Honestly, vinegar and lemon juice never did much for me either. If you're dealing with serious grease buildup—like the stuff behind a stove or on oven doors—you might wanna try baking soda paste instead. Just mix baking soda with a little water into a thick paste, spread it on, let it sit 15-20 minutes, then scrub off gently with a sponge. Worked wonders for my old oven door when nothing else helped...and no harsh smells either.
Baking soda paste is pretty solid advice, but have you tried adding a bit of dish soap into the mix? I've found that a little squirt of dish soap in the baking soda paste helps cut through grease even better, especially on those stubborn spots behind the stove. Vinegar and lemon juice never really impressed me either—sure, they smell nice, but when it comes to heavy-duty grime, they just don't seem to have enough muscle.
Also, curious if anyone's experimented with hydrogen peroxide? I've heard mixed things about it for appliance cleaning. Tried it once myself on a fridge door handle that had yellowed a bit, and it actually worked surprisingly well. But I'm not sure how it'd handle grease buildup...might be worth a shot though, right?
- Dish soap + baking soda = total lifesaver, especially for vintage stove grime...trust me, I've been there.
- Vinegar and lemon smell great but yeah, they're more "refresh" than "deep clean."
- Hydrogen peroxide worked wonders on my antique fridge handles—definitely brightened things up—but grease? Hmm, skeptical.
"Hydrogen peroxide worked wonders on my antique fridge handles—definitely brightened things up—but grease? Hmm, skeptical."
Gotta disagree slightly here. Hydrogen peroxide can actually break down grease pretty effectively, especially if you let it sit for a bit. It's not my go-to for heavy-duty grime, but I've seen it loosen up stubborn grease spots on older appliances plenty of times. The key is patience—apply it generously, give it a good 10-15 minutes to bubble and lift the grime, then scrub gently with a microfiber cloth or soft brush.
That said, for really thick, baked-on grease layers (like the kind you find behind stove knobs or under range hoods), I still lean toward commercial degreasers. Natural solutions are great for regular maintenance or lighter messes, but sometimes you need something formulated specifically to cut through years of buildup. Just my two cents from experience...
I've had mixed results with hydrogen peroxide myself. It definitely brightens things up, like you mentioned with your fridge handles, but grease removal has been hit or miss for me. I tried it once on an old oven door that had some pretty stubborn grease splatters, and even after letting it sit for a good 20 minutes, it only loosened things up slightly. Ended up reaching for a commercial degreaser anyway.
On the flip side, baking soda paste has surprised me more than once. I smeared some on a greasy stove hood, let it sit overnight, and the next morning it wiped off way easier than I expected. Not perfect, but pretty impressive for something so simple and cheap.
I guess it depends on the type of grease and how long it's been sitting there. Natural cleaners can be great, but sometimes you just gotta bring out the big guns for those tougher jobs...
