Removing stubborn grease from your home
Many of us are spending more time than ever in our kitchens. Maybe you’ve always loved to cook, or maybe you are enjoying a newfound hobby. No matter what, none of us like the inevitable by-product of home cooking – grease. Grease is one of the most stubborn soils to remove, which is why we employ a selection of products to combat grease in our clients’ homes.
How Clean and Simple cleans grease in your home
Our teams have a range of products to clean grease – from our gentler (but still effective!) green cleaner BETCO Green Earth Degreaser, to the simple dish soap and water (multipurpose and always gives great results), to more powerful cleaners like Formula 409 All Purpose Cleaner.
Dish soap and warm water make a super effective team in tackling all sorts of soils in your home, but especially grease. Our technicians start every kitchen cleaning by making a bucket of soap and warm water. They use this bucket throughout the cleaning to remove grease with a soft but strong microfiber scrubbing cloth. The benefit to soap and water, besides the fact that it works well, is that it is also safe on many different types of surfaces, without the risk of discoloration or other damage from spray cleaners (yes, even green ones!).
For tougher grease, the technician will spray a surface with Green Earth degreaser, and then work on another task while the degreaser does its work breaking down grease. After 5-10 minutes, the technician comes back and wipes up the grease with soap and warm water. This technique is most frequently used in microwaves and on stove tops, backsplashes, and vent hoods.
If we’re in your home for the first time, you might have a little more grease build-up in certain areas. No worries! We have the tools for that too. For one time and initial cleanings, our teams often use Formula 409 cleaner to break up heavier grease. This cleaner is stronger than the Green Earth degreaser, but it is still safe to use around kids, pets, and food preparation areas.
Finally, sometimes grease has built up for years, or is extra baked on. These jobs usually require some extra time scouring. Oven interiors can benefit from Easy-Off oven cleaner. This is a powerful cleaner, so we are careful to use it only on appropriate surfaces and with all the required safety precautions. Often bad grease build-up takes consistent cleaning over time to fully remove.
The frustrating thing about grease is that the best way to handle it is to prevent it from getting bad in the first place. But that’s why we’re here. We’ll make quick work of the grease in your home, so you can focus on the cooking.
7 Steps you can take to prevent or tackle grease in your home:
- Wipe down your stovetop after each use. Yes, every time. This is really your best bet for battling grease. Make it part of your clean up routine after mealtimes, and grease won’t ever have the chance to build up.
- Dish soap can be highly effective at removing grease. It’s formulated to remove greasy food residue from dishes and will work well at the same task on your stovetop or microwave.
- Citrus oils help break grease down. Adding orange essential oils to your dish soap and water not only makes it smell great – it can make cleaning a little easier too.
- For recent grease spills, sprinkling flour over the spill can help clean the mess. It might seem counterintuitive (won’t it make the mess worse?), but the flour will absorb the grease, which makes it easier to see and to wipe up.
- Baking soda and water can help remove grease from pots and pans. Baking soda is alkali, which means it is effective at breaking down grease. Pour a little water and a sprinkle of baking soda (or a little bit of soda water) in a warm pan after use. After soaking, grease clean up will be so much easier.
- Use salt and rubbing alcohol to remove grease from fabrics. This is especially useful for fabrics you can’t through into the washing machine (rugs, couches, etc.). Mix four parts rubbing alcohol and one part salt together. Use a clean cloth to scrub mixture into the stain. You’ll need to scrub hard! After the stain is removed, let the spot dry, and then use a vacuum to vacuum up any salt.
- Have Clean and Simple Cleaning™ out on a regular basis for home cleaning. If the best way to handle grease is cleaning frequently, a cleaning service can be essential for busy families. Call us today to set up a plan that works for you!
