The Simple 2-Ingredient Mixture That Melts Grease Off Kitchen Cabinets

Grease can build up on your kitchen cabinets faster than you think. Airborne particles from cooking your favorite foods wander around your kitchen and eventually find a home on your cabinets. This can build up alongside dust, grime, dirt, and more grease left behind by unclean hands. If left unchecked, grease buildup can cause several issues. Thankfully, there is an affordable, easy-to-make, homemade solution that will melt the grease right off of your kitchen cabinets with just water and vinegar. 

Take an empty spray bottle and mix together equal parts vinegar and warm water. Spray the solution onto your greasy cabinets and wait a few minutes for the spray to settle. During this time, the vinegar will lift up and dissolve the grease. Wipe the cabinet with a damp cloth, and the grease stains should vanish.

It is important to wash away greasy buildup because an excess of grease can greatly increase the potential for fire in your kitchen. Grease buildup can also cause respiratory issues, attract pests, and even contaminate food. As such, keeping your kitchen clean of it is essential for the health of your home. The great benefit of this particular cleaning method is that it is very budget-friendly and does the job just as well, if not better, than most commercial cleaners. 

The main ingredient here is vinegar, which has a tried-and-true legacy as an excellent household cleaner. Its natural acidity lends itself well to cleaning, as the acetic acid present will help kill a great amount of bacteria. This can help greatly reduce, or eliminate, the presence of chemical cleaners in your kitchen. And while there are many different types of vinegar cleaners — including one that makes great use of orange peels — diluting it with water is a no-nonsense way of getting your kitchen cleaned quickly. 

Use distilled white vinegar, as it does not have any coloring agents in it, meaning you don't have to worry about stains on your cabinets. Distilled vinegar also has 5% acidity, which is about the same as common commercial cleaners. You could also shop for cleaning vinegar, which offers a more powerful 6% to 8% acidity.

It is important to note that vinegar does have a drawback, especially if you have wood cabinets. Over time, vinegar can wear down the finish on wooden cabinets and can even cause damage to waxed or unsealed wood. A neutral pH cleaner is better for these surfaces. Still, if your cabinets are laminate, painted, or built out of other synthetic materials, vinegar is an absolutely amazing solution that will provide a truly excellent clean. To prevent buildup from accumulating, clean up messy grease splatters when they happen instead of letting them sit.