Degreasers are alkaline products designed to break down fats. They are effective, and most people get less out of them than they should by not letting them work.
Contact time beats effort
Grease removal is chemical, not mechanical. The product needs minutes on the surface to break the fat down.
Spraying and immediately wiping removes some surface grease and leaves the rest — and then people scrub, conclude the product is weak, and buy a stronger one.
The method:
- Spray onto the surface, not onto the cloth. Spraying the cloth means most of it never reaches the grease
- Leave it for the stated time — usually a few minutes
- Wipe with a damp cloth, rinsing often
- Rinse the surface, particularly anywhere food is prepared
- Repeat rather than scrub if something remains
Where to use it
Hobs, extractor hoods and filters, splashbacks, worktops, cupboard fronts near the cooker, and the outside of ovens.
Extractor filters in particular respond well to soaking rather than wiping — a sink of hot water with degreaser, left for twenty minutes.
Where to be careful
- Natural stone — some finishes are damaged by alkaline cleaners
- Aluminium, which can discolour
- Unsealed wood
- Painted surfaces, where strong degreasers can dull the finish
Test an inconspicuous area first on anything you are unsure about.
Safety
Never mix with any other product, particularly anything containing bleach. Ventilate. Gloves, since degreasers strip skin oils as effectively as they strip cooking ones.
Keep it in its original labelled container, out of children's reach. Never decant into a drinks bottle.
Rinse where food goes
Any surface used for food preparation should be rinsed with clean water after cleaning, regardless of the product.
The full instructions are in the Faberlic catalogue and on the label. For a sensible five-product set, see the home care guide.