How To Green Clean Grease From Kitchen Surfaces (Image credit: Ashley Poskin) Grease is the word. Whether you're frying up a pan of bacon or sautéing veggies in olive oil, grease splatter abounds. It multiplies in tiny little droplets and clings to your stovetop, cabinets, backsplash and any other areas close by. It's often difficult to remove, especially if you aren't able to clean it right away, so we've compiled a simple how-to for cleaning up the mess with basic items you already have in your kitchen. Baking soda and/or Vegetable oil Vinegar: Pour undiluted vinegar into an empty spray bottle and apply generously to the greased surface. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, then wipe clean with a dishcloth or non-abrasive scrubber. Baking soda: Sprinkle baking soda on a damp sponge or non-abrasive scrubber and wipe down all greased surfaces. Follow with a clean, damp cloth to remove any powder residue. Vegetable oil: If all else fails, a surprising grease remover is non other than —grease!

A natural vegetable oil on a paper towel can remove a really difficult stain. Follow up with one of the methods above for that like-new sparkle. Note: For extremely difficult grease stains, you can use a Phosphate-free TSP (trisodium phosphate). It is a good replacement for the toxic, heavy duty cleaners that we all want to avoid. Do you know how to properly clean your cast iron skillet? (Image credit: Cambria Bold) When was the last time you peeked underneath your stove hood and checked out the exhaust fan filters? If it's been awhile or you've never done this, let me warn you: it's not going to be pretty. The purpose of a range hood filter is to collect grease, so if it's doing its job correctly, it's going to look and feel, well, greasy. Over time the the filter may become so blocked with grease and ickiness that it loses its effectiveness, which is why it's important to clean these filters periodically. Thankfully, cleaning them isn't hard at all! This tutorial shows how to clean the filter in your sink with just boiling water, baking soda, and a good de-greasing dish soap.

Some hood filters can actually be washed in the dishwasher, but depending on how long it's been since you've cleaned yours, I wouldn't recommend that without at least cleaning them this way first. (You don't want too much grease to end up in your dishwasher!) So, let's de-grease those filters now, shall we? Very hot or boiling waterbest lightweight vacuum cleaners 2015 Degreasing dish soap (Dawn works very well)best ways to clean microfiber furniture Paper towels or dish clothwhat is the best way to clean a vinyl awning Want more smart tutorials for getting things done around the home? See more How To posts We're looking for great examples of your own household intelligence too!

Submit your own tutorials or ideas here! Get a Spotless Stove (and Beyond) The more you put off cleaning an appliance -- like the dreaded oven, the more the grime -- and dread -- builds up. But keeping it clean is critical from an aesthetic and a practical standpoint. Without proper maintenance, fuel ports and hood vents can clog and ovens can smoke.Here, then, is Martha's step-by-step guide for taking the stove top, vent hood, oven, toaster, microwave, and countertop grill from grease-spattered and blackened to gleaming overnight. Her method requires no more than a couple of hours of active time and a few cleaning products (and most of the products are chemical free). Should you need added incentive, consider this: "If you thoroughly clean the oven, and then maintain it after every use," Martha says, "you should never have to do such a dirty job again." The hood clears the air of smoke and grease from everyday cooking, but they can leave their mark. Over time, stains can build up and vents can clog.

Clean the exterior of the hood weekly and the filters monthly. How to Clean the Vent Hood Follow these steps for getting the most spatter-prone part of the oven sparkling again. How to Clean the Stove Top Spatters and drips are inevitable. Here's how to tackle the oven (whether or not yours has a self-cleaning function) if you've neglected it awhile. How to Clean the Oven A Clean Kitchen, Top to Bottom Don't forget to look up over your stovetop! The range hood and stainless steel can collect dust and grease. Follow these steps and it will be sparkling clean. How to A Clean Kitchen, Top to Bottom You've conquered the big job -- the oven. But the task of cleaning these little cookers can feel out of proportion with their modest size. The good news: With five minutes and these techniques, you can get them looking new. How to Clean the Toaster This convenience cooker can feel like anything but come cleaning day. Use these techniques to show inevitable stains and overflow who's boss. 

