cleaning - a tangent to cooking

[Kali]

what is the your preferred/best way to clean disgusting, OLD, hardened, yellow grease from appliances (and walls - ugh)?

I finally ordered a new igniter for my oven and in the process oc taking the old one out to check part numbers, I finally felt compelled to clean. I can be a slob for a long time, but when I do decide to clean I tend to get really OCD and work down to toothpick/q-tip detail.

Anyway so far the best I have come up with is plain old dish soap and the hottest water I can handle. This requires rubber gloves and a LOT of water. And lots of scrubbing - my hands are getting sore. I have no fear of chemicals if they actually work, but I'm not seeing any results from the 409/windex quaternary type products on this gummy crud. Vinegar was useless, bleach doesn't cut grease. TSP works GREAT (is it still legal?) but it softens paint and even enamel so don't want to use it on the appliances.

Anybody have any suggestions to make this easier, besides my usual of keeping my glasses dirtier than the house so I just don't notice how gross it is?

[hippywife]

1. Hi, kali!

Have you tried a baking soda paste? :hi:

[Kali]

3. no, honestly I haven't - I will

seems too benign for this crud, though:rofl:
I put this in the lounge too - one of my biggest threads!

[noamnety]

14. another vote for the baking soda.

I used to use an expensive stinky cleaner on my stove top. Then I realized the baking soda cleaned it better and easier.

It's also the only thing that seems to get rid of the stains in my white crockpots - and it does it with almost no effort at all.

[EFerrari]

27. Baking soda. It can cut through anything.

[Warpy]

2. Scrape off what I can with a paint scraper

(remember, we're talking about the hard to reach places here that don't get attention until they're so gross we can't stand it)

Then I soak the area repeatedly with glass cleaner containing a lot of ammonia. That cuts grease better than anything else I know of, including the Costco general purpose cleaner that will strip paint. Then I scrub with a screamingly hot, damp sponge. Gloves are absolute necessities.

There are degreasing products one uses on driveways and the like available at auto supply stores that would probably do a better job. I haven't had to use them, the paint scraper and glass cleaner usually gets enough of it that I can live with it again.

TSP is the best degreaser out there and it is still legal, but you really can't use it on painted surfaces unless it's in preparation for repainting.

[Kali]

4. yeah that is about where I am right now

only I am finding regular old dish detergent is better than window cleaner - going to pick up some straight ammonia in a little while and see how that works. Heidi (in the lounge) suggested alcohol and hot water - will try that too.

[Warpy]

8. Alcohol will dissolve grease marginally better than water

but ammonia is really what you need, and warm ammonia is best or soak it and hit it with a hair dryer (I'm assuming an exhaust hood is part of this equation, ammonia fumes are toxic). What happens is a chemical reaction called saponification that turns the grease into a form of soap and makes it easier to get off.

It still takes elbow grease and gloves.

Stuff you can remove, like the broiler pan, is a lot easier, just soak it down with ammonia outdoors, put it into a black plastic trash bag, seal it, and leave it in the sun for a few hours. The baked on grease comes off like magic.

[yellerpup]

5. To clean that yellow build up on the wall above the range

I spray with 409 then (wearing rubber gloves) scrub with an SOS pad. I've tried all the greener alternatives but the method described is the one that saves me the most time. Good luck!

[grasswire]

6. yes on SOS pad

That's my solution. Trying to dissolve or loosen the gunk is useless, IMO. SOS takes it right off.

[Denninmi]

7. Steam pressure cleaner.

I bought one at Christmas time. I was a little skeptical at first, but that thing is freakin' amazing. Cleans stuff that I thought would never come clean. It has various nozzles and attachments.

I bought a McCullouch (the people that make chainsaws). My sister liked it so much she went and bought a Shark brand version. Both of them work equally well. Mine has a bigger tank and lasts a bit longer, but hers actually has more versatile attachments.

The hot, pressurized steam really blasts through built-up gunk. It's actually pretty amazing what comes off of a surface that looks reasonably clean to the naked eye.

[Phentex]

10. I wondered if those really worked or not...

Like the OP, I seem to have the best luck with Dawn dish soap and hot hot water. But there are some things that my elbow grease won't work on. Does your have a cleaning pad? In other words, where does the gunk go?

