I am cleaning up a rental (you know what that means) apartment
and the grease on the walls around the stove is proving very
difficult to remove. Tried: Baking Soda, TSP, Dishwashing
Detergent, Bleach, WD40, Lysol, Spray Nine. Tomorrow I'll
try Dunk (automotive degreaser). It just isn't coming off.

I guess I could scrape it too and then sand it but that'll
make an unholy dusty mess of the kitchen. We want to
paint the whole apartment so if the paint comes off,
that's OK too. Underneath is probably plaster. Not drywall.

Any other suggestions? thanks...thehick

Ask for the stuff Limbaugh reccomends. Greased Lighning. It's lye
and some soap. Much the same as oven cleaner. Definitely needs
gloves, lye eats skin.

I've had good results with Simple Green. And I like the root beer
barrel scent. Nylon scrubby pads, gloves, rinse.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"thehick" wrote in message
ps.com...
: I am cleaning up a rental (you know what that means) apartment
: and the grease on the walls around the stove is proving very
: difficult to remove. Tried: Baking Soda, TSP, Dishwashing
: Detergent, Bleach, WD40, Lysol, Spray Nine. Tomorrow I'll
: try Dunk (automotive degreaser). It just isn't coming off.
:
: I guess I could scrape it too and then sand it but that'll
: make an unholy dusty mess of the kitchen. We want to
: paint the whole apartment so if the paint comes off,
: that's OK too. Underneath is probably plaster. Not drywall.
:
: Any other suggestions? thanks...thehick
:

On May 1, 8:40 pm, thehick wrote:
I am cleaning up a rental (you know what that means) apartment
and the grease on the walls around the stove is proving very
difficult to remove. Tried: Baking Soda, TSP, Dishwashing
Detergent, Bleach, WD40, Lysol, Spray Nine. Tomorrow I'll
try Dunk (automotive degreaser). It just isn't coming off.

I guess I could scrape it too and then sand it but that'll
make an unholy dusty mess of the kitchen. We want to
paint the whole apartment so if the paint comes off,
that's OK too. Underneath is probably plaster. Not drywall.

Any other suggestions? thanks...thehick

Since you're planning to paint anyway, you could try a paste paint
remover. It will soften the paint under the grease, then scrape off
the whole mess, then prime and paint.

thehick wrote:
I am cleaning up a rental (you know what that means) apartment
and the grease on the walls around the stove is proving very
difficult to remove. Tried: Baking Soda, TSP, Dishwashing
Detergent, Bleach, WD40, Lysol, Spray Nine. Tomorrow I'll
try Dunk (automotive degreaser). It just isn't coming off.

I guess I could scrape it too and then sand it but that'll
make an unholy dusty mess of the kitchen. We want to
paint the whole apartment so if the paint comes off,
that's OK too. Underneath is probably plaster. Not drywall.

Any other suggestions? thanks...thehick



You need a stronger alkaline cleaner. Heavy duty oven cleaner, or
undiluted extra strength (10% to 27%) ammonium hydroxide. You can get
the ammonia at Ace Hardware for about $2.50 per quart.

If you want something cheap and less nasty to work with, you can try
washing soda and hot water first. Don't expect it to work, but it's
worth a try.

I recommend the oven cleaner.

Bob

On May 1, 11:26 pm, zxcvbob wrote:
thehick wrote:
I am cleaning up a rental (you know what that means) apartment
and the grease on the walls around the stove is proving very
difficult to remove. Tried: Baking Soda, TSP, Dishwashing
Detergent, Bleach, WD40, Lysol, Spray Nine. Tomorrow I'll
try Dunk (automotive degreaser). It just isn't coming off.

I guess I could scrape it too and then sand it but that'll
make an unholy dusty mess of the kitchen. We want to
paint the whole apartment so if the paint comes off,
that's OK too. Underneath is probably plaster. Not drywall.

Any other suggestions? thanks...thehick

You need a stronger alkaline cleaner. Heavy duty oven cleaner, or
undiluted extra strength (10% to 27%) ammonium hydroxide. You can get
the ammonia at Ace Hardware for about $2.50 per quart.

