Cleaning Up After a Kitchen Grease Fire

First, Make Sure It Is Really Out

A grease fire can smolder and flare again, and fire can travel into the range hood and its duct where you cannot see it. Before any cleanup, check these things.

• The burner is off, and the pan is cool enough to touch. Leave a hot pan where it is with the lid on. Moving it can splash burning oil.
• There is no smoke coming from the hood, the cabinets above the stove, the microwave or the wall behind the range.
• The cabinet undersides and the wall above the stove are not hot to the back of your hand.
• There is no smell of gas.

If you called the fire department, wait for them to clear the kitchen. If you did not call and see any smoke from inside a cabinet, the hood or the wall, get everyone out and call 911. Firefighters would rather check a false alarm than find a fire burning in the duct.

For next time, remember that a grease fire is smothered, not drowned. Turn off the heat, slide a metal lid or baking sheet over the pan, and leave it covered until it is cool. Baking soda works on a very small fire. Flour does not and can make it worse. Never use water.

Cleaning Up Fire Extinguisher Powder

Most home extinguishers are dry chemical. The fine yellow or white powder gets everywhere, and it needs to come up before you start washing.

Clean ABC powder within a day or two, because it can attract moisture and start to corrode metal, stovetops and electronics. Get it off appliance controls and out of burner ports. If powder got inside a microwave, toaster or other small appliance, have it checked or replace it. Wear gloves, safety glasses and an N95 while vacuuming, because the powder irritates the eyes and lungs.

Why Kitchen Smoke Is Hard to Clean

A grease fire makes a different kind of smoke from a wood or paper fire. Burned oil and food leave a sticky, yellowish, greasy film on the ceiling, walls, cabinets and anything nearby. It can be nearly invisible on white paint and still smell strongly for weeks.

Plain soap and water will not cut it well. You need a degreasing cleaner. Test it first on a hidden spot of your cabinets and painted walls, since strong degreasers can dull some finishes.

• Wear gloves and eye protection.
• Use two buckets, one for cleaner and one for rinse water.
• Wring cloths until damp, not dripping.
• Change rinse water as soon as it turns cloudy.

If you see dark, dry soot on the ceiling above the stove, use a dry chemical sponge on it first, then wash with degreaser. Greasy smoke film often smears under a dry sponge, so if it smears, go straight to the degreaser. Once walls are clean and dry, spots that still show a yellow shadow or odor may need a stain and odor blocking primer before paint.

The Range Hood, Microwave and Duct

The range hood catches most of the smoke and grease, and it is the part most likely to hide damage.

• Turn off the breaker for the hood, and for an over the range microwave, before you clean inside.
• Remove the metal mesh or baffle filters. If they are only greasy, soak them in very hot water with dish soap and a half cup of baking soda for 15 to 30 minutes, then scrub with a soft brush and rinse. If they are warped, melted or burned through, replace them.
• Wipe the inside of the hood with degreaser, avoiding the fan motor and wiring.
• Over the range microwaves pull smoke through their vents and often need replacing after a real flare up. If it smells burned when you run it or the vent grille is melted, replace it.

If flames were pulled up into the hood, have the duct checked. Grease in a duct can catch fire and keep burning out of sight. A hood that vents outside through a wall or roof should be inspected by an appliance tech or HVAC pro if the fire reached it.

Cabinets, Counters and the Stove

Work from the top down, starting with the ceiling above the stove and ending at the floor.

• Cabinet exteriors. Degrease, then rinse and dry. Painted and laminated cabinets usually clean up well. Wood with a heat blistered or bubbled finish needs refinishing or replacing.
• Cabinet interiors. Empty the cabinets closest to the stove. Smoke gets inside, especially the ones directly above. Wash shelves and the insides of doors, then wash every dish and utensil that was inside.
• Counters. Most counters clean with mild degreaser. Check natural stone for heat cracks and resurface or reseal if needed.
• The stovetop. Clean burner grates and drip pans in hot soapy water. On glass cooktops, use a cooktop scraper held flat and a cooktop cleaner. Check that every burner lights normally before you cook again.
• Walls behind the stove. Look for scorched paint, bubbled drywall or melted outlet covers. Any of these can mean heat reached the wall cavity.

