6 DIY Degreaser Recipes for Kitchen Cabinets (2024)

I’ve found some quick and cost-effective ways to degrease kitchen cabinets using items you likely already have.

  • I mix 1/4 cup of Dawn dish soap with a quart of warm water for an easy degreaser.
  • I create a paste with white vinegar and salt to tackle tough grease in nooks and crannies.
  • I use straight white vinegar in a spray bottle to dissolve grime after letting it sit for 30 minutes.
  • I make a paste of baking soda and water for a gentle yet effective scrub on my cabinets.
  • For polishing and protecting wood, I apply a few drops of Murphy’s Oil Soap with a clean cloth.

To use my Dawn dish soap mixture, I simply spray or wipe it on my kitchen cabinets and rub them with a soft cloth to remove grease stains. For the vinegar and salt paste, I work it into tight spots with an old toothbrush for a deep clean. Straight vinegar is great as a stand-alone cleaner; just spray, let it penetrate, and wipe clean.

Baking soda paste is perfect for a non-abrasive scrub, and Murphy’s Oil Soap keeps the wood nourished and looking its best. These methods are not only effective but also cost-efficient and easy to use, ensuring my kitchen cabinets stay pristine without harsh chemicals.

Your kitchen cabinets are one of the most handled items in your home. Constant use causes them to collect crud and grime, and their proximity to the stovetop means they will get greasy. A cleaner and degreaser for kitchen cabinets is required to keep them looking new, but you need to use one that will not damage the cabinet or its finish.

We are going to help with some great cleaning tips that explain how to degrease kitchen cabinets without causing damage by using natural ingredients to create a powerful degreaser.

Our DIY tips and tricks will bring your cabinets to life and then help keep them that way. You probably have all you need right in your pantry!

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Table Of Contents

  1. Simple Degreasing Tips and Recipes for Cabinets
    • Getting Prepared
    • Degreasing a Kitchen Cabinet with Dawn Dish Soap
    • How to Degrease Kitchen Cupboards with White Vinegar and Salt Rub
    • White Vinegar Degreases My Kitchen Cabinet
    • Baking Soda and Water as Degreaser
    • How to Degrease a Kitchen Cabinet Using Oil Soap
    • Clean Them With Vegetable Oil and Vinegar
    • Degreasing Recipe for Kitchen Cupboards

Simple Degreasing Tips and Recipes for Cabinets

Here are six DIY recipes to be used as a degreaser for kitchen cabinets. Each works a little differently, and when combined in concert, they will help get your cabinet doors clean with minimal elbow grease.

Getting Prepared

Most of the things needed to make a kitchen cabinet degreaser are everyday household items. There’s no need to have every element to begin, start with the items you already have. You should also use gloves and wear safety glasses while cleaning.

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What You Need to Degrease Cabinets

  • Dawn dish soap
  • White vinegar
  • Baking soda
  • Murphy’s Oil Soap
  • Salt
  • Paper towels
  • A soft cloth
  • Spray bottle
  • Old toothbrush

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Degreasing a Kitchen Cabinet with Dawn Dish Soap

Dawn dish soap is famous for being an excellent degreaser, and this simple tip might be the best way to clean wooden cabinets. It is also mild enough that it won’t ruin your wood cabinets or their finish. You can even use dish detergent as the best way to clean painted kitchen cabinets, too.

Make a cleaning solution by mixing 1/4 cup Dawn dishwashing detergent with one quart of warm water. Don’t make too many suds. Pour the cleaning solution in a pail or a bucket, but it is also quite helpful to put it in a spray bottle.

Spray or wipe down the kitchen cabinets with the solution. Using a soft cloth, rub in a circular motion to remove any visible splatters or grease stains. Apply a little elbow grease to stubborn grease stains. You can also remove oil stains from kitchen wall tiles and countertops with dish soap and water. Wipe dry with paper towels.

How to Degrease Kitchen Cupboards with White Vinegar and Salt Rub

Make a paste using white vinegar and salt for an excellent wood cabinet cleaner. Use an old toothbrush to scrub the paste in tight spots where grease might have a chance to build up.