How to Clean the Microwave The indoor grill is a fast and healthy way to cook -- but not if you avoid using it just to avoid cleaning it! Read our tips and fire it up. How to Clean the Countertop GrillI am trying to clean the aluminum mesh filters in my range hood vents. I have tried various detergents alone and in combinations, with and without ammonia. I have also tried different solvents with little or no success. The grease is quite concentrated and thick. Soaking doesn't even seem to do the job. I am sure this type of cleaning is being done commercially so there must be a way. Can anyone give me tips for how to clean a range hood filter the correct way? I put mine in the dishwasher and they come out sparkling. It couldn't be easier. I just recently tried to figure out the best way to clean our range hood filter. I have never had much success with this in the past, but this time I hit on a great product. First I tried ammonia, "tough on grease" dish detergent, and plain old elbow grease.

All that managed to do was remove the dust! Awhile back, I had purchased some "Greased Lightning" in a clearance bin at the grocery store, so I thought I'd try that. I was amazed that the built up grease dissolved instantly as I poured the "Greased Lightning" over the filter. Scrubbing was not necessary, and the filter was sparkling clean when I was done! It hasn't been this clean since it was brand new! Be careful that you don't get this product on your skin, as it is very strong. My daughter's hands peeled after she got it on her skin. Mary in WA State Cooking Dinner photo from Shutterstock There's a very easy way to clean those filters: melt the grease off. Find a pan large enough to hold the filter, something like a jelly roll pan. Put a thick layer of newspaper into the pan (maybe 8 pages thick) and set the filter on top. Put the pan into your oven and turn the oven on very low (like 250 degrees or "warm") and just wait awhile. The grease will melt, flow down and be absorbed into the newspaper.

Once you've melted off as much as will come off, run the filter through the dishwasher using a bit more detergent than usual. We did this with a truly disgusting filter when we last moved. The house was 20 years old, and my guess is that the filter hadn't been changed or cleaned in that whole time. We baked it in the oven for an hour, put it into the dishwasher, and the filter sparkled when it came out. I clean my filters by placing them in a large plastic garbage bag outdoors. Then, I add a cup of ammonia and tie the bag up. Let it sit for up to 24 hours. This works for any grease or carbon build-up. Just hose the filter off when ready and discard the bag in your rubbish. I have one word for you: Oxiclean! When I had to clean the filter in our old house, I filled the sink with really hot water, dumped in a full scoop of Oxiclean, and let it soak. I was amazed at how well it worked. The filter looked brand new! Oxiclean did wonders on my 40-year-old range. There is a fume-free oven cleaner, made by Easy Off, that works wonders on this sort of thing, and it doesn't corrode the aluminum.

I managed a McDonald's for a while, and we dealt with some killer grease. We used a commercial degreaser. Just let the filter sit in the liquid for an hour or more, and then rinse with very hot water. Degreasers are available at janitorial supply stores (many are open to the public), but if you can't find one, try Mean Green. It doesn't work as well as the heavy-duty stuff, but it might help. If you need to clean range hood filters, the very best way is to put on your "elbow grease" clothes and take the filter to the nearest manual car wash! Set the sprayer for hot water and get with the program. The solution that they use to clean a car does a super job on stove parts and pieces. If you are fortunate enough to own a pickup truck, just put the filter in the bed of the truck on old rags and go through an automated car wash! It does a good job too, but if you have VERY bad grease and grunge, it's better to take them to a manual car wash and do the scrubbing yourself! Try cleaning the range hood filter by soaking it over night in a pan of water with a dryer sheet.

In the morning, scrub it clean. Or mix a thin (somewhat watery) paste of white vinegar and cream of tartar and spread the mixture over the filter. If the filter is really grimy, let it sit for a half of an hour or so. Then scrub it clean. Both methods may have to be repeated if the filter is really dirty. Both methods also work great on pots and pans. I just saw a TV show in which the host explained that you could easily clean your greasy oven hood with water softener. He put some water softener in a bucket and let it dissolve. After soaking the greasy filter for a few minutes, he used a denture brush to easily remove the grease. I use a household steam cleaner, and the grease just melts off. We live in military housing, and when we are posted to another base, we have to ensure our house is left in meticulous condition. Our range hood gets very greasy. My husband was trying desperately to figure out how to clean our range hood filter before our house inspection and nothing was working.