Like any art form, cooking creates a lot of mess which can leave the kitchen in a mess. This can come in a wide variety of forms—from tough stains to the occasional burn. But the one which afflicts us all the most is grease.
Whether you fry daily, or only occasionally, kitchen grease builds up hard and fast. Worse still, if you avoid frequent cleans that greasy grime can cake itself onto cabinet tops, doors and surfaces throughout the room and beyond.
Fortunately, we live in the 21st century, meaning even the toughest of kitchen grease can be easily cleaned up with a top-notch kitchen degreaser. Meaning there is no excuse to let that grease pile up.
How Kitchen Degreasers Work
For any cleaner—whether they are cleaning as a profession or as a chore—degreasers may seem like magic. But in fact, they utilize some pretty fundamental chemistry to work their wonders.
This may get a bit technical but bear with me. Degreasers are usually composed of surfactants, sequestering agents and alkaline builders. These three elements work on the same basic chemical principle of attraction—each molecule in the cleaning has one hydrophobic end, which is attracted to oil and grease, and one hydrophilic end, which is attracted to water.
The hydrophobic molecules surround the oil particles, while the hydrophilic end remains attached to the water in the degreaser solution. This means that when you then wipe the surface, you collect the water with the grease attached.
The Best Degreasers
Given the simple chemical reaction, most degreasers will work a charm on simple everyday grease. That said, if you are working particularly tough amalgamations or looking for a more specialized product—for example, one with a sweet smell or stain removal capabilities—you have a lot to choose from.
For a thorough breakdown of our top 15 picks for the best kitchen degreasers check out our review and buyers guide. But you can find our top two picks below.
1. Krud Kutter Original Concentrated Cleaner
This is a fantastic multi-purpose grease and stain remover which works wonders all over the kitchen (and other parts of the house).
Whether you’re removing kitchen grease, food stains, stray paint or any other scum that may find itself on your kitchen cabinets, Krud Kutter does a fantastic job of having all bases covered.
2. Stanley Home Products Original Degreaser
Frequent cleaners will know Stanley well, as they are a brand with a long, well-regarded history.
What makes Stanley’s degreasers stand out for us is that they work extremely well in many situations—meaning it will be perfect for cleaning out grease and grime from your kitchen, but also effective at cleaning motorcycle or bicycle parts, golf equipment and other greasy items you may find around the house.
This degreaser is also one of the more environmentally friendly alternatives, meaning even your conscious can stay squeaky clean.
DIY Alternatives
While there are many products on the market to help you with decreasing your kitchen cabinets, its also worth considering that you can easily create your own kitchen degreaser from common kitchen ingredients.
These usually include things like vinegar, soap, baking soda and oil (for fragrance).
If you’re in a pinch, or simply want to try some self-sufficient cleaning, there are plenty of recipes for natural degreasers online.
Preventing Grease Build Up
Once you’ve found (or made) your ideal kitchen degreaser, you’ll soon have your kitchen cupboards and countertops spotless. But don’t stop there!
Creating good habits to prevent grease build-up will prevent the need for regular deep cleans.
The simplest method of preventing grease build-up is really, really easy—dusting. Simply get into the habit of dusting down your vertical and horizontal surfaces with a lint-free cloth or duster once a week, and you should see fantastic results.
This is so effective as the combination of oil and dust creates that sticky, hard-to-remove residue you needed a degreaser for in the first place.
That said, even if you don’t go dusting, now that you have a trusty degreaser at hand those greasy patches will be easy to overcome, no matter how frequently they appear.
