Can an All-Purpose Cleaner Replace Your Kitchen Degreaser? What Citrus 20X Handles (and What It Doesn't)

We built this around ADVANAGE 20X Citrus because it makes a useful test case. It is sold as a multipurpose cleaner, yet Advanage's own dilution chart runs from a 20:1 general mix down to 1:1 for heavy oil, so the same bottle can behave like either product. Its safety data sheet lists a surfactant, sodium carbonate,e and a chelating agent, with a concentrate pH of 11, and the citrus is a fragrance rather than a citrus solvent. Below we show what it handles, at what mix, what it does not handle, and what stronger mixes cost, so you can decide whether you need a separate degreaser at all. Disclosure: Advanage publishes this blog.

Before You Buy a Second Bottle

• Everyday grease: a multipurposeconcentrate int its general mix handles grease film on counters, cabinets, tile, and appliance fronts, so you do not need a second bottle

• Baked-on grease: thick, hardened layers need a stronger mix, a few minutes of contact and repeat passes, and may still call for a dedicated oven or degreaser product

• One bottle, two jobs: ADVANAGE 20X publishes mixes from 20:1 (general) to 3:1 (oven foam) to 1:1 (heavy oil), so one concentrate can act as both

• Citrus is a scent: the company says all four scents perform identically, so Citrus is not a stronger formula than the other.s

• Strength costs more: a 20-ounce bottle at 3:1 uses about $6.24 of concentrate, against about $1.19 at 20:1, so strong mixes run five to ten times more per bottle.

• Known limits: reviewers report the odd streak on glass and stainless steel, and some tough stains still need elbow grease

Key Terms in 30 Seconds

• Grease film: the thin, sticky layer of cooking oil that settles on counters, cabinets, tile, and appliance fronts. It is still oil, and a surfactant can lift it

• Baked-on grease: oil that has been heated repeatedly until it hardens into a varnish-like layer on stovetops, oven walls,s and burner surrounds

• Dwell time: how long a cleaner sits on a surface before you wipe or scrub. It is the cheapest way to add strength

• Emulsion agent: a surfactant-based ingredient that breaks the surface tension between oil and water so grease lifts and suspends instead of smearing. Advanage says its proprietary emulsion agent works this way

• Full strength vs. diluted: full strength means straight from the bottle, and diluted means mixed with water at a stated ratio. Advanage writes ratios as parts water to 1 part concentrate, so 3:1 is three parts water and one part concentrate

Can a Multi-Purpose Cleaner Handle Kitchen Grease as Effectively as a Dedicated Degreaser?

For light and moderate grease, yes, and the gap comes down mostly to how you use it. For heavy, baked-on grease, a multipurpose concentrate can match a dedicated product only if you mix it strong, give it time, and repeat. A dedicated degreaser still wins on speed when the layer is thick, and on volume in a commercial kitchen.

Our step-by-step guide to removing grease and oil stains from kitchens, garages and driveways covers each surface in more detail.

Degreaser vs. All-Purpose Cleaner: What Actually Differs

Three things separate the two, and a concentrate lets you move between them.

• Surfactant and builder strength. All-purpose cleaners are built to be safe on many surfaces at a modest strength. Degreasers load in more surfactant and stronger alkaline builders. Some industrial degreaser safety data sheets list a pH as high as 13 to 14, while ADVANAGE's Citrus SDS lists a pH of 11 for the undiluted concentrate. That puts it in the alkaline range that helps loosen fats, well short of the caustic end.

• Solvent or no solvent. Some degreasers add a solvent, such as citrus terpenes or glycol ethers, to dissolve oil. ADVANAGE's Citrus SDS lists none among its disclosed ingredients. Its approach is emulsification. Per Advanage's FAQ, the emulsion agent breaks the surface tension between oil and water, so grease lifts away instead of smearing, and the Citrus product page says it leaves no residual oil on the surface or the cleaning cloth.

• Intended strength. An all-purpose cleaner is designed around one gentle mix. A degreaser is designed around a strong one. A concentrate blurs that line, because the strength is yours to set. That is also why the "Degreaser (Citrus)" name on the product reflects the scent rather than a separate, stronger formula.

Grease Film vs. Baked-On Grease: Why the Difference Matters

A grease film is still oil. A surfactant can surround it and lift it, which is why a general mix and a damp microfiber cloth are usually enough. Baked-on grease is different. When cooking oil is heated again and again, it oxidizes and polymerizes into larger, harder molecules. A study of heated soybean oil in the Journal of Japan Oil Chemists' Society found that polymerized, polar material increased steadily as heating time grew. That is why old burner drips feel like varnish instead of oil. The layer has chemically changed, so a cleaner has to work through it in stages rather than lift it in one pass.

What ADVANAGE 20X Citrus Handles, and at What Strength

These mixes come from Advanage's published chart, written as parts water to 1 part concentrate. The product page's own starter mix is about 1 ounce of concentrate in a 20-ounce spray bottle topped up with water, which lands near the 20:1 general mix.

