Try mineral spirits first to remove grease stains, then if necessary, perchloroethylene, which is a better grease solvent and dries fast. However, its strong odor and fumes can be a safety problem if the area is not well ventilated.
Grease can be removed using white vinegar. Apply vinegar to a damp towel or sponge and soak the oily area. Next, clean it up. It should start to dissolve the grease almost immediately, but it's crucial to use it only on non-porous surfaces like glass and metal.
Alcohol is the best solvent to dissolve grease. For instance, isopropyl alcohol will quickly break down grease and grime in your home.
Sodium hydroxide is both a degreaser and a cleaner. It dissolves fat, grease, oil, and protein-based deposits, producing a water-soluble solution that you can wash away. This process is called saponification.
1: Vinegar
The acid in the vinegar will help dissolve and soften the tough, crunchy parts (mostly a food-grease mixture), making it easier to scrub away with a soft sponge. For the best results, apply the vinegar when the surface is hot.
Why? Because it works! WD-40 Specialist® Degreaser is a cleaner that is water-based, it removes grease, oil, dirt, dirt fat, soap scum and grime without leaving any residue. Once sprayed, the power foam works immediately on contact including metal, exhaust hoods and flooring.
Make a cleaning paste with half a cup of baking soda and half a cup of water. Baking soda will serve as an abrasive and water will soften hardened crud. Remove the racks, oven thermometers, and pans. Put some newspaper or paper towels on the floor to catch bits that fall off.
Create a cleaning solution with 1-part baking soda, 2 parts warm water and the lemon juice. Add the solution to a spray bottle and spray the liquid onto the kitchen cabinets. Leave for 2-3 minutes, allowing the baking soda to work its magic. Use the soft sponge to gently scrub the grease away.
Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid, is a strong acid that is commonly used to dissolve clogs in drains. This acid works by breaking down organic materials such as hair, grease, and soap scum that can accumulate in pipes and cause blockages.
Greasy Stovetop
Vinegar's acidity helps cut through grease easily. Spray some vinegar and water mix onto a splattered stovetop, let it sit for 10 minutes, and then scrub down with soapy water. It should wipe right off. If not, leave it to sit a bit longer.
The proper way to clean up a grease spill is to use some sort of absorbent material. Sand, sawdust and baking soda are all potential options that will soak in the spilled grease.
Solvent-based cleaners remain popular in industrial applications due to their cleaning power; they remove thick, baked on oils, dirt, containments, solder flux, and greases. Some examples of strong cleaning solvents are acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, toluene, nPB, and trichloroethylene (TCE).
Baking soda is non-toxic, inexpensive, easy-to-use, and remarkably effective on cleaning oven grease. Baking soda is alkaline, and oven grease made of food particles is typically acidic. Baking soda neutralizes acids and breaks down the grease, allowing you to wipe it up without a lot of elbow grease.
Hexane – This oil dissolving solvent is known for its ability to effectively break up cooking oils. For this reason there are many cleaning and degreasing agents that contain hexane as an oil dissolving additive.
Acetone has many purposes in equipment maintenance, cleaning, degreasing, finishing, and paint removal. It is capable of eliminating heavy amounts of grease and other unwanted items from surfaces without the introduction of a VOC or HAP oriented agent into the surrounding atmosphere.
This reaction has taken place due to the aqueous medium in which both of these reactants (sodium chloride and acetic acid (vinegar)) are soluble in water. Acetic acid which is present in vinegar is also known as Ethanoic acid. Hence now we know that vinegar reacts with sodium chloride to form hydrochloric acid.
Concentrated hydrochloric acid (HCl) is the most frequently used halogen acid for the dissolution of geologic samples. Unlike HNO3, HCl is a weak reducing acid and is not generally used to digest organic materials. It is an excellent solvent for carbonates, phosphates, many metal oxides, and metals.
Bleach is a powerful disinfectant and stain remover. But it has no value as a drain clog remover. Bleach cannot dissolve built-up drain gunk. It cannot dissolve things like food waste, breadcrumbs, grease, and hair.
WD-40 is also an excellent de-greaser. Spray a bit on those caked-on grease splatters on the back of your stove and the surrounding backsplash and then wipe them down with ease.
Separately, both vinegar and baking soda work well for cleaning. Alone, baking soda can dissolve grease and dirt, while distilled white vinegar breaks down minerals without adding any coloring to stain surfaces (as apple cider vinegar might).
Mix 1 cup vinegar with 3 cups of water, 1 cup of baking soda and ½ cup of dish soap in a bowl. This solution is best used right from the bowl, so dip a clean cloth into the bowl to apply the degreaser, then use the cloth to scrub the greasy surface. Be sure to rinse afterward and wipe the surface again to finish.
Compounds such as 2-Butoxyethanol (butyl), isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) and d-Limonene are all considered solvents. Their main function is to liquefy grease and oils or dissolve solid soil into very small particles so surfactants can more readily perform their function.
Our top pick, Goo Gone Kitchen Degreaser, is safe and effective on a variety of surfaces and is easy to use with a foam spray formula. Plus, we love how well it works on baked-on food. Comet Cleaner with Bleach is a budget-friendly option that also works on a variety of surfaces and deodorizes as it cleans.