This rub is the perfect natural grease cleaner and an excellent way to remove grime around hinges and handles. If your wood kitchen cabinets have a lot of carvings and intricate designs, this will be able to get in there to give you a deep clean.

White Vinegar Degreases My Kitchen Cabinet

To make the best kitchen degreaser that is simple yet highly effective, pour white vinegar into a small spray bottle, spray on greasy cabinets, and let sit for about 30 minutes. Once the vinegar degreaser has had a chance to penetrate the grease stains, wipe away the vinegar and gunk with a damp cloth and clean water.

The slightly acidic nature of white vinegar makes it a top-notch kitchen cleaner degreaser. It not only works to clean cabinets, but it will also do a fantastic job cleaning a stainless steel stove top, most countertops, and laminate.

Baking Soda and Water as Degreaser

One of the most popular cleaning supplies is ordinary household baking soda. A perfect all-purpose cleaner, the most common practice is to mix baking soda with water, but both work much better on their own. Baking soda is an alkaline substance, while vinegar is an acid.

Make a paste from baking soda and hot water to make a homemade kitchen cleaner degreaser. Use an old toothbrush to scrub the mixture into your cabinet doors for a deep clean.

Use baking soda and vinegar as a DIY counter cleaner, particularly if there are tough stains.

How to Degrease a Kitchen Cabinet Using Oil Soap

Many different brands of oil soap, such as Murphy’s Oil Soap or home remedies, make a great wood cleaner. Oil soap is specially designed to not only clean wood but also protect and rejuvenate it. To use oil soap to clean kitchen cabinets, put a few drops onto a clean cloth and gently massage the oil into the wood using a circular motion.

Clean Them With Vegetable Oil and Vinegar

Vegetable oil and vinegar are among our last cleaning products. This tip is very similar to the oil soap tip and is a way to create a homebrew oil soap.

The way to make a degreaser with these handy pantry ingredients is to mix equal parts vegetable oil and vinegar and apply to a clean cloth to polish and shine your kitchen cabinets and remove grease build up that may have accumulated while you weren’t looking.

We hope that you liked our article and will use some of these DIY tips to degrease your kitchen cabinets and get them looking new. After a deep cleaning, some preventative measures may go a long way toward keeping your cabinets clean. Wipe them down once a week with white vinegar or Dawn dish soap to keep grease stains and crud to a minimum.

Degreasing Recipe for Kitchen Cupboards

6 DIY Degreaser Recipes for Kitchen Cabinets (3)

Degreaser for Kitchen Cabinets

Yield: 34 ounces

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Soap and water are not just for washing your hands.

Materials

  • 1/4 cup degreasing dish soap
  • 4 cups of warm water

Tools

  • Measuring cup
  • 48-ounce spray bottle
  • Clean rag

Instructions

  1. Pour the soap and water into the sprayer.
  2. Swish gently to incorporate. Try not to make too many bubbles.
  3. Spray one cabinet at a time.
  4. Wipe the cleaner over the cabinet face, getting into the corners and grooves.
  5. Allow to air dry.

Notes

If you don't have a spray bottle, you can easily add the mixture to a bucket instead.

6 DIY Degreaser Recipes for Kitchen Cabinets (4)

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6 DIY Degreaser Recipes for Kitchen Cabinets (2024)

FAQs

What is the best homemade degreaser for cabinets? ›

Mix 1 cup vinegar with 3 cups of water, 1 cup of baking soda and ½ cup of dish soap in a bowl. This solution is best used right from the bowl, so dip a clean cloth into the bowl to apply the degreaser, then use the cloth to scrub the greasy surface. Be sure to rinse afterward and wipe the surface again to finish.

What is the best cleaning solution for greasy kitchen cabinets? ›

Simple solutions of dish soap and water can do wonders for cleaning away grease, splatters, and food messes. Dawn® Platinum makes cleaning kitchen cabinets So Dawn Easy! The unique formula quickly breaks down grease particles while staying gentle enough to not cause any damage.

What is the best homemade heavy duty degreaser? ›

A simple and very effective degreaser for household use is diluted white vinegar with a small amount of Dawn dishwashing soap. This combination is awesome for removing oil stains on clothes or cleaning grease or soap scum in the kitchen or bathroom.

