The cabinets above my stove had a sticky, amber film that would not come off with spray cleaner. It was a mix of cooking grease and dust that had baked on over a year. I was about to repaint when a neighbor gave me the fix.

Why grease gets sticky

Cooking oil drifts up with steam and settles on cabinet doors. Dust sticks to it, and heat bakes the whole mess on. Regular cleaner just smears it around.

The oil and baking soda trick

1. Mix a little vegetable oil with baking soda until it forms a paste.
2. Rub the paste onto the sticky spots with a soft cloth.
3. Wipe it off with a damp cloth, then dry the door.

The oil dissolves the grease, and the baking soda gives it enough grit to lift the gunk without scratching the wood. It sounds wrong to clean grease with oil, but that is exactly why it works.

How to keep them clean

I wipe the cabinet doors over the stove once a week now with warm soapy water, before the film can build. It takes two minutes and beats an hour of scrubbing later.

For the worst spots, I let the paste sit for five minutes before wiping. The doors went from sticky to smooth, and I saved myself a paint job.