Natural Handmade Kitchen Degreaser|| Quick And Easy To Make

Natural handmade kitchen degreaser is easy to make and great to have on hand. I keep mine under my kitchen sink, where I can grab it quickly to clean up after a greasy spill. I use it just about daily to give my stove a once over, and so much more.

natural handmade kitchen degreaser in a bottle on a table with rubber gloves and lemons

Natural cleaning products sometimes need to be combined with a little elbow grease to get the results you desire from them. But that’s not so hard, right?!?!

I mean, after all, the trade off for this very minimal effort is keeping your kitchen as free of harmful chemicals as possible. And that’s a pretty big deal.

Reasons To Make Your Own Cleaning Products

It is very easy to make your own natural cleaning products, and it’s inexpensive as well.

Not to mention that, there is no price that can be put on the peace of mind that comes with knowing exactly what ingredients are in the products that you are using in your home.

I have been using natural cleaning products for a very long time. I don’t always use them exclusively, because they simply don’t have what it takes to do certain jobs.

But I dread it when I have to break down and use a chemical laden commercial cleaner in my home.

I have managed to keep my home environment pretty free of chemicals and my body has become used to it. So, when I am exposed to them my body has a strong negative reaction.

I suffer from headaches, respiratory discomfort, sore throats, and skin irritations almost immediately. It’s quite a hassle. And, also a pretty clear indicator of just how harmful commercially produced cleaning products are, in my humble opinion.

Does Natural Handmade Kitchen Degreaser Really Work?

Cooking can be greasy business. And grease that isn’t promptly cleaned up in the kitchen will quickly turn into nasty, stubborn grime. This grime generally cannot be removed with natural cleaning products.

lemons infusing in a jar of white vinegar

Yes, I said that out loud. Natural handmade kitchen degreaser WILL NOT remove greasy residue build up.

It also will not clean baked on spatters and spills from a stovetop or oven. And it is ineffective for cleaning other grease related messes that have been left to build up on kitchen surfaces.

It’s just not going to happen, folks. Unless, in all my years of researching and experimenting with natural cleaning products I’ve seriously missed discovering some especially powerful natural cleaning ingredient that works in a way I’ve never seen before.

BUT … you can very successfully use natural handmade kitchen degreaser to drastically reduce the need for commercial cleaning products. As a matter of fact, if you develop the habit of quickly cleaning up all grease related spatters and spills you may be able to eliminate the need for them altogether.

Simply mix yourself up a bottle of natural handmade kitchen degreaser, keep it close at hand, and then USE IT OFTEN.

Wipe down the kitchen each evening when you are done cooking for the day. Clean any greasy spills or splatters as soon as they happen. And don’t ever allow any grease, grime, or spills to sit on your stovetop, in your oven, or really anywhere at all in your kitchen.

How To Make Natural Handmade Kitchen Degreaser

There are several ways that you can remove grease from your kitchen naturally. Each of them is very simple, takes very little effort to make, and serves it’s own purpose.

natural handmade kitchen degreaser, essential oil, rubber gloves, and a sponge on a table

Method #1

The first natural cleaning product that I want to bring to you today is the star of this post. It is the natural handmade kitchen degreaser that I keep under my kitchen sink. It is the most effective premade natural degreaser that I’ve ever made. And if you make it, I’m willing to bet you’ll feel the same way.

To make this degreaser, mix equal amounts of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. This solution will work well to cut through grease related messes in the kitchen.

Infuse The Vinegar

You can increase it’s strength quite a bit by using a lemon infused vinegar to make it. The lemon adds a little ‘umphf’ to it’s cleaning capabilities, and it lends a nice scent as well.

It is easiest to start a new vinegar infusion each time you make a bottle of degreaser. Then it will be ready for you to make a new bottle the next time you need to.

To do this, simply place the outer rind of a lemon in a pint size mason jar and cover it with white vinegar. Allow this to sit until you are ready to make another bottle of degreaser. Then strain the peels from the vinegar and use the infused solution for to make a new batch.

Add Essential Oils

The other thing that you may want to consider doing when you make your natural handmade kitchen degreaser is adding an essential oil or two. Citrus oils are perfect for this, and if you’re an essential oil user you probably already have them in the house.

Please note that adding essential oils to the blend doesn’t make much of a difference in the grease fighting capabilities of this natural cleaning product. But it does give it a pleasant scent and that’s well worth the trouble of putting them in.

