Dealing with grease on cabinets above the stove? Check out how to remove grease from cabinets easily! Don't deal with cooking grease on your cabinets any longer.
Dealing with grease splatters on your cabinets? You are not alone! Recently I was doing a deep clean of my kitchen and found some of the cabinets above my stove were covered with little spots of grease.
Soap and water did nothing to budge the grease.
I looked on Pinterest at a few different ways to remove the grease, but they all made me too nervous. I didn't want to go at the cabinets with a scrub brush or Mr. Clean pad and ruin the finish.
I instead made a gentle paste that I felt would be safe to use on kitchen cabinets and used that to remove the grease.
Check out how to remove grease from kitchen cabinets to make them shine like new!
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How to Remove Grease From Cabinets
If you are using this method I highly recommend you start by testing this in a small area of your cabinet. Maybe start on the inside of a door where you won't normally see.
My cabinets are very light-colored and have a matte finish. I never noticed any change to my finish, but if you have a glossy finish or your finish is older you could damage it.
Ingredients You Need To Clean Cabinets
- Baking Soda
- Dish Soap (I prefer plain old blue Dawn)
- Microfiber Cloth (I love this brand! They work great!)
Getting Started
You will want to do a few things to remove the grease from your cabinets above the stove (or anywhere!).
To start you will want to gather the following ingredients. You probably already have these at home.
- 1 Tablespoon of Baking Soda
- 1/2 Tablespoon of Dish Soap
- 1/2 Tablespoon of Water
Step 1: Start by adding 1/2 tablespoon of Dawn dish soap to a small bowl.
Step 2: Next, add 1 tablespoon of baking soda to the bowl.
Step 3: Add 1/2 tablespoon of water to the bowl and mix all the ingredients together to make a paste.
Applying The Paste To Grease On Cabinets
Using a rag or microfiber cloth apply a small amount of the paste to the cabinets. I have these microfiber clothes here and I love them!
Rub gently in a circular pattern over the grease spots on the cabinets with the microfiber cloth. As soon as I started rubbing, I could feel the grease spots coming up.
The microfiber cloth would run over the wood instead of catching on the grease spots.
Cleaning Cabinets After Removing
Once all the spots are gone from the area get a warm cloth and wash down the area you scrubbed.
Make sure you remove all of the baking soda mixture. When it is clean, dry with a dry microfiber cloth or rag.
Continue going over the cabinet in small areas until all of the grease spots are removed.
My cabinets look so much better after using this mixture to remove the grease from them. Plus, it only took a few minutes and didn't damage the finish.
I also used this for the areas around the knobs on our cabinets. I have noticed that they tend to gather a lot of grease from our hands.
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My cabinets practically look brand new.
You don't need to use harsh abrasives or scrubbing pads to remove grease from kitchen cabinets.
This gentle scrub plus a microfiber cloth does a great job of quickly removing the grease from kitchen cabinets.
How To Clean Grease From Kitchen Cabinets
Equipment
- 1 microfiber cloth
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1/2 tablespoon dawn dish soap
- 1/2 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Start by adding 1/2 tablespoon of Dawn dish soap to a small bowl.
- Next, add 1 tablespoon of baking soda to the bowl.
- Add 1/2 tablespoon of water to the bowl and mix all the ingredients together to make a paste.
- Then, using a microfiber cloth apply a small amount of the paste to the cabinets.
- Rub gently in a circular pattern with the microfiber cloth.
- Once all the spots gone from the area get a warm cloth and wash down the area you scrubbed.
- Make sure you remove all of the baking soda mixture. When it is clean, dry with a clean cloth.
Barbara J Cooper says
My husband and I did this over the weekend, what a difference! We have modern matte cabinets, so the grease spots were like sequins, but not in a good way- this was easy and did the job quickly. My husband does not like to clean but was impressed with the results. Many thanks!
Julie says
Yay! I am so glad it worked for you too.
Gloria Garcia says
Omgee I tried this recipe on my old wood cupboards I am amazed. It worked and so easy and quick. Thank you !
