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Homemade degreaser

If you enjoy cooking for your family, I’m sure you have faced this problem. Dirty fingers, smoke, and cooking splatters can leave your kitchen surfaces, cabinets, and handles in a mess. And when you have spent so much energy cooking a delicious meal, who wants to spend more time and elbow grease to clean the sticky greasy surfaces?  

Well, I’ve got the perfect solution for you. Clean your kitchen with a homemade degreaser that can take down the grime in no time. What I love about homemade cleaners is that they are easy on the pocket and great for the environment. No harsh chemicals that you or your family and pets need to breathe in.

So let us dive right on in and learn all about homemade degreasers.

*This post contains affiliate links to the essential oils and other products I talk about in the post. Purchasing from the links here on my blog is no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

What is a degreaser?

Degreasers are usually solvent-based cleaning agents. They are primarily used for cleaning water-insoluble substances such as grease, paint, and abrasive dust. Heavy-duty degreasers include hydrocarbon solvents like kerosene and xylene, which give them their grease-cutting powers. 

The kitchen degreasers help remove grease from countertops, stovetops, range hoods, dishware, and oven interiors. Conventional degreasers contain chemical compounds that are best kept away from areas where you cook your meals. This is why you should opt for natural products like homemade natural cleaners and degreasers. 

Common uses of DIY degreasers at home

Some of the common uses of household degreaser include –

• Clean kitchen surfaces
• Release grease from hubcaps
• Eliminate grease from pots and pans
• Clean hard-to-clean marks from the oven
• Clean oily residue from stovetops and range hood

How to make a degreaser at home?

Before we learn these easy homemade degreaser recipes, let us understand why we use certain ingredients and what makes them so effective. It will surprise you how simple ingredients can clean greasy messes.

Baking soda

Baking soda is inexpensive, non-toxic, and very effective in cleaning grease. It neutralizes acids and breaks down grease, making it an effective cleaner. It is also a mild abrasive, so it can help remove dried and stubborn marks. 

Vinegar

The acidity of vinegar helps cut through grease. You can use just vinegar or mix it with some water to remove grease.

Castille soap

Castile soap is an olive oil-based soap that is free of all chemical ingredients. It originated from the Mediterranean region in Castile, Spain, in the 12th century. It helps to lift dirt and germs off surfaces. 

Borax

Borax is a naturally occurring powdery white mineral. It is highly alkaline and can be a handy all-purpose cleaner for your home.

Washing soda

Washing soda is highly alkaline and works as a solvent to remove stains. It removes greasy build-up in pots and pans. It can be used to remove tough stains from kitchenware.

Below are some of my long-time favorite go-to DIY kitchen degreaser recipes.

Powerful homemade degreaser with all-natural ingredients

Castile soap homemade degreaser

This recipe will show off the degreasing powers of castile soap, while the lemon oil will help leave a fresh scent and cover up the smell of vinegar.

Citrus homemade degreaser 

Salt homemade degreaser spray

Sal suds homemade degreaser

Best essential oils for cleaning 

You may have noticed that I have added several essential oils to the concoctions above. Besides adding a wonderful aroma to the degreaser, these essential oils provide grease-cutting and healthy properties to these degreaser homemade recipes. Homemade cleaning products with essential oils help cut down to use of harsh chemical cleaners. 

Pro tip- NEVER add essential oils to commercial degreasers not knowing the chemical compound in their recipes you don't want to cause a harmful chemical reaction by mixing the two.

Here’s a list of some essential oils that are the best for green cleaning – 

• Lemon oil

The lemon essential oil has a light, clean scent and it cleanses and purifies the air. 

• Thyme oil

Thyme oil has a beautiful herbal fragrance and is quite effective against gross surfaces.

• Clove oil

Clove oil is a sweet woody and warm scent. It’s one you will recognize in many fall and Christmas time fragrances. You can mix it with lemon oil to create an effective cleaner.

• Peppermint oil

Peppermint oil contains menthol, which provides a minty refreshing scent. 

• Bergamot oil

This citrus oil is excellent for cleaning with its cleansing and purifying qualities. It blends well with lemon and lavender oil.

• Cinnamon oil

Cinnamon has a warm spicy aroma. It is known as an oil that may support immune health.

• Pine oil

Pine oil has a refreshing, clean scent. Blends well with Peppermint, Lavender, and Eucalyptus.

• Orange essential oil

It has a refreshing fragrance and is effective against grease. It is also great for tackling dirt, mold, and mildew.

• Lavender

Lavender oil has a powerful floral scent so it is great for eliminating smells.

• Lime essential oil

This oil has a fresh, uplifting scent and is also great for household cleaning. 

How to clean the kitchen surfaces?

Now that you have learned how to make a kitchen degreaser, you must learn how to use it properly on different surfaces. If you have sensitive skin you may want to wear rubber gloves to prevent any skin irritation from the gentle abrasive baking powers and essential oils.

Cooktops

Allow the cooktop to cool down completely before using any cleaning product on it. Remove any food particles from it. Spray the entire cooktop with your homemade kitchen degreaser and let it sit for 30 minutes. Wipe the surface with a dish sponge. If you still find some stubborn marks on it, spray more degreaser and scrub in a circular motion to loosen the grime. Wipe off the remaining degreaser with a dry sponge to prevent dried streaks.

Countertops

Remove everything placed on the countertops. Use a soft brush to remove any dust or food particles from the surface. Spray the natural kitchen degreaser on the surface and let it sit for 30 minutes. Take a dish sponge and scrub in a circular motion to remove the grease. Use a rag to clean the excess degreaser off the countertops. Test a small area of granite countertops to make sure it is safe for your countertops.

Rangehood

Place a cloth on the stove to cover it and remove the rust and other particles from the hood with a brush. Spray the degreaser on the outer part of the hood and rub in a circular motion to remove the grease. Wipe off with the help of the kitchen towel.

Clean the interior rim in the same way. Avoid spraying on the fan and the light assembly directly. 

Remove the filters and soak them in warm water. Then use the spray degreaser and clean them with a microfiber cloth.

Oven

Remove all the oven racks and set them aside. Take the salt degreaser paste and spread it on the side of the oven and the oven door. Let it sit for a few minutes. Spray the essential oil vinegar mixture on this, and then scrub and clean. Use a wet sponge to wipe the residue.

To clean the oven racks, soak them in water and our natural degreaser overnight and scrub them the following day to clean. 

Kitchen cabinets

Spray the homemade degreaser on the kitchen cabinets and leave it for a couple of minutes. Wet a cloth with warm tap water, squeeze out the excess water, and wipe the cabinets clean. To remove stubborn stains, scrub with an old toothbrush. Wipe the cabinets with a dry washcloth to remove any remaining grease.

Final thoughts

Now that you have mastered these homemade degreaser recipes, you will never have a problem keeping your home clean and grease-free. I hope you have found a new favorite cleaning solution for cleaning the greasy areas of your kitchen. Which recipe did you use to clean your kitchen? Which one was the most effective? Do let me know in the comments. 

Degreaser spray

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