If you want something cheap and less nasty to work with, you can try
washing soda and hot water first. Don't expect it to work, but it's
worth a try.

I recommend the oven cleaner.

Bob

thanks for the suggestions. i knew about greased lightning but
i haven't seen it yet. i'll try walmart tomorrow. hmmm.
alkaline cleaner? is that a clue for me that i've been
using the wrong type of cleaner?
....thehick

On May 1, 7:40 pm, thehick wrote:
I am cleaning up a rental (you know what that means) apartment
and the grease on the walls around the stove is proving very
difficult to remove. Tried: Baking Soda, TSP, Dishwashing
Detergent, Bleach, WD40, Lysol, Spray Nine. Tomorrow I'll
try Dunk (automotive degreaser). It just isn't coming off.

I guess I could scrape it too and then sand it but that'll
make an unholy dusty mess of the kitchen. We want to
paint the whole apartment so if the paint comes off,
that's OK too. Underneath is probably plaster. Not drywall.

Any other suggestions? thanks...thehick

Once you have tried the things you said then you are not expected to
do anything else, especially on a rental. It's clean enough for
paint. I use an oil-based enamel on problem surfaces, a real problem
fixer.

thehick wrote:
On May 1, 11:26 pm, zxcvbob wrote:
thehick wrote:
I am cleaning up a rental (you know what that means) apartment
and the grease on the walls around the stove is proving very
difficult to remove. Tried: Baking Soda, TSP, Dishwashing
Detergent, Bleach, WD40, Lysol, Spray Nine. Tomorrow I'll
try Dunk (automotive degreaser). It just isn't coming off.
I guess I could scrape it too and then sand it but that'll
make an unholy dusty mess of the kitchen. We want to
paint the whole apartment so if the paint comes off,
that's OK too. Underneath is probably plaster. Not drywall.
Any other suggestions? thanks...thehick
You need a stronger alkaline cleaner. Heavy duty oven cleaner, or
undiluted extra strength (10% to 27%) ammonium hydroxide. You can get
the ammonia at Ace Hardware for about $2.50 per quart.

If you want something cheap and less nasty to work with, you can try
washing soda and hot water first. Don't expect it to work, but it's
worth a try.

I recommend the oven cleaner.

Bob

thanks for the suggestions. i knew about greased lightning but
i haven't seen it yet. i'll try walmart tomorrow. hmmm.
alkaline cleaner? is that a clue for me that i've been
using the wrong type of cleaner?
...thehick



You were on the right track with the TSP, but it's not strong enough.
You need something that will attack polymerized vegetable oil, and that
something is lye. It has gotten almost impossible to buy lye anymore,
but heavy duty oven cleaner will contain either lye or some kind of
caustic amine chemical that is almost as alkaline and will work.

If you try the washing soda, it comes in a big yellow box, and is
sometimes hard to find. It's not the same thing as baking soda. It
will be next to the borax in the laundry detergent aisle.

I probably shouldn't have mentioned the extra strength ammonia because
its fumes are so bad.

Bob

Had this problem for years on the wallpaper behind the stove. It laughed any
cleaner i tried.

Tried a Magic Eraser and water on a whim - frigging amazing - like the
finger of God.



"thehick" wrote in message
ps.com...
I am cleaning up a rental (you know what that means) apartment
and the grease on the walls around the stove is proving very
difficult to remove. Tried: Baking Soda, TSP, Dishwashing
Detergent, Bleach, WD40, Lysol, Spray Nine. Tomorrow I'll
try Dunk (automotive degreaser). It just isn't coming off.

I guess I could scrape it too and then sand it but that'll
make an unholy dusty mess of the kitchen. We want to
paint the whole apartment so if the paint comes off,
that's OK too. Underneath is probably plaster. Not drywall.

Any other suggestions? thanks...thehick

On 1 May 2007 17:40:30 -0700, thehick wrote:

I am cleaning up a rental (you know what that means) apartment
and the grease on the walls around the stove is proving very
difficult to remove. Tried: Baking Soda, TSP, Dishwashing
Detergent, Bleach, WD40, Lysol, Spray Nine. Tomorrow I'll
try Dunk (automotive degreaser). It just isn't coming off.


