Yuck! Gross!

[MissMommyNiceNice]

I'm almost embarrassed to admit this. Let it be a warning to all you lacadasical housekeepers!

My kitchen was so disgusting!

We're getting ready to paint this weekend.

Like, my cooking surfaces were fine. But to paint I have to clean it all, kwim? The space above my cabinets was just so, so gross. I'm only about one third of the way around the room. I did above the food & dish cabinets and above the stove, and part of the one wall (brick where my stove should be). I had to two part it, it was so bad. I scrubbed it with a strong concentration of orange clean & hot water using a rag. Then I went back over it with a magic eraser.

I don't even care what scary modern marvel of scientific chemicals combine to make it so "magical". It peeled the grease off the walls. Then I had to go back over it w/ orange clean again. I figure there will be at least one more rinsing with a lower concentration of orange clean.

The space above the sink is pretty gnarly too, but thankfully not so bad as above the stove. I need to go get me some more magical erasers! I'm afraid what I am going to find once I pull out the fridge and get behind there. Ugh.

So, mental note to self, don't go so long w/o cleaning your cabinet tops!

Do you think a stove hood/vent fan thingy would work if it's not directly above the stove? We can't move our stove to its rightful place b/c the door won't open if we face it that way.

[annekevdbroek]

A cleaner designed for paint prep may work better - like TSP or some similar solution from Home Depot... Might not be super ecologically friendly, but I don't know how Magic Erasers are either.


I think it would look weird to have the stove hood not over the stove.

[MissMommyNiceNice]

Well, it already looks kinda funny b/c the stove isn't in it's "right" place. Imagine a corner. One side of the corner is brick with a mantle at head level. The mantle actually has a vent tube that has been closed where the hood should be. Where the stove should be. the other side is where the stove is. Eventually we'd love to reconfigure the entire kitchen and redo the cabinets, etc. Unfortunately, that's not in the money cards right now.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

I have never cleaned mine We built the house 11 years ago and I dont think I have even glanced up there since I put my what-nots up.

[staceychev]

I'm not the greatest housekeeper, but my DH cleans it at least once a year (when we put Christmas decorations up there). He uses some sort of concoction that he made from the Annie Berthold-Bond book, Better Basics. It's got Borax and vinegar, I think.

[BetsyS]

Mine gets disgusting as well. I use some de-greaser, with those green scrubby pads to really scrub it well. And, on the tops of my cabinets (they don't go to the ceiling), I lay out pieces of waxed paper. Then, I can throw away those pieces when they get nasty. It saves me a bit.

In my case, it's because the hood isn't vented outside. It just revents from the stove into the air. Nice. So grease ends up on the top of the cabinets.

[Organicavocado]

Thank you mamas for making me take note to build my cabinets to the ceiling in any future homes. LOL

[bezark]

Originally Posted by Organicavocado

Thank you mamas for making me take note to build my cabinets to the ceiling in any future homes. LOL

Ditto.
Though this thread did make me check the tops of my cabinets. We've only lived here for a year, but they're not sticky/greasy. Just really, really dusty from having the washer and dryer in the kitchen.

[HeatherAtHome]

Originally Posted by Organicavocado

Thank you mamas for making me take note to build my cabinets to the ceiling in any future homes. LOL

Mine go all the way up! Woohoo! Thank God too because the previous owner wasn't so great on the housecleaning. There'd probably be 90 old dirt up there if there was a space.

[MissMommyNiceNice]

Cleaning warning #2 - the corners of your old wooden stairs! We have mopped them since moving in. But, the corners! Ugh! I had to practically use a toothbrush. If we decide to paint them, I will have to for sure.

[cristeen]

Sprinkle that greasy build up with some straight baking soda, take a damp cloth and wipe, it will come off with very little work. Wipe with a vinegar/water dampened cloth to rinse.

As for venting, we've got a similar problem, we had no ventilation and every surface in the kitchen would wind up with a greasy covering. We got a window mounted double exhaust fan and mounted it in the kitchen window. It's helped a LOT.