no painting of trim (which should be a nice money saver).

There are spots where the old stain is clearly not into the wood and just filled on the surface.

Sheets and towels get stained and also wear out quickly from lots of washings.

Should I stain the piece of wood to some contrasting color?