Replace any melted outlet covers, and have an electrician look at an outlet if the cover melted or the outlet looks discolored.

Food, Pans and Birds

Smoke and heat affect food and cookware too. Be strict about what you keep.

• Throw out any food that was uncovered, in paper or cardboard, or in any open package in the kitchen.
• Throw out cans and jars that were near the fire and got hot, even if they look fine.
• Food in the closed refrigerator is usually fine if the fridge ran normally and smoke did not get inside. If it smells of smoke when opened, toss the food.
• The pan that burned is usually a loss. Nonstick pans that overheated badly should be thrown out.

If you have pet birds, move them out of the home or to fresh air right away. Overheated nonstick coatings give off fumes that are well known to kill birds even at levels people barely notice. Keep them out until the kitchen is fully aired out.

Anyone who breathed in heavy smoke, got burned, or has a cough or headache that does not go away should see a doctor.

Get Ready for Next Time

Once the kitchen is clean, fix the gaps that let the fire happen or grow.

• Replace or recharge the extinguisher. Once used, even for a second, a dry chemical extinguisher can lose pressure. Keep a multipurpose ABC extinguisher rated 2-A or higher, or a Class K unit, near the kitchen exit rather than right next to the stove, so you can reach it without reaching over the fire.
• Keep a metal lid that fits your largest frying pan within reach of the stove.
• Test smoke alarms and replace any that are 10 years old or older.
• Clean hood filters once a month if you fry often.
• Stay in the kitchen when frying, and keep oil below its smoke point. Oil that is smoking is close to catching fire.

If you rent, tell your landlord in writing, even about a small fire. It protects you if smoke damage or a hood problem shows up later.

Step by Step

1. Confirm the Fire Is Out

   Leave the lid on the pan until it is cool. Check the hood, cabinets and wall for smoke or heat, and call 911 if you see any.

2. Ventilate

   Open windows and run a fan blowing out. Move pet birds and anyone with asthma out of the home.

3. Cut Power to the Hood

   Turn off the breaker for the range hood and any over the range microwave before cleaning them.

4. Vacuum Extinguisher Powder

   Wearing gloves, glasses and an N95, HEPA vacuum all dry extinguisher powder before any water touches it.

5. Toss Exposed Food

   Throw out open food, heated cans and anything in paper near the stove. Photograph it first if you plan to file a claim.

6. Soak the Filters

   Soak hood filters in very hot water with dish soap and baking soda, then scrub and rinse. Replace any that are warped or burned.

7. Dry Sponge Visible Soot

   Use a dry chemical sponge on dark, dry soot on the ceiling and walls. If it smears, skip to the degreaser.

8. Degrease Top to Bottom

   Wash the ceiling, walls, cabinets inside and out, counters and appliances with a degreaser. Rinse and dry.

9. Inspect for Hidden Damage

   Look for blistered cabinet finish, bubbled drywall and melted outlet covers. Have the hood duct and any damaged outlets checked.

10. Restock Safety Gear

    Replace or recharge the extinguisher, keep a fitting lid near the stove, and test your smoke alarms.

Mistakes That Make It Worse

• Throwing water on a grease fire. Water turns to steam and can spray burning oil across the kitchen.
• Carrying a burning pan to the sink or outside. It spills burning grease on you and the floor.
• Wiping extinguisher powder with a wet rag first. It turns into a sticky paste that is harder to remove and can corrode metal.
• Ignoring the hood duct. Grease fire can continue to burn inside it unseen.
• Putting the old extinguisher back on the wall after using it. A partly used extinguisher may not work the next time.