Looking for a natural DIY degreasing spray? This budget friendly tutorial shares how to conquer kitchen grease and grime with ease using just a few ingredients already in your home.

purple flowers in purple pot with glass bottle cleaning product orange and lemon

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While a homemade all-purpose cleaner is a great toxic-free alternative for cleaning your kitchen naturally, there are always those stubborn areas like backsplashes and range hoods that need a little more TLC.

This is because these areas are prime targets for grease and grime build-up. However, this does not mean you need to buy expensive degreasers that are loaded with toxic chemicals. Instead, this DIY degreasing spray will not only save you money and time but leave your surfaces sparkling.

About The Ingredients

Orange and Lemon Essential Oil

Orange essential oil and Lemon essential oil are natural degreasers and provide a refreshing, citrus scent to this DIY degreasing spray. They help to easily wipe up sticky residue, grease build-up, dirt and grime.

For particularly tough grease and build up, you can even spot treat on surfaces directly with Orange essential oil or Lemon essential oil then use the DIY Degreasing Spray to wipe up afterward for maximum cleanliness.

Thieves Household Cleaner

Thieves Household Cleaner is an all-in-one natural cleaner that’s non-toxic, yet super effective. It’s made with 100% plant- and mineral-based ingredients making it a safer option for your home and the environment. These ingredients include vegetable-based surfactants like alkyl polyglucoside that are compliant with Green Seal and EPA Design for Environment standards.

It also contains biodegradable cutting agents like sodium methyl 2-sulfolaurate and disodium 2-sulfolaurate from renewable sources (both ingredients rated 0 on a 10-point scale on the Environmental Working Group’s health hazard score – which is the best score possible).

Liquid Castile Soap

Liquid castile soap is a coconut-based soap that is non-toxic and great for cleaning because it is uniquely gentle yet strong. It is made from saponified oils that have hydrating properties making it gentle on the skin but it is also an equally powerful cleaner that works wonders on even the most stubborn grime. It’s a good substitute for Thieves Household Cleaner, though I prefer the latter for its degreasing properties.

Baking Soda

From skincare to soft scrub, there are so many uses for baking soda in your home including this DIY degreasing spray. Not only is baking soda non-toxic and cheap to buy (you’ve likely already got some in your home) but it is one of the best ways to tackle grease naturally. This is because baking soda is alkaline, and often grease (especially in ovens and range hoods) is made of food particles that are typically acidic. Baking soda neutralizes acids and breaks down the grease, allowing you to wipe it up with minimal effort.

How to Make DIY Degreasing Spray Step by Step

Rinse out spray bottle with warm water.
Add thieves household cleaner (or castile soap) and baking soda to the bottle.
Add the essential oils. Either orange or lemon is best as not only will they help your home smell clean and fresh but they help cut through grease thanks to citric acid.
Add the warm water and shake vigorously to combine.

How to Use This DIY Natural Degreaser

Shake the bottle before each use.
Spray surface and use a cloth or paper towel to wipe away grease, grime and residue.
Repeat as needed to remove grease build-up.
If there’s extra build-up, add 1-2 drops Orange essential oil or Lemon essential oil directly to the spot and spray again.

Note: although this DIY degreasing spray does not contain harsh chemicals, it is still powerful enough to damage porous surfaces such as granite. For safety reasons, it is also advised you do not mix this homemade degreaser with any other chemicals, especially bleach.

purple flowers in purple pot with glass bottle cleaning product orannge and lemon

Uses for This DIY Degreasing Spray

Stovetops

To use this DIY degreasing spray on your stove top, wait until it has cooled completely then generously spray the entire surface. Wait for 5-10 minutes before wiping. For best results wipe in a circular motion as this will help remove grime and avoid streaks.

Backsplashes

Backsplashes are often a neglected part of the kitchen that host particularly tough grease and grime. The best way to degrease your backsplash is to first use a soft-bristle brush to remove any surface debris. Then apply the DIY degreasing spray and again wait around 5-10 minutes before using circular motion to cut through grease.

Range Hoods

Range hoods are a magnet for grease which then attracts thick layers of dust and debris potentially causing dangerous malfunctions. Thankfully this DIY degreasing spray makes keeping ontop of regular cleaning easy, helping you to avoid any expensive damage.

Firstly, ensure the fan and/or light on the range hood is off. Then spray a liberal amount of homemade degreasing spray to both the exterior and the interior rim of the hood. Do not spray the fan or light directly.

Your wait time will be determined by how bad the build-up is, but once the wait is up, wipe down with a microfiber cloth. You could let the surface air dry but I recommend using a dry microfiber cloth for a streak-free shine.

Pots and Pans

Pots and pans are notorious for requiring endless elbow grease, but this DIY degreaser does the hard work for you. Simply spray, wait and wipe.

Ideally if your pots and pans are particularly bad allow them to soak in the homemade degreaser overnight. Then soak a sponge or cloth in hot water before wiping off the loosened grime. I’d then recommend to give your pots and pans a final rinse under warm water before drying by hand or allowing to air dry.

Inside The Oven

Probably the kitchen chore we all hate most but one which will now be easy to stay on top of with this homemade degreaser on hand. Best of all, by degreasing naturally it avoids toxic fumes from store-bought degreasers getting into contact with your food as it cooks.

Firstly, make sure the oven is off and cooled. Generously spray the DIY degreasing spray inside the oven, paying particular attention to the oven door as this is where build up is usually worst.

Leave for a minimum of 20 minutes then use a microfiber cloth to wipe down the oven. As a tip, if your oven racks are particularly bad, soak them in citric acid for added shine.

Microwaves and Kitchen Appliances

Why stop at the oven? Thanks to the natural ingredients, this DIY degreasing spray can be used on most surfaces and kitchen appliances making speed cleaning your kitchen easy.

This includes microwaves, which again are a prime spot for lingering grease and grime. Before cleaning, run your microwave for one minute. This will warm up the interior, which can help loosen grime and help the degreaser work.

Then, liberally spray the inside of your microwave and allow to dwell for around 5-10 minutes before wiping away. You may need to scrub on particularly stubborn areas.

Surfaces to avoid using this DIY degreasing spray on.

Although this is homemade degreaser works wonders on most surfaces, I would recommend avoiding using it on wood surfaces, windows and mirrors. It may end up leaving streaks on windows and mirrors so I’d recommend using my DIY glass cleaner instead.

What if this cleaner leaves a streak?

Castile soap can react with hard water and may leave streaks, but not to worry. You can simply wipe again with a cloth or use a little white vinegar on the surface to remove the streak, noting there are some things you should not clean with vinegar.

Can you add vinegar to this homemade degreaser?

Although a little white vinegar helps remove streaks do not add it to this recipe. This is because the degreaser recipe contains castile soap. Vinegar is an acid, while castile soap is a base – mixing them together cancels them out, making your degreaser ineffective and the castile soap an oily mess. Instead, use vinegar after you clean the area to wipe up streaks.

Top Tips

When creating natural cleaning products with essential oils it is best to store them in glass bottles. This is because plastic bottles can pollute the natural solution with toxins.
Shake the degreaser well before each use as there may be a little separation of ingredients between uses.
Do not use on porous surfaces such as granite countertops.