I have a nice big gas range on my kitchen island. Above it is a stainless steel fume hood. After a good few runs of smashburgers, bacon, stir fried rice, etc., the thing is covered with sticky grease.

I’ve tried a variety of kitchen products and none of them really seem to do that great of a job. I end up having to use more grease of the elbow kind for a good 30 minutes or so, and a buttload of paper towels. Hell, I’m having trouble finding anything at the grocery store even labeled specifically as a degreaser. All of them now (even 409!) emphasize “multi surface” and “antibacterial”. I figured this may just be rebranding without a real ingredient change. I just want a damn degreaser!

I’d like something that is safe for stainless but cuts through grease like the IRS through my paycheck. Suggestions or experiences?

Dawn soap. They even used it to clean up after the Exxon Valdez crude oil spill.

Yup. +1 on the Dawn dishwashing liquid; it's great on grease.

I'm really cautious with the multisurface cleaners as a couple houses ago I got some on my high-end stainless range and rust spots started to form. I had to polish the rust spots out with a dremel

Now, I just use hydrogen peroxide (usually 2 parts distilled water mixed with 1 part hydrogen peroxide) as my cleaner and then quickly go over it again with Weiman stainless steel cleaner & polish. I think the polish component adds some protection which makes it easier to clean.

Also, prevention is better than cleaning. In other words, I use woks instead of sautee pans for stir frys and I cook my bacon in the oven on a foil lined sheet pan.

Simple Green.

Or, automotive degreaser from the auto parts section.

Dawn and a scrubby works for me

Simple green is what we used on the ship in the galley.
Or Dawn.

Either will cut the grease.

Yep. Simple Green is what I use for that exact same purpose. (In fact, it's my go-to cleaning product. If you buy the jugs of concentrate, you can mix it to varying dilution ratios appropriate for a wide variety of cleaning tasks, for both the inside and outside of your house.)

And use a microfiber cloth or some shop towels instead of "a buttload of paper towels". Paper towels are flimsy, and shred while trying to wipe/scrub sticky grease. Then you have little flecks of greasy paper all over the surface to clean off too.

Find a grease cutter you like then use a high quality car wax or polish. Clean with a mild cleaner as needed to avoid striping the wax.

Buy a bottle of full strength Simple Green from the auto aisle of Walmart. Pick up a spray bottle too. Mix a 4:1 ratio of water to SG in spray bottle, that should work well. It’s non toxic and fine around the kitchen IIRC

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

And use a microfiber cloth or some shop towels instead of "a buttload of paper towels". Paper towels are flimsy, and shred while trying to wipe/scrub sticky grease. Then you have little flecks of greasy paper all over the surface to clean off too.

Paper towels suck. Go get a few rolls of Scott brand shop towels. They look like paper towels but they aren't. They don't fall apart and lint. They're rolled up on a tube just like paper towels.

You can usually get a roll at an auto parts store, but that's not a competetive price. Wallymart has decent prices. Sams, Costco, even Amazon has them in case lots. I buy them by the case either at Sams or Costco. I use them for everything, including wiping out my cast iron cookware after oiling and seasoning. I use them for cleaning pretty much anything. I even accidentally ran one through the washer and dryer. It was fine and I reused it for awhile.
.

Dawn plus a 13 yr old kid makes a perfect combination.

Jim

Dawn is a wonderful product.
Every time my wife buys something else ~ I remind her that it is Dawn what we want.
Best grease cutter.

+1 on Dawn. I also use barkeepers friend. I try to keep it right by the hood and give it a once over every couple days.

Simple Green is also my default for kitchen grease.

Now that you’ve gotten all the reasonable replies dealing with what you’ve likely already got on hand, I can tell you what industrial strength stuff they use in industrial kitchens: Shiela Shine spray in a blue can. $12 on Amazon. It will make stainless steel that hasn’t been cleaned in years look brand new, the grease just comes off. I’ve used it a lot, works great.

I wouldn't mess around.

Dawn and really really hot water.

Look on Amazon for one of those handheld steamers Bissel , Hoover , etc . It'll cut that grease and it's handy for a ton of other things . Not expensive either .

Sprayway foam window cleaner works great for me. Wally World has it for $2.00 a can. Spray it on,let it sit and then wipe away.