A microfiber cloth helps here, because it lifts loosened film instead of pushing it around. Reviewers on the Citrus Gallons page, which holds a 4.9 out of 5 rating across 51 reviews, describe results on stovetops, soap scum left to dwell, and a soot-covered garage door. A customer review on Advanage's homepage also mentions glass-top stoves.

Step by Step: Cutting Baked-On Grease With a Concentrate

1. Clear the loose debris. Remove crumbs and thick lumps with a dry cloth or a plastic scraper first.

2. Mix for the job. Use 10:1 for moderate buildup and 3:1 for oven interiors. A mixing applicator keeps the ratio accurate. Test a hidden spot on painted or delicate surfaces first.

3. Apply and wait. The chart allows 1 to 2 minutes on stubborn spots. For ovens, foam it on, warm the oven briefly, turn it off, and foam again.

4. Agitate with the right pad. Start with a non-abrasive pad. Advanage's chart reserves the green abrasive pad for stubborn buildup on sturdy surfaces, and it warns that misuse can scratch.

5. Rinse, wipe dry, and repeat. Plan on a second or third round for thick layers, because emulsifier-based cleaners work in stages.

Wear gloves and eye protection when you pour the concentrate, since the SDS classifies it as causing serious eye irritation, and never spray liquid on electrical controls.

What It Doesn't Handle

• Thick, carbonized layers in one pass. Expect repeat rounds, or reach for a dedicated oven product.

• Fryer and range-hood grease at commercial volume. Speed and volume favor a dedicated degreaser.

• Guaranteed streak-free glass and stainless steel. A reviewer with more than 12 years of use still keeps another product for those, because it can leave the odd streak.

• Miracle results. One reviewer calls it "not a miracle cleaner" and says tough stains still need elbow grease.

• Every finish. Advanage's chart says to test delicate fabrics and not to use its wax-stripping mix on no-wax floors, and the same caution applies to painted and specialty finishes.

What Degreaser-Strength Mixes Cost

Strength is the one thing a concentrate charges you for. This table shows the concentrate in one 20-ounce spray bottle at each mix, priced from a quart at $39.95 (32 ounces, about $1.25 per ounce).

The 20X Intro Special adds a free mixing applicator at the same $39.95. Buying more lowers the price per ounce. The Citrus 5-Quart Special at $164.95 works out to $32.99 per quart, about 17% less, and the gallon at $99.95 is about $0.78 per ounce, roughly 37% less than the quart. Dedicated degreasers are often cheaper per gallon at retail, which is the trade-off for a bottle that also handles glass, laundry, and carpet.

Do You Need a Separate Degreaser?

You probably don't if your kitchen soil is mostly film and moderate drips; you would rather own fewer bottles, and you are happy to keep two labeled spray bottles, one at the general mix and one stronger, for ovens and burner surrounds.

You probably do if you fry or grill heavily, run a commercial kitchen, or face thick petroleum grease, and cost at strong mixes matters. Our guide to choosing between concentrate and ready-to-use industrial degreasers covers that decision.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is all-purpose cleaner the same as degreaser?

Not automatically, and the front label will not settle it. "Degreaser" is a marketing term, not a standardized one, so any brand can print it. Check the directions and the safety data sheet instead. A product that tells you to use it stronger or full strength on grease, lists an alkaline builder or solvent in Section 3, and shows a higher pH in Section 9 is working as a degreaser. A product with one ready-to-use spray instruction and a near-neutral pH is a general cleaner.

What can I use instead of a degreaser?

Use technique to make up for chemistry. Hold a hot, damp cloth on the soiled spot for a minute to warm the grease, because warm grease releases faster than cold. Scrape thick lumps off with a plastic scraper first. Wipe with a fresh section of cloth on every pass so you lift the film instead of spreading it, then finish with a hot-water rinse to carry off the emulsified grease. These habits cost nothing and close much of the gap on everyday soil.

What household products can I use as a degreaser?

Dish detergent is the best starting point, since a drop in hot water cuts fresh grease. Washing soda (sodium carbonate) adds alkalinity for sticky film, but wear gloves and skip it on aluminum. Baking soda paste adds gentle abrasion for stuck-on spots, though it is a weak degreaser alone. White vinegar is an acid, so it deals with mineral spots, not grease. One rule matters most: never mix bleach with vinegar or ammonia products, because CDC reporting on household cleaner safety notes the toxic gases that can result.

Is degreaser just soap?

No. Soap is made by reacting fats or oils with an alkali, and it reacts with hard-water minerals to leave scum. Most degreasers use synthetic surfactants instead, plus builders such as alkaline salts and sometimes solvents. The National Library of Medicine's entry on the common surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate describes it as lowering surface tension and working as a fat emulsifier and wetting agent. A degreaser is closer to a boosted detergent than to soap, and the boost is what lets it handle heavier grease.

Who Stands Behind the Formula

ADVANAGE has made this concentrate since 1980 and sells it direct, so questions about mixes, oven use, or bulk orders go to the team that makes it. You can contact Advanage directly with the surface and the soil you are dealing with.

Ready to test it on your own stovetop? Shop the Citrus Quart ($39.95) or grab the 20X Intro Special, a CitrusQuartt with a free mixing applicator ($39.95).