How to Finally Get That Layer of Grease Off Your Floors, According to Cleaning Pros

If you’ve been wondering how to degrease your floors like a pro, you’re in luck. Here, we’ve compiled some key tips and step-by-step instructions from cleaning experts that will help you tackle this area of your home with extra skill—and say goodbye to even the most stubborn grease stains.

Materials

In order to degrease the floors in your home, you will need to first stockpile some key household materials. This includes a broom or vacuum, a bucket, some dish soap, a mop (ideally one made out of microfiber), a scrub brush or sponge, and some dry towels or microfiber cloths, Robin Murphy, the president of Maid Brigade, explains.

Keeping these materials on hand at all times will prove beneficial.

“The faster you can clean up grease spills, the less likely they are to set and become harder to remove,” Murphy says.

How to Degrease Floors

Give your floors a preliminary clean using a broom or vacuum. The goal here is to remove dust, dirt, and debris, Murphy explains.
Prepare the cleaning solution that you will use to tackle your floors. Murphy recommends filling your bucket with a gallon of water, adding in two to three tablespoons of dish soap, and mixing the solution together.
Apply the solution to your floors. You will want to start out by dipping your mop into the bucket of soapy water and then wringing it out a bit—the goal is for your mop to be damp, not soaking wet, Murphy explains.
Mop the floor section by section. If you come across a spot with heavy grease, Murphy recommends placing some of your soapy water solution directly on this area and allowing it to sit for five to 10 minutes.
Grab additional materials if needed for tough spots. If you feel like you need even more assistance with tough spots, this is where your scrub brush, sponge, or microfiber cloth comes into play—you can use it to gently rub at these areas.
Rinse off your floor by mopping it with clean water. Doing so will remove any of the soap residue that is left over, Murphy explains.
Finish by drying off the floor using towels or microfiber cloths. Not only will taking this step prevent streaks, it will also ensure that no one in your household slips and falls.

Tips for Degreasing a Floor

Test Your Degreaser

Before using a large amount of degreaser on your floors, it is smart to first spot-test the solution on a small area; this is key to avoid potential damage, Claudia Meneses, the founder of Avanti Green Eco Cleaning, says.

Use Some Heat

While heat isn’t ideal for every type of floor surface, wood being one of them, Murphy recommends using hot water on tile or vinyl to help dissolve grease faster.

Another effective option that Murphy recommends is a steam cleaner, which is great for tile and vinyl floors but should not be used on wood.

Add a Dash of Baking Soda

By adding some baking soda into your degreaser mixture, you can tackle heavy grease like a pro, Murphy explains, noting that baking soda’s mild abrasiveness plays a key role here.

She adds that baking soda is also helpful in instances when you’re dealing with grease that has settled into grout lines. In this instance, she recommends mixing baking soda and water to make a paste that you can scrub with a toothbrush directly onto the grout once you have let this mixture sit for 15 minutes.

Degrease Your Floors at Night

If you can, wait to degrease your floors at night when there is less foot traffic throughout your home, Meneses encourages. This will help to avoid disruption and also ensure that members of your household are not tracking the aforementioned sticky residue around your home.

Source: The Spruce
This article was originally published by The Spruce on June 11, 2025.
How to Finally Get That Layer of Grease Off Your Floors, According to Cleaning Pros