Kitchen oil grime: be gone

Oil spatters are an inevitable part of cooking, but easy enough to clean up afterwards. Airborne oil particles, on the other hand, are less obvious and over time form a nasty film which is difficult to remove.

The most common areas affected by this problem are the kitchen cabinets, stove vent filter, stove hood. But the tacky coating of gunk also ends up on appliances and other surfaces in the kitchen as the grease is circulated through the air.

Trying to clean these grease stains with a dry or wet paper towel usually turns out to be a waste of time and energy. Most commercial cleaners also fail to remove the grease, especially when it combines with dirt.

- Soak a paper towel in mineral oil. If you don’t have mineral oil, vegetable oil will do but it tends to become sticky and yellowish in color over a period of time.

- Wipe the greasy surface of the stove hood and stove top with the paper towel until the film of gunk is removed.

- If the grime’s really stubborn, add some baking soda to the oil and then rub it on the affected areas.

- Take another clean paper towel and wipe down the surface again to remove the excess oil leave a minimal coating of oil on the surface. This will keep the surface shiny and help make the task of cleaning easier next time.

- Next, mix equal amounts of warm water and white vinegar.

- Soak a kitchen rag or sponge in this solution and wipe the kitchen cabinets with it to clean them by removing the light oil stains.

- Finally, wipe the cabinets with a rag soaked in cold water.

The stove hood filter can be cleaned with warm water and baking soda. Boil a pot of water and add a cup of baking soda. Do not mix it in one go; rather, add in small batches to avoid having it fizz up. Immerse the grimy filter for a few minutes then rinse with hot water.

The exhaust fan, stove hood, kitchen cabinets, and the stove top can also be cleaned with a soft cloth soaked in a warm water and baking soda solution.