Method #2

The second way that you can effectively keep your kitchen grease free is to use a natural soap based cleaner. There is a recipe for a natural cleaning spray in another blog post on the Sustainable Slow Living site that works really well for this purpose.

Occasionally, when I have nothing else prepared and I’m in a hurry, I will use this spray as a fill in degreaser in the kitchen. But I prefer the natural handmade kitchen degreaser described above quite a bit. This is definitely a second choice.

Method #3

And finally, the third way that I have found effective in removing greasy build up in the kitchen is to use a baking soda paste. Making this paste is a very simple process.

All it takes is mixing a bit of baking soda with a little water until it becomes a creamy spreadable consistency. Then spread it on the grimy area you’re trying to clean, apply a wet rag and a little elbow grease to it, and it will remove more than either of the two degreasing methods mentioned above.

This method obviously cannot be made ahead of time and so it does not serve as an easy go to degreaser.

Where To Use This Natural Cleaning Product

The most important consideration to make when deciding where to use any of the degreasing methods mentioned above is whether or not they will harm the surface you are using them on. For example, vinegar cannot be used on either marble or granite.

a dish of baking soda paste and a sponge on a table

A simple spot test is enough to let you know whether or not you are safe to use the degreasing method of your choice on the surface your cleaning.

If there is no appropriate place to perform a spot test, then a quick google search will provide the information you need to know whether or not to proceed.

Here’s a quick list of ways that you can get started using a 1:1 vinegar and water based natural handmade kitchen degreaser right away …

  • Eliminate greasy build up from stovetops and ovens
  • Prevent greasy build up on pots and pans
  • Clean away greasy fingerprints from most nonporous surfaces
  • Clean greasy splatters from range hoods
  • Clean greasy splatters from backsplashes
  • Eliminate greasy build up on countertops
  • Prevent greasy build up on cupboards
  • Wipe away greasy splatters on large appliances
  • Clean many small appliances
  • Wipe away greasy residue from garbage cans

Ingredients For Natural Handmade Kitchen Degreaser

No matter which one of the above mentioned methods you are using as a natural handmade kitchen degreaser in your kitchen, the ingredients in them are all chemical-free, readily available, and completely natural. Here’s a bit about each of them for you to review …

a dish of natural handmade cleaning products on a table
  • White Vinegar – This ingredient works by cutting through grease, thereby releasing it from the surface it’s on. It is also a really effective sanitizer.
  • Lemon – Lemon is a natural degreaser. It is acidic just like vinegar, and so it too cuts through grease. It also has a pleasant scent that is very closely associated with cleanliness, making it a great choice for a handmade natural kitchen degreaser.
  • Castile Soap – This ingredient is used in the natural cleaning spray linked and mentioned in method #2 above. It is an oil-based product. The oil in this soap will bind with other oils it comes in contact with and remove them from the surface they are on.
  • Baking Soda – Baking soda works by dissolving grease from surfaces. It is more effective when a little extra scrubbing power is needed for the job, as it is a gentle abrasive.
  • Citrus Essential Oil – The cleaning power that is added to natural cleaning products by using essential oils is pretty minimal. The amount of oil that would be needed to actually cause them to boost the efficency of a handmade product is unreasonable. BUT they will give it a nice scent. And it is so easy to add them that it seems silly not to treat yourself.

How To Store This Natural Cleaning Product

Most natural cleaning products should be stored in a cool, dark, dry place. I keep mine in a linen closet in my laundry room or under my kitchen sink.

lemongrass essential oil on a plate with a lemon and a sponge

The soap based natural cleaning spray mentioned above will last for months under these conditions. However, it will eventually take on a slimy texture and need to be thrown out.

The vinegar based natural handmade kitchen degreaser spray mentioned above will last almost indefinitely. If you infuse the vinegar with lemon peels before making the spray it will take on a shelf life.

I don’t know for sure exactly what that shelf life would be. But I do know that it is long enough that it is unlikely you will ever see it expire. The bottle will not last that long.

And, finally there’s the baking soda method. As stated above, this cleaner cannot be premixed and so the shelf life of the baking soda itself is the only consideration here. Baking soda lasts indefinitely for cleaning purposes when stored properly.

pinnable image for natural handmade kitchen degreaser

4 Comments

  1. Why couldn’t you make a baking soda paste and put it in an empty lotion bottle, or something similar?

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