Steamer on Wood - Grease - KITCHEN Cleaning.

M

mobiledynamics

New member
With the talk of using a steamer to remove tar, etc.....on a recent thread

Off topic. Was@moms the other day. Just to help out, shes getting older, arthritis, all that jazz.
It took 2 dishhwasher cycles to get the stove hood grills good.

The 2 most adjacent cabinets that surround the kitchen hood has specks of grease/oil . Not blobs but more like dried airborne stuff. U can feel it.

I don`t know what the best way to attack this is ?
I used Krud Kutter on the stove and it`s amazing. It`s not like lye, but literally will dissolve/clean the grease. I don`t know what the active ingredient is, but I recall a youtube video of some sorts where they say it`s safe enough to be digested.

My Primary concern is not messing up the finish coat on the kitchen cabinets.

FWIW, I also tested Murphy`s Oil and it too helped remove the grease. It was just a test spot.
AFAIK, murphys oil is NOT GOOD with wood. I do know that as we have wood floors and in my limited research, I recall that murphys oil soaks onto the wood finish, yadda, yadda.


Figurered the Autopian mindset is OCD cleaning so why not a good place to ask this question.
 
I wouldn`t think a steamer brush warped with a towel for a couple minutes would hurt anything. I doubt it`s really any more moisture than those cabinets get when boiling a big pot of pasta, or taters. That said I`ve never tried it. Me I`ve just used the hottest water I can stand with a microfiber wrung out, and some mean green. I hate using harsh chemicals where my food is prepared.
 
The kitchen cabs....I had a cabinetmaker redo her kitchen a couple years back. It`s not really the big box stuff.....Natural cherry, with a satin finish. I am concerned about the finish on the cabinets. Sure, I can use either of the aformentioned (KK or even Murphys) which seems to dissolve it, however at what expense.


I use the steam cleaner Heavily @ home with my wood flooring and it`s amazing.
However, I don`t know if it will work on the cabinets + what we are talking about, which is specks of airborne oil. Basically, the 2 that are on the sides of the hood that |---| box the sides in.

All the other cabinets in are nice and smooth. These they, you can feel it.
 
Steam and excessive heat are NOT good for varnish, WITHIN REASON!! I say that because painted wood surfaces are cleaned by professionals using steam for disaster recovery.

Contrary to what you`ve read or heard, Murphy`s Oil Soap (AKA, a vegetable oil-based cleaner) is OK cleaning for wood. I think it is safe IF:
1) You do not use it full strength on varnish, because, yes, it WILL remove old varnish or lacquer; a 4:1 water/soap dilution ratio is good for cleaning accumulated human oil off of wooden chair arms or wooden door handles on cabinets;
2) You rinse a wood surface with clean water after a Murphy`s Oil Soap wipe/scrub.
3) DO NOT use Mr. Clean Magic Scrubbing Pads on varnished wood; it will abrade and scratch the clear-varnish surface. Cleaning Paint with a MrCMSP is not quite as bad, as the dulled sheen is not as noticeable, UNLESS it is a bright, shiny-type paint in a very conspicuous area.
4) Cleaning bare wood, like a cutting board or meat chopping block, is another thing. I think there are wood cleaning & sanitizing chemicals for that, and you could ask a butcher shop or meat-cutting department of a grocery store what they use for that, as the chemicals need to meet FDA-food safety regulations, if you are concerned about that.

One of the best cleaners for pained surfaces that I found is an orange-oil based degreaser. I know that Zep makes a Commercial Heavy-duty Orange Degreaser you can buy at Lowe`s or Home Depot. What I like is that you do not need to rinse the surface after wiping, unless it`s REALLY dirty. My orange-oil soap comes from a local soap supply company and it much more expensive BUT it is almost twice as concentrated as Zeps, so the dilution ratios are less.

You are entering the realm where automotive cleaning chemicals cross over into the home/residential applications. There was a thread some time ago on this very subject, but I could not find it.
 
One of the frquently advertised uses for steamers is kitchen cleaning, especially commercial ones. I have no doubt that the steam will cut through the grease like a hot knife through butter, and while commercial kitchens are mostly stainless steel (please, don`t ask what type) and tile, exposing wooden cabinets to steam momentarily should be fine.. I don`t know how close the wood is to the burners, but I would think the cabinet maker has taken the environment into account and used an appropriate finish that handles a fair amount of heat and steam.

I`ve used my VX5000 on a high-end gas range, it`s cast-iron griddle and the overhead vent. The griddle is the only thing that required scrubbing with the VX5000`s bronze brush to get looking like new, and it wasn`t grease that made that necessary.
 
mobiledynamics- I`ve done infinitely more steaming in the house than on the vehicles and I`ve cleaned up pretty nasty residential kitchens when moving in to new-to-us houses and settling estates.

As noted, you can get away with it until you don`t. So don`t get too aggressive. You absolutely CAN do damage to the varnish/etc. if you overdo it. Same with cleaners that`ll emulsify the grease (e.g., APCs).

