6 Best RV Kitchen Cleaners For Food Grease That Nomads Swear By

That sizzling sound of bacon in the morning is one of the best parts of RV life, but the fine mist of grease it leaves behind is one of the worst. In a small, enclosed space, that greasy film doesn’t just stay on the stove; it travels, coating cabinets, walls, and even ceilings. The right cleaner isn’t just about tidiness—it’s about maintaining your small home and keeping it feeling fresh, not sticky.

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The Challenge of RV Kitchen Grease Buildup

Grease behaves differently in an RV. With limited ventilation from a small range hood fan and a few windows, cooking fumes and aerosolized oils have nowhere to go. They settle on every available surface, creating a tacky layer that attracts dust, dirt, and pet hair. This isn’t just an aesthetic problem; over time, that buildup can damage the finish on lightweight RV cabinetry and become a stubborn, yellowed mess.

What many people don’t realize is that the materials in an RV are often more sensitive than those in a traditional home. We’re dealing with vinyl-wrapped particle board, thin laminates, and plastics designed to be lightweight, not indestructible. Using a cleaner that’s too harsh can strip finishes or warp materials, turning a simple cleaning job into a costly repair. The goal is to find something strong enough to cut the grease but gentle enough for the unique environment of a mobile kitchen.

Krud Kutter: The Original Concentrated Degreaser

When you’re faced with a serious grease situation, Krud Kutter is the heavy hitter you call in. This stuff is a concentrated, water-based cleaner/degreaser that has been a go-to for mechanics and builders for years, and it works wonders in an RV kitchen. Because it’s a concentrate, a single bottle can be diluted to different strengths, saving precious storage space—a huge win for any nomad.

For routine wipe-downs on cabinets and backsplashes, a diluted solution is all you need. But for the tough jobs, like a neglected range hood filter or the wall behind your cooktop, using it at a higher concentration will dissolve months of buildup without hours of scrubbing. Always test it on an inconspicuous spot first, especially on older RV finishes, because its power is not to be underestimated. It’s the tool you pull out when you need guaranteed results.

Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds for Eco-Friendly Cleaning

For those who prioritize non-toxic, biodegradable products, Sal Suds is a must-have. It’s not a soap; it’s a highly concentrated hard-surface cleaner that is incredibly effective on grease while being gentle on the environment and your respiratory system. In a tiny, enclosed living space, what you spray into the air matters, and Sal Suds gives you peace of mind.

The beauty of Sal Suds lies in its versatility. A few drops in a spray bottle of water creates a powerful daily degreaser for your countertops and stove. A slightly stronger mix can tackle dishes, floors, and even laundry. For nomads, a single product that can do the job of five different cleaners is the holy grail of space-saving efficiency. It may not have the brute force of a chemical degreaser on ancient, baked-on grime, but for everyday cooking grease, it’s a perfect, eco-conscious solution.

The Dawn & Vinegar Solution: A DIY Powerhouse

Sometimes the best solutions are the ones you can make yourself from simple, accessible ingredients. The combination of blue Dawn dish soap and plain white vinegar is a legendary degreasing formula that has saved countless RV kitchens from sticky situations. The concept is simple: Dawn is formulated to lift grease, while the acetic acid in vinegar helps break it down and provides a mild disinfecting quality.

To make it, you just need a spray bottle. A good starting ratio is one part Dawn, two parts white vinegar, and topped off with water. Shake it gently to combine, and you have a shockingly effective cleaner for less than a dollar. It’s perfect for spraying down the whole kitchen after a big cook-up, letting it sit for a minute, and then wiping everything clean.

The only real tradeoffs are the distinct vinegar smell (which dissipates quickly) and the fact that you shouldn’t use it on natural stone countertops like granite or marble—though that’s a rare find in most RVs. For the vast majority of rig kitchens, this DIY mix is cheap, effective, and easy to whip up no matter where you’re parked.

Simple Green: All-Purpose, Non-Toxic Degreaser

Simple Green has been a workshop and household staple for decades for a good reason: it strikes an excellent balance between power and safety. It’s a non-toxic, biodegradable, all-purpose cleaner that is surprisingly potent against grease. For RVers concerned about harsh chemicals in a small living area, this is a fantastic and widely available option.

Unlike some industrial-strength degreasers, Simple Green has a less medicinal, more pleasant scent, which is a significant quality-of-life factor when your kitchen is also your living room and bedroom. It’s strong enough to clean greasy stovetops and backsplashes but gentle enough that you don’t have to worry about it damaging most RV surfaces. Think of it as the reliable daily driver of kitchen cleaners—not necessarily for the once-a-year deep clean, but perfect for consistent, everyday maintenance.

Goo Gone Kitchen Cleaner for Baked-On Messes

Every RVer knows the pain of that one spot on the stove where something boiled over and became a permanent, carbonized fixture. For that kind of baked-on, stubborn grease, your all-purpose spray won’t cut it. This is where a specialty product like Goo Gone Kitchen Cleaner comes into play.

This isn’t your daily wipe-down spray. This is a foaming degreaser designed to cling to surfaces, giving the formula time to penetrate and dissolve the toughest, most cooked-on messes. You spray it on, let it sit for a few minutes to work its magic, and then wipe away grime that you would have otherwise spent an hour scraping. It’s a problem-solver you keep under the sink for when things go wrong, ensuring you can restore your cooktop or oven without scratching the surface.

Baking Soda & Lemon: A Natural Abrasive Paste

For a completely natural and incredibly inexpensive option, you can’t beat the power of a simple paste made from baking soda and lemon juice. This isn’t a spray-and-wipe solution; it’s a hands-on scrub that delivers fantastic results, especially on stainless steel sinks and cooktops. The magic is in the combination of gentle abrasion and acid.

Just mix baking soda with enough lemon juice (or even water) to form a thick paste. The baking soda acts as a mild abrasive that can lift stuck-on food and grease without scratching most surfaces. The citric acid from the lemon helps to cut through the grease itself.

Apply the paste to the greasy area, let it sit for 5-10 minutes, and then scrub with a non-abrasive sponge or cloth. It takes more elbow grease than a chemical spray, there’s no denying that. But for a zero-waste, non-toxic, and incredibly cheap method that leaves your kitchen smelling fresh, it’s an unbeatable old-school technique that every nomad should have in their back pocket.

Preventing Grease Before It Becomes a Problem

The most effective way to deal with kitchen grease is to stop it from building up in the first place. In a small space, preventative habits are far more impactful than a once-a-month deep cleaning session. It’s a simple mindset shift from reacting to messes to preventing them.

Start with the basics. Use a splatter guard when frying—it’s a simple, flat tool that stores easily and contains 90% of the problem at the source. After you cook, while the stove is still warm, give it a quick wipe-down with your daily cleaner. Grease is much easier to remove before it cools and hardens.

Finally, make a habit of cleaning your range hood filter regularly. That little mesh screen is your first line of defense, and it gets clogged with grease surprisingly fast. Pop it out once a month and soak it in a hot water solution with a strong degreaser like Krud Kutter or Sal Suds. A clean filter pulls more greasy air out of your rig, meaning less of it ends up on your cabinets and walls.

Ultimately, there is no single "best" cleaner, only the right tool for the job at hand. A smart nomad carries a small, versatile cleaning arsenal: a daily driver for quick wipe-downs, a heavy-hitter for tough jobs, and a natural or DIY option for simple scrubbing. By matching the cleaner to the mess, you can keep your tiny kitchen feeling clean and spacious, no matter what’s on the menu.