I just got some stuff at Sam's- says it is for commercial use only-
and you definitely want to use gloves.

"Proforce"- works wonders on baked on grease- says it is good for
ovens, grills, etc. The second ingredient [after water] is Sodium
Hydroxide aka lye. Comes in a handy spray bottle.

OTOH- its a rental. . .get it close and paint it.

Jim

Most alkaline cleaners have the word hydroxide in their list of
ingredients. Lye is sodium hydroxide, for an example.

Alkalines turn grease into soap, a process called saponification.
It's how folks used to make soap. Lye mixed with animal fats, and
then heat.

You can do the same, and the resulting soap rinses off the walls
easier than dried grease.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"thehick" wrote in message
oups.com...
:
: thanks for the suggestions. i knew about greased lightning but
: i haven't seen it yet. i'll try walmart tomorrow. hmmm.
: alkaline cleaner? is that a clue for me that i've been
: using the wrong type of cleaner?
: ...thehick
:

In article om, thehick wrote:
I am cleaning up a rental (you know what that means) apartment
and the grease on the walls around the stove is proving very
difficult to remove. Tried: Baking Soda, TSP, Dishwashing
Detergent, Bleach, WD40, Lysol, Spray Nine. Tomorrow I'll
try Dunk (automotive degreaser). It just isn't coming off.

Any other suggestions? thanks...thehick

Washing soda. Not baking soda, washing soda. Available in many grocery stores
on the same aisle as laundry detergent. When you find the "20-Mule Team
Borax", you're getting close.

Mix a cup or two of it into a gallon of warm water, and start scrubbing.

It's nearly as effective a degreaser as lye, but nowhere nearly as dangerous.
Just the same, wear rubber gloves and goggles. You don't want to splash the
stuff in your eyes, and without gloves you will soon know the *exact* location
of every tiny nick, cut, hangnail, or splinter on your fingers and hands.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

On May 2, 8:30 am, (Doug Miller) wrote:
In article om, thehick wrote:
I am cleaning up a rental (you know what that means) apartment
and the grease on the walls around the stove is proving very
difficult to remove. Tried: Baking Soda, TSP, Dishwashing
Detergent, Bleach, WD40, Lysol, Spray Nine. Tomorrow I'll
try Dunk (automotive degreaser). It just isn't coming off.
Any other suggestions? thanks...thehick

Washing soda. Not baking soda, washing soda. Available in many grocery stores
on the same aisle as laundry detergent. When you find the "20-Mule Team
Borax", you're getting close.
I understand. Tomorrow. Today I tried full-strength Dunk
which usually cleans my engine pretty well. No effect
on the greasy walls! I checked Rona and Walmart and couldn't
find any lye. Got some oven cleaner. Tomorrow I'll go
to Sam's Club and check their cleaning aisle. Gonna look
for Washing Soda and something-hydroxide.
thanks to all for bearing with me on this mission...thehick

A question of how to remove grease was asked and to this I say:

Try fresh vegetable oil. Just take corn oil, canola,peanut or what
have on A rag and massage the walls. The new stuff liquefies the old
oil and grease than after it is liquified it can be removed with any
household cleaner.
I have not tried this on on drywall but it works on hard surfaces like
stove tops and counters so it should work on plaster.

Good Luck!
H.R.

Simple Green. Start with a 25 % solution in w hot repeat hot water.

If that doesnt work, go to 50 % solution. In hot water.

Let it sit / stand whatever on surface for 5 - 10 ,imutes. Rinse with
hot water. Use A LOT of dry loth towels to soak up dirty water.

thehick wrote:
I am cleaning up a rental (you know what that means) apartment
and the grease on the walls around the stove is proving very
difficult to remove. Tried: Baking Soda, TSP, Dishwashing
Detergent, Bleach, WD40, Lysol, Spray Nine. Tomorrow I'll
try Dunk (automotive degreaser). It just isn't coming off.

I guess I could scrape it too and then sand it but that'll
make an unholy dusty mess of the kitchen. We want to
paint the whole apartment so if the paint comes off,
that's OK too. Underneath is probably plaster. Not drywall.