[Denninmi]

21. McCullouch steam cleaner has built-in clips

Sort of like clip-on clothes pins. You can use any old piece of rag, old towel, etc., cut to size, which is kind of nice, since you can just throw them away. You could even use tougher disposable cloths on them for some things (depending upon what you're scrubbing and how rough it is).

The Shark model my sister bought came with washable pads, and you can buy extras, but they are kind of pricey, and nothing particular difficult that you couldn't make yourself out of cheap dishcloths or towels with a little sewing or probably even some fabric glue.

[Irishonly]

23. I was going to post about the steamers.

I love mine. I am diabetic and worry about bacteria and germs-not that non diabetics don't. I just get infections too easily. I always wondered about the chemicals but now I just steam close to everything without worrying about fumes.

[housewolf]

9. Ful-sol

It's a safe degreaser made by the Fuller Brush company, also availalbe from QVC and perhaps other sources. It's been around for decades - I remember getting "borrowing" a bit from my mom's bottle back in the '70's. You still need to scrub, but it does take it off.

[Tesha]

11. Generally, I'm on Warpy's side of the issue.

Glass cleaner, soaking if possible, encourage saponification (but make
sure it's not your personal fat that's getting transformed into soap!).
Soaking (sometimes overnight!) is an amazing-versatile tool!

For small work, I also like 100% isopropyl alcohol ("propanol") as a cleaner;
nowadays, the easiest way to buy it seems to be in automobile supply
stores as "isopropyl gas line antifreeze". But again, be careful; it will
definitely dry out the skin of your fingers and, of course, it is quite
flammable. It usually can remove "permanent" magic marker. To make
it less aggressive and mostly-non-dangerous, we often mix it into
glass cleaner; it's the same additive that's provided in "anti-bacterial"
glass cleaner. It's easier to buy methanol (in any home-goods store)
but I don't like using it nearly as much.

Steel wool is useful on all sorts of hard surfaces like porcelain, glass,
pyroceram ("Corningware"), stainless steel, and the like. Again, pre-
soaking with a cleaner (or often, even just hot water) will make your
scrubbing life a lot easier.

Escalating a bit, relatively non-abrasive cleaners like "Bon Ami" will
help on hard surfaces.

The dishwasher can clean quite a few things you don't ordinarily
dish-wash.

Certain very temperature-resistant items can be cleaned in a self-
cleaning (pyrolytic) oven.

And milder heat can often help you remove basic grease build-up,
especially if you want to do some scraping. Heated grease crud can
be a lot softer than cold, hard-frozen grease crud.

Vinegar is great for dissolving mineral deposits, but be prepared
to give it time to work.

WD-40 will help dissolve "price label goo" from most things and
won't dissolve or craze most plastics if you remove it pretty quickly.
It also takes crayon and "permanent" magic marker off of all sorts
of things. But after you use the WD-40, you'll probably want to
clean off the WD-40 residue with something else like alcohol
or glass cleaner.

And then there are few other products that Mr. Tesha tends to use,
but are pretty far up on the "dangerousness" scale, so I wouldn't
recommend them for any casual use:

o Acetone -- as embodied in nail polish remover, this will dissolve
some things that resist isopropyl. But it will also dissolve, haze, or
craze many plastics.

o "Goof-Off" -- This commercial product is sort-of like the "dip"
in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. It's a very aggressive mix of
xylene, ethyl benzene, and an ether and will melt all sorts of
adhesives and goo, but it will also *RAPIDLY* melt a lot of
plastics; test it before using on something valuable.

o "Coleman fuel" -- Coming in the big red gallon cans, this is
probably 100% naptha. It's a great degreaser but is explosive as hell
and probably not to good to breath in or soak into your skin. But
sometimes you really have to degrease something (gears, disk
brake rotors, and the like) big time.

o Carburetor cleaner or brake cleaner -- These come in spray cans
but are the moral equivalent of the Goof-Off or Coleman fuel.

Tesha

[Warpy]

12. All great suggestions, Tesha

Driveway degreaser is also great but you can't use it on paint; ditto for the super concentrated all purpose cleaner from Costco. Both do a decent job diluted, though.

I just buy my isopropyl alcohol at the grocery, along with the hydrogen peroxide I use to get rid of any fresh blood stains (it's like magic, they fizz and vanish).

