Skip the store: 6 kitchen staples that cut grease fast

Before reaching for a cart full of chemical cleaners, it is worth checking the pantry. Six ordinary kitchen staples can handle nearly every type of grease, stain and odor that builds up in a busy kitchen, each suited to a slightly different job.

For a stovetop or microwave coated in grease, white vinegar is the go-to option. Its acidity breaks down grease and mineral deposits, and a spray bottle filled with equal parts vinegar and warm water works well on a range hood or sticky countertop. After five minutes of sitting and a wipe-down, both the grime and the vinegar’s own smell are gone within roughly fifteen minutes.

Baked-on food inside an oven or at the bottom of a pot calls for baking soda instead. Its mild alkalinity dissolves organic grease while its fine texture provides gentle abrasion, making it safe on stainless steel and porcelain. A damp sink sprinkled with baking soda and a splash of water forms a paste that restores shine with light scrubbing.

Lemons bring both disinfecting and deodorizing power thanks to their citric acid content, which kills bacteria and lifts stains. Cutting a lemon in half, dipping the cut side in coarse salt, and scrubbing a dingy wooden cutting board refreshes it quickly, while spent lemon rinds sent down the garbage disposal clear out sink odors.

Dish soap, usually reserved for plates, also cuts through the greasy film that collects on upper cabinets and tile backsplashes. Mixed into hot water, a few drops bind to oil molecules and lift them away without harming paint. Hydrogen peroxide, meanwhile, is suited to grimy grout lines: poured directly onto the stain, it bubbles for about ten minutes and loosens dirt from the porous surface.

Cast-iron pans require their own method since soap can strip their seasoning. Coarse kosher salt, worked into a still-warm pan with a paper towel, scrapes off charred bits like fine sandpaper, leaving the seasoning intact.

Wikimedia Commons/by Kate Ter Haar