Any other suggestions? thanks...thehick

On 1 May 2007 17:40:30 -0700, thehick wrote:

I am cleaning up a rental (you know what that means) apartment
and the grease on the walls around the stove is proving very
difficult to remove. Tried: Baking Soda, TSP, Dishwashing
Detergent, Bleach, WD40, Lysol, Spray Nine. Tomorrow I'll
try Dunk (automotive degreaser). It just isn't coming off.

I guess I could scrape it too and then sand it but that'll
make an unholy dusty mess of the kitchen. We want to
paint the whole apartment so if the paint comes off,
that's OK too. Underneath is probably plaster. Not drywall.

Any other suggestions? thanks...thehick

When I moved into my house, I found parts of my stove too greasy. I
thought nothing was working, but the truth was it was working, greenie
with tough detergent. Just that it was removing layers of grease, but
there was many, many layers of grease. After a while I won.

tom @ www.MeetANewFriend.com

On May 1, 7:40 pm, thehick wrote:
Any other suggestions? thanks...thehick

Mineral spirits, regular, not the low odor stuff.

On Fri, 04 May 2007 23:55:49 -0400, Meat Plow
wrote:

On Fri, 04 May 2007 21:33:52 -0400, Just Joshin wrote:

On 1 May 2007 17:40:30 -0700, thehick wrote:

I am cleaning up a rental (you know what that means) apartment
and the grease on the walls around the stove is proving very
difficult to remove. Tried: Baking Soda, TSP, Dishwashing
Detergent, Bleach, WD40, Lysol, Spray Nine. Tomorrow I'll
try Dunk (automotive degreaser). It just isn't coming off.

I guess I could scrape it too and then sand it but that'll
make an unholy dusty mess of the kitchen. We want to
paint the whole apartment so if the paint comes off,
that's OK too. Underneath is probably plaster. Not drywall.

Any other suggestions? thanks...thehick

When I moved into my house, I found parts of my stove too greasy. I
thought nothing was working, but the truth was it was working, greenie
with tough detergent. Just that it was removing layers of grease, but
there was many, many layers of grease. After a while I won.

Lye soap or oven cleaner will take the grease but probably take paint.

Isn't Lye the active ingredient in Easy Off?

tom


tom @ www.MeetANewFriend.com

On 5/1/2007 9:12 PM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
Ask for the stuff Limbaugh reccomends. Greased Lighning. It's lye
and some soap. Much the same as oven cleaner. Definitely needs
gloves, lye eats skin.

snip
Must agree. Stuff will remove almost anything. Including skin around
fingernails. Find it at $ General.

--
Ted
I wasn't born in Texas but
I got back here as soon as I could
(Don't forget to take out the trash)

Hard work often pays off after time, but laziness always pays off now.

xPosTech wrote:
On 5/1/2007 9:12 PM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
Ask for the stuff Limbaugh reccomends. Greased Lighning. It's lye
and some soap. Much the same as oven cleaner. Definitely needs
gloves, lye eats skin.

snip
Must agree. Stuff will remove almost anything. Including skin around
fingernails. Find it at $ General.

Denatured alcohol works great for old, hardened grease as well.

--
"So long, so long, and thanks for all the fish!"
Dave
www.davebbq.com

Just Joshin wrote:
On 1 May 2007 17:40:30 -0700, thehick wrote:


I am cleaning up a rental (you know what that means) apartment
and the grease on the walls around the stove is proving very
difficult to remove. Tried: Baking Soda, TSP, Dishwashing
Detergent, Bleach, WD40, Lysol, Spray Nine. Tomorrow I'll
try Dunk (automotive degreaser). It just isn't coming off.

I guess I could scrape it too and then sand it but that'll
make an unholy dusty mess of the kitchen. We want to
paint the whole apartment so if the paint comes off,
that's OK too. Underneath is probably plaster. Not drywall.

Any other suggestions? thanks...thehick


What is on the walls .. paint, tile, paper? If the surface is very
smoothe, a razor-blade scraper can get the heavy stuff. Mineral spirits
can cut grease. Fantastic and a green scrubber for the rest. If either
of these take the paint with the grease, the grease has dried and been
on the wall too long. Might want to think about tile or Formica just to
keep it easier to clean.