FWIW, I`ve had some pretty bad "oops!"es using a steamer on household jobs where it "should`ve been safe". Not completely Accumulator-proof, and same with using APCs for this. Ya just never know...paint, varnish..some surfaces are a lot more fragile than they "oughta be".

Short version- What Lonnie said :D

Murphy`s Oil Soap has never caused any issues for me on finished wood like cabinets, but I use it the same way Lonnie does (his advice mirrors my experiences except that I never hand an oops).

They sell Wood Cabinet Cleaners that are a bit more potent than the Murphy`s and will cut the greasy crud better.

FWIW, a product called Cabinet Magic is hit-or-miss for me...sometimes it worked fine, but I never really liked whatever it leaves behind, so I`d skip that one if you go shopping.

Orange Oil-based cleaners, often marketed as Wood Cleaners, can cut the grease just great with zero downsides as long as you don`t let them dwell forever before rinsing/wiping. I`ve used P21s TAW (also citrus-based)for this, but it`s kinda potent and I wiped it off quickly. I`ve never tried the Zep one and/but expect it will be a bit more potent than the consumer-level stuff I`ve used (with success). Again, don`t let it dwell to long lest it mess up the finish.

MinWax`s Wood Cleaner is safe but pretty gentle..if you use that one don`t overdo the scrubbing in an attempt to make it work better. I`ve never had any problems from letting it dwell a long time but YMMV.
 
I have a 6 burner @ home with grill....and still would not wrap my head around using steam to clean the stove.
Baking soda on the enamel, which I might give it a shot on wood now that I think about it.
The hood get`s a Krud Kutter Straight wipe and then water wipedown followed by SS polish.

But steam ain`t going to cut the cut on enamel, and or , ehhh, I have yet to try. But I`m not taking those metal bristle attachements to my enamel with the steamer though...Hence, baking soda is amazing. It actually get`s about 90% of anything and everything.

For the stove grates, fastest method, easy off and pressure washer.

Interesting feedback on Murphys. All I use is steam, but prior to that, I did use a wood spray cleaner before I got the steamer.
With that said, I`ll have to google Murphys again. It was along of the lines like users who use Murphys, when it comes time to refinish, the MO is in the wood, refinishing results vary as MO is on the wood, etc, etc. And or so I recall years who when I read up on this and this was universal amongst the wood flooring professionals
 
and like a matte car, I am trying to minimize rubbing on the wood....aka, the finish on it is a satin finish. So the more or less scrubbing/rinsing I do, the better to a degree as I don`t want to change the sheen of the finish . Granted, the area right below the sink has some sheen but to be unavoided I suppose since that one spot get`s the most used/rubbing
 
mobiledynamics- I bet there are a lot of variables, but I dunno if you can assume the finish on wood floors is the same as on wood furniture/cabinets.

Eh, I don`t hate MO the way my wife does (she hates the smell), but it`s never been all that potent IME either.

IME (again, INSERT usual YMMV disclaimer) enameled surfaces are pretty tough. I`ve scrubbed them aggressively with the Delicate-surface /Non-stick safe versions of Scotchbrite pads with no problems, and the stiff nylon brushes for my steamer helped it work well on `em too. Still took quite a while in some cases though...when an oven hasn`t been cleaned since forever it won`t clean up in just an hour or so.

I`ve also scraped all sorts of surface, including enameled ones, with pieces of brass. Handy stuff for scraping things clean, softer than many other materials but you still gotta be a little careful.
 
Heh, even on our ovens, I don`t use the self cleaning......over time, the heat does cause known issues with a enamel. And of course, if you use SC, remove your racks or it will discolor.

Baking Soda is amazing. A sightly warm oven, baking soda slurry, amazeballs.

FWIW, back on touchless...or similar. For carboned skillets (we cook heavily), they make Easy Off in a spray bottle. not as strong but good enough. Spray, dwell, and just a scrub with a stiff toothbrush or even a fresh coarse sponge, and it will remove even the blackest of carboned off oil off any pan. No scrubbing really needed except for to loosen the oil that`s been chemically softened. Blue sponge works = as well as the green sponge once the dwelling has softened it up.

Yeah, maybe KK and MO is orange based oils. I really need to read into this further....

Cabinet finishes and flooring are very different depending on the finishes and run the whole plethora across it all. Some are oil finished, some have oxides in them...some finishes are baked, some are air dried.
 
mobiledynamics said:
Heh, even on our ovens, I don`t use the self cleaning....
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Yeah, old one blew a High Temp sensor every time we tried that...shouldn`t have, but did.

And some of the Easy Off stuff works well, though on really neglected surfaces I added in the steaming and scraping to help it along.
..Baking Soda is amazing. A sightly warm oven, baking soda slurry, amazeballs.
Click to expand...

Huh, I`d always discounted that as "typical advice-column nonsense for the ignorant". Guess I`ll rethink that!

This is why I never much mind when a thread veers off-topic, never know what good info might come up.
 
