Stop Using Vinegar To Clean Sticky Countertop Grease & Try These Alternatives Instead

There are few household staples that carry quite as much clout as good old-fashioned white vinegar. And that's for good reason, considering people have likely been using vinegar to clean for centuries. Vinegar contains acetic acid, which is fantastic at breaking down alkaline messes such as hard water and soap scum, and plenty of people reach for it for other tasks like polishing mirrors, deodorizing rooms, and brightening laundry. 

But one place you should skip the vinegar is when it comes to greasy buildup on your kitchen countertops and surfaces. Not only can vinegar damage countertops made of materials such as granite, marble, and other natural stone, but it's also ineffective at cleaning up cooking grease. When we cook, grease splatters across our countertops, regardless of how careful we are. That's why you'll often notice your counters, stove, and backsplash have an oily sheen after cooking. The fats found in cooking oil, butter, and other fats contain what are called fatty acids, and dousing these acids with another acid won't help to remove the buildup. That's why vinegar isn't the best cleaner to tackle grease. Instead, look for a mild alkaline cleaner.

Baking soda is another go-to home cleaning substance that has been used in cleaning for a very long time. It's mildly alkaline, so when it comes into contact, it neutralizes some of the acids found in grease — this is exactly why you don't want to clean with a mixture of baking soda with vinegar, as this just neutralizes both cleaning substances. To use baking soda on greasy countertops, sprinkle a bit on the counters, then use a warm wet rag to wipe them down, or make a baking soda paste with water and spread it before rinsing. Another advantage of using this is that baking soda is a fine powder and gently abrasive, so it can remove stuck-on grease and sticky food messes. 

On the other side, try mixing some hot water with dish soap to eliminate greasy countertops. If you ever put oil in water alone, you'll see the two substances stay separate. When you add dish soap to the mix, something magical happens, or at least that's what it seems. Soap molecules are able to bind with both fat and water, effectively trapping the oily debris with some light scrubbing. 

Both of these methods are easy and don't require any trips to the cleaning aisle, but if you're dealing with severe grease buildup, you may need to opt for a commercially made degreaser such as Easy-Off Kitchen Degreaser (available on Amazon).