Dave Bugg wrote:

Denatured alcohol works great for old, hardened grease as well.

I've removed polymerized vegetable oil with ethyl alcohol, which is to
say roughly, "Yup".

....
What is on the walls .. paint, tile, paper? If the surface is very
smoothe, a razor-blade scraper can get the heavy stuff. Mineral spirits
can cut grease. Fantastic and a green scrubber for the rest. If either
of these take the paint with the grease, the grease has dried and been
on the wall too long. Might want to think about tile or Formica just to
keep it easier to clean.
i have easy-off oven cleaner to try still. probably this coming
week i'll get to it. i'll check the kitchen section at home
depot to see what wall coverings i can use. maybe i can just
get a couple of pieces of formica and attach them covering
everything. and making future cleaning simple. thanks
for that idea.
....thehick

No one has suggested a steam cleaner yet. A bit on the expensive side for a
solution.....

"thehick" wrote in message
ps.com...
I am cleaning up a rental (you know what that means) apartment
and the grease on the walls around the stove is proving very
difficult to remove. Tried: Baking Soda, TSP, Dishwashing
Detergent, Bleach, WD40, Lysol, Spray Nine. Tomorrow I'll
try Dunk (automotive degreaser). It just isn't coming off.

I guess I could scrape it too and then sand it but that'll
make an unholy dusty mess of the kitchen. We want to
paint the whole apartment so if the paint comes off,
that's OK too. Underneath is probably plaster. Not drywall.

Any other suggestions? thanks...thehick

thehick wrote:
...

What is on the walls .. paint, tile, paper? If the surface is very
smoothe, a razor-blade scraper can get the heavy stuff. Mineral spirits
can cut grease. Fantastic and a green scrubber for the rest. If either
of these take the paint with the grease, the grease has dried and been
on the wall too long. Might want to think about tile or Formica just to
keep it easier to clean.

i have easy-off oven cleaner to try still. probably this coming
week i'll get to it. i'll check the kitchen section at home
depot to see what wall coverings i can use. maybe i can just
get a couple of pieces of formica and attach them covering
everything. and making future cleaning simple. thanks
for that idea.
...thehick


Oven cleaner is a poor choice, even for ovens ) If you have a hard,
flat surface, the razor scraper will get built-up hard grease.
Fantastic has always worked very well on kitchen grease for me, but
shouldn't be used on glass. If there is no vent hood, installing one
would help immensely.

....
i have easy-off oven cleaner to try still.

Ok. Easy-Off did the trick. Some parts came off RIGHT AWAY!
Some just got better. So a little scraping with a putty knife
and some more Easy-Off should do it.

Thanks to all for the suggestions. Some stuff is difficult to
source here in Canada (like Greased Lightning).
....thehick

On Sun, 06 May 2007 00:28:16 -0400, Meat Plow
wrote:

On Sat, 05 May 2007 18:52:07 -0400, Just Joshin wrote:

On Fri, 04 May 2007 23:55:49 -0400, Meat Plow
wrote:

On Fri, 04 May 2007 21:33:52 -0400, Just Joshin wrote:

On 1 May 2007 17:40:30 -0700, thehick wrote:

I am cleaning up a rental (you know what that means) apartment
and the grease on the walls around the stove is proving very
difficult to remove. Tried: Baking Soda, TSP, Dishwashing
Detergent, Bleach, WD40, Lysol, Spray Nine. Tomorrow I'll
try Dunk (automotive degreaser). It just isn't coming off.

I guess I could scrape it too and then sand it but that'll
make an unholy dusty mess of the kitchen. We want to
paint the whole apartment so if the paint comes off,
that's OK too. Underneath is probably plaster. Not drywall.

Any other suggestions? thanks...thehick

When I moved into my house, I found parts of my stove too greasy. I
thought nothing was working, but the truth was it was working, greenie
with tough detergent. Just that it was removing layers of grease, but
there was many, many layers of grease. After a while I won.

Lye soap or oven cleaner will take the grease but probably take paint.

Isn't Lye the active ingredient in Easy Off?

Yep.

Lye.


Yeah, that stuff is tough. Tough on the skin too.

tom @ www.MeetANewFriend.com