What is a homemade solution for cleaning cabinets? ›

Mix a 50/50 solution of vinegar and warm water and pour it into a spray bottle. Mist on cabinets, let sit for a minute or two and then wipe clean with a soft cloth. Add a few drops of liquid dishwashing detergent to the vinegar and water solution to clean extremely grimy cabinets.

How do you get tough grease off kitchen cabinets? ›

Start by mixing a solution of warm water and a mild dish soap. Using a soft cloth or sponge, gently scrub the greasy areas, applying light pressure to avoid damaging the cabinet finish. For tougher grease stains, add a small amount of white vinegar or baking soda to the soapy solution.

How do you get thick grease off kitchen cabinets? ›

Heat a damp sponge in the microwave for 30 to 40 seconds. Spray the cabinet with a citrus-based cleaner. Wearing dishwashing gloves to avoid burning your hands, take the hot sponge out of the microwave, and use it to remove the grease. Wipe off any remaining residue with a paper towel.

What cleans old grease off cabinets? ›

Dish Soap. Grease-cutting dish soaps, like Dawn, are the gentlest choice for degreasing kitchen cabinets. If extra cleaning power is needed, use a non-scratch abrasive sponge to help safely scour away sticky grease film.

How do you make degreaser for kitchen cabinets? ›

One of the most popular homemade degreasers is a vinegar-based solution. To make this solution, mix one cup of distilled white vinegar with three cups of warm water in a spray bottle. You can also add a few drops of essential oil for a pleasant scent.

How do you clean old greasy cabinets? ›

Greasy Cabinet Cleaning Method: Murphy Oil Soap

The method: Fill a bucket with warm water and add the popular Murphy Oil Soap. Use a rag to wipe cabinets with cleaning solution. Use a second rag to wipe down cabinets with clean water to remove any residue and leftover grime.

How do you make degreaser for wood cabinets? ›

Fill a spray bottle with ½ cup of white vinegar and add 2 tablespoons of baking soda. The mixture will foam at first. Once the foaming has subsided, add 1 cup of water. Spray on the cabinets and let it sit for a few minutes to work away at the layer of grime and rinse off.

What is the most aggressive degreaser? ›

It is widely accepted that Fusion Cleaners are the most aggressive degreaser, given their ability to tackle tough dirt and grime with ease. It is a powerful cleaner that can be used on a variety of surfaces, from metal to plastic, and is safe for use on most materials.

How do you degrease kitchen cabinets before painting? ›

For heavier grease and stains: Use a mix of vinegar (1 cup), warm water (2 cups), and baking soda (1 tablespoon) as a cleaning solution (tip: add a small amount of dish soap for extra-strength). Take a soft cloth, dip into this mix, and work out the heavier grease and stained areas of your cabinets.

How do you clean wood cabinets with Dawn? ›

How To Clean Greasy Wood Kitchen Cabinets. Dawn Platinum is all you need to tackle greasy kitchen cabinets. Simply add Dawn to warm water, lather, apply, rinse and dry to remove grease from kitchen cabinets once and for all.

What is the best product to clean painted kitchen cabinets? ›

The best product for cleaning painted kitchen cabinets is a gentle mixture of dish soap and warm water. This method is recommended by various sources, including Five Star Painting, Jerry Enos Painting, and The Kitchn. Dish soap is effective at cutting grease and grime without damaging the paint finish.

Is vinegar a good degreaser? ›

Greasy surfaces

Vinegar just doesn't work on removing grease from surfaces because it is an acid. Use an alkaline soap, such as dish soap, for oil spills and messes. The University of Nebraska has a fascinating explanation of cleaning science that explains acid verses alkaline.

How do you clean greasy laminate cabinets? ›

Directions for Cleaning Laminate Cabinets:

Mix 1 oz. Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner with 4 cups warm water in a spray bottle or mix a stronger solution for very greasy cabinets. Apply Simple Green. Spray the solution onto a clean, non-abrasive, damp cloth or microfiber pad and wash until clean.

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