I might have posted this in another thread. The power of steam.....not sure about grease but let me tell you about a experience with my floors

I`m a OCD house cleaning nut. I felt my wooden floors were pretty damm clean with my cleaning process. I steam cleaned my floor for the 1st time, back when my 1st steamer which back then I think was called a VX 5000. Anyhow, holy hotness, after one pass with the steam cleaner, there was a noticable difference on how slick the floor felt. It`s as if I was walking on the floor with socks.

Well, that`s my story today re: steam and wood.
Ehhh, back to the homework on oil stains...
 
Slightly off topic - but I had some Griots waterless wash laying around under the kitchen cabinet and used it to clean the toilet in my office. Worked great, better than the all purpose cleaner I usually use. Probably didn`t disinfect anything, but cleaned up nicely. Should I follow up with a coating...(when is spring arriving?).
 
mobiledynamics said:
......
Interesting feedback on Murphys. All I use is steam, but prior to that, I did use a wood spray cleaner before I got the steamer.
With that said, I`ll have to google Murphys again. It was along of the lines like users who use Murphys, when it comes time to refinish, the MO is in the wood, refinishing results vary as MO is on the wood, etc, etc. And or so I recall years who when I read up on this and this was universal amongst the wood flooring professionals
Click to expand...
I think your concerns about Murphy`s Oil remaining on the wood surface is valid IF you did not rinse it after a wipe-down. Now, getting into the wood? That could only happen IF the wood is bare OR the varnish/lacquer is cracked.
I`ve used Murphy`s Oil Soap to remove the nasty, black accumulation of dirt and human oils on wooden arms of table chairs and rockers. What is most surprising is that, depending on the chemical make-up & physiology of the person(s) using that chair or rocker on a frequent basis, their particular human oil(s) may be more acidic or basic than "normal" and will actually "eat" or soften the varnish/lacquer to the point it almost feels sticky or tacky. So when it comes time to clean them, yes, the Murphy`s Oil Soap will remove that finish along with dirt & oil. It`s just part of the process. I`ve used wood wax (Johnson`s Wax Co) to "cover" the exposed bare spot, but it does look, well, like a well-worn or used chair or rocker now, but at least it is clean from the unsightly (at least to me) of a blackish, tacky-feeling wood arm.

Your use of baking soda as a natural cleaner is well documented and simply does not get used enough by home owners (including me). White vinegar is another natural cleaner. I`ve used Lemon Juice Concentrate to deodorize the smell of onions or fish on wood or plastic cutting boards, followed by scrubbing of baking soda to neutralize the citric acid. The natural-forming foam acts as a cleaner as well. Then follow a clean water rinse. The lemon juice and baking soda combo can also be used on smelly sink garbage disposals that do not get used on regular basis, again followed with a clean water rinse.
 
I never had much luck with vinegar, not even with the supposedly potent version made for household work. I tried the vinegar/baking soda fizz-mix for drain cleaning but that didn`t do all that much either. Eh...I might let some things go until they require kinda drastic measures :o

jatleson said:
I had some Griots waterless wash laying around under the kitchen cabinet and used it to clean the toilet in my office...
Click to expand...

I love rinseless washes at ~QD-strength for such stuff! Not knowing what to do with my ONR v2.0, I decided to try it as a dusting spray (spray on MF, not directly on surface) and !oh man! does it work great! Got me off my Furniture Polish Snob kick completely. IUDJ works a lot better on porcelain stuff for me, don`t know why. I still use potent stuff to clean the bowl, but for tp-dust/etc. it`s great. My wife was a bit leery of the idea, but quickly came around...can`t argue with the results. I`ve been doing it long enough that if there were issues I`m pretty sure I`d have noticed by now.
 
re: drain cleaning....aside from the caustic stuff or a real cleaning with a cutter......they make enzymes that clean drain gently. It`s kinda expensive to a degree, but`s it`s gently. Pour it in the drain with about 16-24 oz of water. Let it sit overnight or even longer. The longer the better. Let the enzymes eat at the ~~BIO~~. Don`t run the drains until you can. When the drains run, the water rinse the loosened BIO. Rinse and repeat. It`s great stuff. Best to do it right before bed, a long weekend trip away from home, etc.
 
mobiledynamics said:
re: drain cleaning....aside from the caustic stuff or a real cleaning with a cutter......they make enzymes that clean drain gently...
Click to expand...

Yeah, the RotoRooter-branded stuff works well for our most problematic line. I usually go with the Drano Max Gel for regular maintenance on two of the bathroom sinks that get slow...pity I have to do such stuff at all but it beats having the lines in question replumbed.

I`ve used the really expensive little bottles (two-part stuff) for quick/urgent clearing, seems better to use the cheaper stuff before it gets that bad.
 
Eeeks. Accumulator. Be careful with that stuff...last thing you want is a big hole in your DWV. My friend lives on the lowest floor of a 5 level condo. Needless to say, someone upstairs must have been using it....as the main DWV developed a hole and there was a sinkhole of youknow what.
Get a real plumber with proper sized cutters to clean it right the 1st time around and then the enzymes as maintence.
 
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