Just bought an old house and there is grease on the walls around the stove and on the front and sides of the stove itself. Not having much luck cleaning it up.  Any ideas?

Baking soda and water maybe, good luck

There are times when lemon juice and baking soda don't get the job done in my kitchen, I use 409 when that happens. Have you tried that yet or some other commercial degreaser?

 

Regular old dish soap should do the trick.  It's made for cutting grease in your dishwater.  Add some baking soda for a little abrasiveness if you need to.  You might also try "pretreating" the grease by steaming it with a really hot steamy rag - hold the rag on the grease spot for a while, then try to scrub off.
 

I've had some luck with a strong solution of washing soda, but I have to agree with Brandy. There are times when home made just won't do it unless you want to get into some really caustic stuff. A commercial product does have its place now and then.  

Commercial cleansers don't always do it for me either. You can try a mixture of amonia and water, but be very careful. Amonia can eat the paint right off walls and appliances if mixed too strong.

That's what I meant by caustic. Strong ammonia solutions are also dangerous to use without good ventilation. I think grease on walls is one of the toughest cleaning problems.

Hi !

Try using Dawn dish detergent full strength .

Try a commercial product called TSP, which (I think) stands for tri-sodium phosphate.  I've used it to strip pre-finished paneling (think 1970s) in preparation for painting.  I don't believe it's caustic; just in case, wear plastic gloves.  Miss Paula in Texas

If the grease has soaked into the walls themselves, the only real solution is going to be replacing that part of the wall. We had the same problem when I was a kid, and ended up having to replace the entire wall behind the stove because the grease had ruined the plaster. Yuk.

If it hasn't soaked in, try dishsoap; any good dish soap will cut grease, so drag out a bucket and some scrubbies and get to work. Don't scour the wall, though, unless you have some way of repairing any damage you do!

As for the stove itself, a plastic dish scrubbie (the sponge kind) and a paste of Comet type cleaner will bring off the baked on goop, and rinsing it with a strong vinegar and water solution will help remove any residual grease.

If it really won't come off, look in the phone book for your local Habitat for Humanity re-sale shop. They often have really cool appliances dirt cheap (we got a ceramic top stove for $25 from them, and sheets of plaster for $10 each at ours), and they may be able to help you find help with minor repairs if you ask nicely, wink, wink!