Every commercial kitchen fights the same battle: fat and oil vaporise during cooking, settle on every nearby surface and then bake on until they become a hard, dark carbon layer. Left alone, that build-up slows cleaning, harbours bacteria, attracts pests and in rangehoods and ducts becomes a genuine fire risk. The right kitchen degreaser turns a two-hour scrubbing job into a spray, dwell and wipe routine, but only if the chemistry matches the soil and the surface.
For ovens, combi ovens and grills, a dedicated product such as Agar’s foaming commercial oven cleaner clings to vertical surfaces and breaks down carbonised grease far faster than a general-purpose detergent. This guide explains how to choose between degreasers, when you need a caustic oven cleaner and how to use both safely.
How a Kitchen Degreaser Works
Cooking grease is made of fats and oils that do not dissolve in water. A degreaser works in one or more ways:
- Saponification: strongly alkaline (high pH) products react with fats and turn them into a soap-like substance that rinses away with water. This is how caustic oven and grill cleaners work.
- Emulsification: surfactants surround oil droplets and lift them off the surface so they can be wiped or rinsed away.
- Solvency: citrus (d-limonene) and solvent-based degreasers dissolve oily soils and are useful on machinery, floors and non-food areas.
Heat and time increase all three effects. Warm surfaces and a correct dwell time do more work than extra scrubbing.
Types of Kitchen Degreaser and Where to Use Them
Heavy-Duty Caustic Oven and Grill Cleaners
These are the strongest option, typically based on sodium or potassium hydroxide. They are designed for carbonised grease in ovens, grills, salamanders, fryer surrounds and rotisseries. They work best on warm (not hot) surfaces. Because they are corrosive, they require gloves, eye protection and care near aluminium, painted and galvanised surfaces.
General-Purpose Alkaline Degreasers
A medium-strength kitchen degreaser is the everyday workhorse for benches, splashbacks, rangehood exteriors, walls and floors. Diluted to the right ratio, it cuts fresh grease without the hazards of a caustic cleaner.
Citrus and Solvent Degreasers
Useful for heavy oily soil on floors, bins, loading areas and equipment exteriors. Check that any product used in food areas is suitable for use in food premises and rinse where the label requires.
Foaming vs Liquid Formulas
Foaming formulas cling to vertical and overhead surfaces such as oven walls and hood canopies, giving the chemical time to work. Liquids suit soaking trays, filters and floor scrubbing.
How to Clean a Commercial Oven Safely
- Turn the oven off and let it cool to warm (roughly 50 to 70 degrees). Caustic cleaners work better on warm surfaces but must never be sprayed into hot ovens.
- Remove racks, trays and removable parts and soak them separately in a degreaser solution.
- Put on PPE: chemical-resistant gloves, safety glasses or a face shield and an apron.
- Apply the oven cleaner evenly, avoiding door seals, fans, thermostats and electrical components.
- Allow the dwell time stated on the label, usually 5 to 20 minutes depending on the soil.
- Agitate and wipe with a non-scratch pad, then rinse thoroughly with clean water until no residue remains.
- Dry and reassemble, and run the oven briefly to drive off any moisture before cooking.
Rangehoods, Filters and Grease Traps
Rangehood filters should be degreased frequently — weekly in busy kitchens — by soaking in a hot kitchen degreaser solution or running through a commercial dishwasher if the manufacturer allows. Clogged filters reduce extraction, push grease further into the ductwork and increase fire risk. Duct cleaning should be done by specialists on a schedule set by the building’s fire safety requirements. Keep degreaser use at drains moderate; excessive solvent and fat loads can disrupt grease trap performance.
Food Safety Rules for Using a Kitchen Degreaser
Degreasing is a cleaning step, not a sanitising step. Under the Food Standards Code, food businesses must keep premises and equipment clean and sanitise food contact surfaces. Food Standards Australia New Zealand’s guidance on cleaning and sanitising in food businesses sets out the difference and the correct order: clean first to remove grease and food residue, then sanitise.
In practice this means:
- Rinse food contact surfaces after using a degreaser unless the product is labelled no-rinse for that use.
- Follow with a food-safe sanitiser at the correct concentration and contact time.
- Store chemicals away from food, in original or correctly labelled containers.
- Keep safety data sheets accessible and train staff on dilution and PPE.
A Simple Daily and Weekly Degreasing Routine
- After each service: wipe benches, splashbacks and equipment exteriors with a diluted kitchen degreaser, then sanitise food contact surfaces.
- Daily: clean grill plates and fryer surrounds; degrease and mop floors.
- Weekly: deep clean ovens and combi ovens with an oven cleaner; soak rangehood filters.
- Monthly: degrease walls, canopies, behind equipment and under benches.
Pairing the right degreaser with the rest of your kitchen range makes compliance easier. Our overview of commercial kitchen hygiene products covers sanitisers, gloves, cloths and bin liners that complete the system.
Cutting Cost Per Clean
Concentrated degreasers diluted through a measuring or dispensing system are usually far cheaper per litre in use than ready-to-use sprays. Correct dilution also matters for results: too weak and grease stays, too strong and you waste product, risk surface damage and leave residues that need extra rinsing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between an oven cleaner and a kitchen degreaser?
An oven cleaner is a high-alkaline, often caustic product formulated for baked-on carbonised grease. A general kitchen degreaser is milder and designed for everyday grease on benches, walls, floors and equipment exteriors.
Can I use a kitchen degreaser on stainless steel?
Most alkaline degreasers are safe on stainless steel when diluted correctly and rinsed. Avoid chloride-based products and abrasive pads, and finish with a stainless steel polish if streaking remains.
Is a caustic oven cleaner safe on aluminium?
No. Caustic products can etch and discolour aluminium. Use a non-caustic formula labelled safe for aluminium.
Choose the Right Degreaser for Every Job
A well-chosen kitchen degreaser, a dedicated oven cleaner for carbonised soil and a clear routine keep kitchens safer, cleaner and easier to pass inspection. Match chemistry to the soil and surface, use PPE and always follow cleaning with sanitising on food contact areas.