Julie says
Yay! I am so glad it worked for you too!!
Christina says
This solution worked so well! The cabinets near the stove were the worst with grease spots and this solution really helped. I had used regular dish soap and that worked just fine. My cabinets were painted with satin finish and they cleaned up nicely.
Julie says
Yay! I am so glad it worked for you too!
Heidi says
This worked. Took a lot of elbow grease as well, but it worked without damaging my cabinets. Instead of using dawn + water + baking soda, I used Dawn power scrub and baking soda. (so 1 Tbsp of dawn power and 1 Tbsp of baking soda). I didn't have any plain dawn dishsoap so I improvised. Worked!
Julie says
Thanks for sharing! I am happy it works for you too.
MaryJo says
Ummm, that seems like a good plan if you only have 1 cabinet. Maybe I missed the amounts to use on a large scale..sounds like the Borax might be more efficient.
Julie says
I have found that only my cabinets directly above the stove get very greasy. Everywhere else I tend to use Murphy's Oil Soap.
Patty says
I use a microfiber cloth, a gallon of hot water, 1 cup of ammonia, 1/2 cup of white vinegar, and 1/4 cup baking soda. Gets that gooey kitchen grease out of your kitchen and it's amazing for washing the walls. Be sure to rinse the cloth under running water before rinsing in the solution or your bucket will need changing too often. Many have thanked me who've tried this and won't go back to the Dawn soap recipe.
Julie says
Thanks so much for sharing! I will try that.
Lilbit says
Be very careful when mixing different chemicals together. For example: bleach with vinegar or ammonia create toxic Chlorine Gas!! You know the stuff used in WWI to kill soldiers?
Vinegar & ammonia are toxic together, too. Some combinations are even combustible!
Please, Google your concoctions before mixing to make sure it’s safe, first!!!!
Julie says
You are correct! I have a list on my site of chemicals that I don't like to mix. https://www.frugallyblonde.com/19820/
Lisa says
Very interested to see if it will work on my husband's greasy finger prints! Thanks
Julie says
Let me know if it works for you!
Ruby brew says
I will try this...I have been using a little liquid dish washer soap on a cloth give a light rub and cabinets clean up well .
Lisa says
Another thing I've found that works great is Borax. Just make sure you don't "scrub" to heavily and wipe off good with a wet rag. Cuts the grease faster than anything else I've tried without all the chemicals. Try it on your cabinets, hood range and any where else you have a grease buildup. It is also great in the shower and tub. Breaks up built up soap Scum and hard water build up on faucets and handles in half the time. Make a paste with Borax (20 mule team) and water, put a small amount on a rag and try it wherever you want to clean. Just rinse well with water and voila!
Jessica says
Magic eraser will not require a paint job after using to remove, mostly anything ,from the walls.
Karen says
Magic eraser is like SUPER SUPER FINE sand paper. It will dull and scratch some finishes. And I think it even says to test it first on the box.
Maryann says
I’ve used mr. Cleaner eraser on the walls for small scuffs and it will in make shiny walls dull.
Liz bray says
Ever tried cooking oils dabbed on the area? ....breaks up the grease (which is oil) , wash off with perhaps Dawn , Murphys or moderate soap. And relax...
Julie says
I will have to try that next time. Thanks!
Neda says
Thank you so much! Your solution was outstanding
Thank you for sharing with us
Julie says
You're welcome!
Dewey says
I just tried this on the vent hood and it worked GREAT. Thanks for the excellent tip!
Julie says
So glad I could help!
Colleen says
After you "washed your cabinets", did you put any wax on them to make them shine again? I have never "washed" my cabinets but have always used Murphy's soap or something similar to clean them. Always afraid of making them too dull. Too much of an investment to ruin!
Julie says
I haven't put wax on them. I have heard that it can lead to build up. I completely understand, Kitchen cabinets are crazy expensive! I highly recommend testing it in a small area that you can't normally see.
Kathleen says
Thanks for the info, Julie! Your cabinets and countertop look exactly like mine. I'm off to make my paste. Have an awesome day!