What is good for removing kitchen grease from ventilator ductwork ??

[G Henslee]

Or Simple cleaning - a bit more often than every 20 years...

[Peter]

A friend of mine asked me to check her through the wall ventilation fan...as it was not working properly. Removed the faceplace and the entire ductwork is loaded with grease from cooking. (evidentally she does a lot of fried foods.). There is grease everywhere.......

What is a good grease cutter to clean this mess up. Dish detergent didn't make a dent....neither did using a household cleaner. Which cleaners will work..... very little space to work in...the grease is all over the place and I don't want to get water down behind the wall.

Thanks in advance for your help !!!

Peter

[Fred]

I've used degreaser and works well but its a super mess so cover everything up. The problem is how do you remove all the grease in the duct from the hood area to the roof? Maybe easier just replacing the duct. The spray can that cleans car engine and carburetors should also work and you will be able shoot it up about 5 ft. up in the duct - ware eye protection and have kitchen well ventilated.

[Duane Bozarth]

Or a match??? :)

[Joseph Meehan]

A commercial unit using steam. Those guys know what they are doing, do it fast and clean and may be less expensive than you think.

If you really want to do it yourself I suggest Simple Green.

[Banister Stairwell]

Only if nothing else works...

Easy-Off Fume Free Max oven cleaner will probably work on this kind of grease, but be careful. The active ingredients of oven cleaners (even the fume-free) can be dangerous if not handled properly. Wear gloves (neoprene gauntlets are best) and eye protection. Apply just enough to do the job. Once the grease has softened, use a putty knife of an appropriate size to remove the dissolved gunk.

If you choose to try this, make sure you do a thorough job of clean-up. Oven cleaners can be very corrosive to some surfaces.

Just an idea.

[Amun]

I know what works for me 100% of the time. But it's usually frowned on by most people. (unhealthy fumes & possible skin irritation)

Mix a bit of dishwasher soap and chlorine bleach in water. soak a rag in it and a few quick wipes will take just about anything off.

AMUN

[limeylew]

You might want to try automotive 'Brake Parts Cleaner', available at your local auto parts store for about $2.50/can under several brand names.

It sprays on and evaporates oil and grease, so it will get into places that you may not be able to get into with a rag or brush.

I have been really pleased with how this stuff works for removing oil and grease and I have also used it to zap an occasional roach, or wasp, that comes in the house.

Hope this helps you.

Lewis.

******************

[Peter]

Thanks all for your suggestions.... headed out to clean out the ductwork today. I'll bring a few cleaners along and try a few in different areas to see how they work. Got gloves, eye protection, plenty of ventilation and some masking plastic to protect surfaces.

Thanks again for your help and assistance.

Peter

[MrC1]

Carb cleaner works just as well, but costs less.

[Peter]

...finished the job....it went well....

Simple Green is a good cleaner but just wasn't up to the job of dissolving grease....

I picked up something called "Orange Cleaner" by DEPP, which worked pretty well....took several applications to dissolve all the grease, but it made life very easy. I liked the idea that it's somewhat organic and doesn't contain any toxic chemicals.

Brake Cleaner and engine degreaser are definitely two options.... I've had a lot of luck using them while working on my car...esp...the brake cleaner just knocks the grease right off without leaving a residue.

Downside of the job.... there is an electric box connecting to the fan. Box is mounted horizontally and became a grease sump for all the grease. I removed the box...and literally poured several tablespoons of liquid grease out of it. Now there was a BX cable coming up into the box and the grease dripped down into the cable, corroding the conductor insulation, and leaving several bare spots on the wires. Cut back over 5" of covering and the insulation was still soaked with grease and corroded.

Time to replace the cable !!!

Definitely a fire waiting to happen.... this is in a condo where most units are similar and probably suffer from the same problem.

[Stormin Mormon]

Oven cleaner, with hydroxide. Dissolves the grease, changes it to soap. If you want to learn more, google search on "saponification".