How to Deep Clean Ovens, Grills, and Kitchen Surfaces
With the right cleaners and a little strategy you can bring back your kitchen’s shine.
The kitchen is one of the busiest and hardest-working rooms in your home, which means it's also one of the quickest to collect grease, food splatter, and baked-on grime. While daily wipe-downs help keep ants at bay, every kitchen benefits from an occasional deep clean to remove stubborn buildup that regular cleaners can't handle.
Most home cleaners think the key is scrubbing harder, but it's actually just using the right cleaner for each surface. Here's how to deep clean your oven, grill, countertops, and floors like a professional cleaner.
Step 1: Declutter and Clean from Top to Bottom
Before you start spraying cleaners, remove small appliances, cookware, and anything sitting on your countertops. Working from the highest surfaces down prevents dust, crumbs, and grease from falling onto areas you've already cleaned.
Start with cabinets, range hoods, backsplashes, and appliance exteriors before moving to countertops. Save the floors for last.
Step 2: Remove Everyday Kitchen Grease
Not every kitchen mess requires a heavy-duty cleaner.
For everyday grease, food splatter, fingerprints, and residue on countertops, backsplashes, cabinets, and appliance exteriors, Zep Plus Foaming Kitchen Cleaner provides a quick, no-rinse solution. Its foaming formula cuts through grease while leaving behind a protective layer that helps resist future buildup. Pair it with the included microfiber cloth for a streak-free finish on everyday kitchen surfaces.
Regular maintenance like this helps prevent grease from becoming a much larger cleaning project later and extends the life of your most used surfaces and cabinets.
Step 3: Tackle Heavy Grease Around Cooking Areas
Areas closest to your stove naturally collect the most grease.
Range hoods, stovetops, microwaves, cabinet doors, and backsplashes often develop sticky grease that requires a stronger cleaner. Zep Home Pro Orange Plus Kitchen Degreaser uses a citrus-powered formula to quickly dissolve grease, oil, and baked-on food residue.
Spray the affected area, allow the degreaser to sit for a few minutes, then wipe clean with a microfiber cloth or non-abrasive sponge. Giving the product time to work helps reduce scrubbing while delivering better results.
Step 4: Deep Clean Ovens and Grills
Ovens and grills require a different approach because grease has been exposed to high temperatures, turning into baked-on carbon deposits that ordinary cleaners struggle to remove.
For these tougher jobs, a heavy-duty foaming cleaner delivers restaurant-grade cleaning power. The thick foam clings to vertical surfaces, allowing it to penetrate grease and carbon buildup for easier removal.
Apply the cleaner to cool oven interiors, grill grates, drip pans, or other compatible surfaces. Let the foam dwell according to the label directions before wiping and rinsing thoroughly. The longer contact time helps break down stubborn buildup with less scrubbing.
Step 5: Don't Forget High-Touch Areas
During a deep kitchen cleaning, it's easy to focus only on the obvious messes.
Take a few extra minutes to clean cabinet handles, appliance controls, refrigerator doors, light switches, trash can lids, and drawer pulls. These frequently touched surfaces collect fingerprints, food residue, and everyday grime that can easily be overlooked.
Cleaning these details helps give your entire kitchen a fresher, more polished appearance.
Step 6: Finish with the Floors
Always leave floor cleaning until the very end. Throughout the cleaning process, grease, crumbs, dust, and debris naturally settle onto the floor.
Zep Home Pro Odor Eliminating Hard Floor Cleaner quickly removes dirt and grime while leaving behind a fresh Seaside Mist scent. Its streak-free, no-rinse formula dries quickly and is safe for a wide variety of hard flooring, including tile, finished wood, laminate, luxury vinyl, natural stone, sealed concrete, and colored grout.
Cleaning the floors last ensures your entire kitchen is left spotless from top to bottom.
Keep Your Kitchen, Oven, and Grills Looking New
Deep cleaning your kitchen doesn't have to be an all-day project. By matching the right cleaner to each job, you can tackle everything from everyday grease to baked-on carbon more efficiently. With professional-grade formulas designed for real messes, Zep makes it easy to keep your kitchen looking its best. Shop all-purpose cleaners now to see how you can spend less time scrubbing and feel more confident that your kitchen is ready for whatever comes next.
- Zep Inc.