[Tesha]

13. My grocery stores quit stocking the "high test" (98%) isopropyl.

Now 70% is the best I can find at groceries and pharmacies, so I
hit the auto parts stores instead.

Tesha

[Kali]

15. ok guess what?

good old ammonia - it wiped it right off, like it was a fresh spill!

Some great advice on this thread - some I knew, others I just forgot (ammonia!) and some brand new - the steamer was recommended in the lounge too - I may look into that if I ever have a little extra cash again! Thanks all.

Oh, sorry hippywife, the baking soda did not touch it - didn't do a thing. But it sure works on odors in the fridge!

I thought I had some alcohol here so didn't pick up any at the store - of course it wasnt here, so that experiment will have to wait for another time - I know tequila will sure take the finish of wood furniture!:P

[Tesha]

17. With ammonia (a strong base), it's that wonderful "saponification" reaction.

Once you turn the grease into soap, it dissolves right into your wash water.

Tesha

[pengillian101]

20. good old ammonia

Yup!

[Tesha]

16. Oh, and a very important tip: whenever you can, use "Honey" ...

...as in "Honey, could you please clean the steam oven for me?"

These days, Mr. Tesha has a lot more flexibility than I do for
those "deep reaches" so he's very willing to do some of the
kitchen cleaning for me that I just can't conveniently reach
(or keep reaching for very long). He's also more like you, Kali,
in that he'll spend a lot of time "detailing" the thing he's cleaning.

And he knows that in return, I'll keep feeding him the great stuff
that comes out of our nice, clean kitchen. ;)

Tesha

[Kali]

18. or "you boyos"

the young men still living at home who eat all the fried food that creates that mess!

I did the top of the stove - they did the cabinets, just have a wall to go.

[Tesha]

19. That sounds good too! (NT)

[Duer 157099]

22. Ammonia eh? I'm inspired. What should it *not* touch?

I mean besides my skin.

I have one of those steamers that I absolutely love for cleaning things that I don't even want to touch with gloves on. I wonder about adding a bit of ammonia to the water in it? I wonder what a safe % would be, considering how aerosolized it would become. Maybe a bad idea.

Here's a really good tip about ammonia: if you have to clean any rubber gaskets (or similar), use ammonia. It won't destroy the rubber the way that alcohol will. I use a certain trackball mouse that has long been out of production and it's the only mouse I feel comfortable with, so keeping it alive has become important over the years (although I have a collection of them via ebay, just in case). It has rubber rollers/bumpers that are critical in the tracking function of the ball, so keeping them clean is essential (and probably why this model wasn't made for very long -- people don't realize that simply cleaning these rollers will restore the mouse to perfect function). For the longest time I was using a Q-tip with alcohol along with some sharp forceps for cleaning, until I read about ammonia, which is what I use now. It keeps the rubber in great condition.

[Warpy]

24. Don't put anything into the steamer

that isn't specifically recommended by the manufacturer. You can easily damage plastic and rubber parts at the temperatures those things generate.

Also, ammonia flavored live steam is an incredibly bad idea. Ammonia fumes are toxic when inhaled in large quantity, and that steam would certainly do it.

If something you own is in bad enough shape, do consider the ammonia and plastic garbage bag in the sun trick. I've never seen anything survive two trips through that process with a speck of burned on grease left.

[Lugnut]

25. I use a mix of ammonia and laundry detergent.

The ratio I use is 3:1 ammonia to detergent to cut through grease. For regular cleaning I mix it in a small bucket. I keep a spray bottle filled with the mix under the sink for cleaning the stove and backsplash.

[kestrel91316]

26. You MUST try MrClean Magic Eraser sponges for this!!!! You won't believe it.

And no, they don't pay me to say this. My assistant told me about them for years before I ever tried then, and now I can't live without. And the generics are just as good.

I used to use dilute ammonia to cut grease.

[Phentex]

28. they scratch some surfaces though...

so you have to be careful where you use them. I love them on doors and baseboards!

[kestrel91316]

29. I've never had them scratch a thing. Biggest problem for me is, in the

bathroom, they pick up cat litter clay dust and then smear it around, lol. I tend to use them in the kitchen mostly. Easilu got all the built up crud off my stainless tea kettle that NOTHING else would touch.