Diwali Kitchen Cleaning: How to Get Rid of Grease Before the Festival

1. October 15, 2026
2. Primodomus Team
3. Kitchen Cleaning

Every year it goes the same way. Diwali is a couple of weeks away, the living room is sorted, the lights are up, and the kitchen is still sticky. You wipe the counter and it looks fine. Then you open a cabinet and your fingers come away oily.

That's because kitchen grease doesn't stay near the stove. It floats up and settles on the chimney, the cabinet doors, the tiles, the top of the shelves, even the light fittings. A quick wipe-down doesn't touch most of it.

This year Dhanteras is on 6 November and Diwali is on 8 November, so there's still enough time to do it properly. Below is how we'd go about it, step by step, and where it makes sense to take help from Primodomus.

Why the kitchen needs its own plan

Diwali is the one time of year the kitchen works non-stop. Sweets, namkeen, puja prasad, dinner for guests, chai all evening. Most of it involves frying or boiling something for a long time, which means more oil in the air than usual.

If the kitchen is already greasy before the festival starts, all of that extra cooking sits on top of old grime. It smells, it attracts ants and cockroaches, and it gets harder to scrub with every week you wait. Cleaning it once, before the rush, saves you a lot of effort later.

Start about two weeks before, not the night before

Trying to do the whole kitchen in one day usually ends with a tired family and half the cabinets still untouched. Spread it out:

• 22 to 25 October: chimney, exhaust fan, top of the cabinets
• 26 to 30 October: inside the cabinets and drawers, fridge, microwave
• 31 October to 3 November: tiles, sink, stove and burners, floor
• 4 November: final wipe and tidy, so everything is ready before Dhanteras

If you're short on time, do the chimney and the cabinet tops first. Those are the two places grease hides longest.

Step by step

Before you start, switch off the gas and the electric points near the stove. Wear gloves, because degreasers are rough on the hands. And never mix cleaners. Bleach and vinegar together give off a gas you really don't want to breathe in a closed kitchen.

1. Chimney and filter

This is the dirtiest part of most Indian kitchens. Take out the filter or the mesh and soak it in a big vessel of hot water with a good amount of dish soap or a degreaser. Leave it for 20 to 30 minutes. Then scrub with an old brush and rinse well.

Wipe the outside body of the chimney with a cloth dipped in warm soapy water. The inside part near the motor is better left alone unless you know how to open it safely.

2. Exhaust fan

If you have one, the blades will be thick with dust and oil stuck together. Use a damp cloth with soap, and go slowly around each blade. A toothbrush helps with the edges and the grill.

3. Stove and burners

Remove the burner caps and grates and soak them in hot water with a spoonful of baking soda and some dish soap. Clean the holes in the burner with a pin or a stiff brush, because blocked holes give a weak, yellow flame. Wipe the stove top while the burners soak.

4. Cabinets, outside first and then inside

Start with the outside. Warm water, a few drops of dish soap, and a soft cloth. Do the handles too, since that's where everyone's hands go. For sticky spots, leave the soapy cloth on for a minute before rubbing.

Then empty the shelves one at a time. Wipe them, let them dry fully, and put things back. This is also a good moment to throw out old packets and expired masalas. If you want to keep the shelves cleaner for longer, line them with paper or a thin sheet.

5. Tiles and backsplash

The tiles behind the stove collect the most oil. Spray a mix of warm water and dish soap, wait a couple of minutes, and wipe. For stubborn patches, make a paste of baking soda and water, rub it on gently, and rinse. Pay attention to the grout lines, they hold the grime that makes tiles look dull even after cleaning.

6. Sink and tap

Scrub the sink with baking soda and a brush. Clean around the base of the tap, where water marks and soap build up. Pour hot water down the drain at the end. If the drain smells, a bit of baking soda followed by vinegar, left for 15 minutes, usually helps.

7. Fridge and microwave

Take everything out of the fridge, wipe the shelves with warm soapy water, and clean the rubber seal around the door. For the microwave, keep a bowl of water with lemon slices inside for 3 minutes, let it sit shut for a few more, then wipe. The stuck food comes off easily.

8. Floor, last of all

Do the floor at the very end, because dirty water and crumbs from everything above will land on it. Sweep first, then mop with a floor cleaner. Pay attention to the corners and under the stove, where oil collects.

One small warning: vinegar is fine on steel and most tiles, but don't use it on marble or granite counters. It can dull the surface.

What home cleaning can't fix

Soap and a cloth work well on fresh grease. They don't do much on oil that has been baking on for a year or two. If you notice any of these, it's usually time to call someone:

• A chimney that has stopped pulling smoke properly, or drips oil
• Burners that stay blocked even after soaking and poking
• Thick, brown, sticky layers on the tiles or the top of the cabinets
• Tall cabinets and light fittings you can't safely reach
• A smell that stays even after you've cleaned everything

Pushing harder with a scrubber on these can scratch the surface and make it worse. A trained person with the right tools finishes it faster and with less risk to your fittings.

Getting it done with Primodomus

If you'd rather not spend your pre-Diwali weekends inside the kitchen cabinets, Primodomus does kitchen deep cleaning in Delhi NCR, and you can book it online. When you book, tell the team what bothers you most, whether that's the chimney, the cabinets or the tiles, so they know where to spend the time.

One practical tip: book early. Everyone wants their house cleaned in the same two weeks before Diwali, and the good slots go first. If you also want the bathrooms, sofa or the whole house done, you can look at the other services on the Primodomus website and plan it all in one go.

Keeping the kitchen clean through the festival

Once it's clean, a few small habits stop it from going back to square one:

• Wipe the stove and the nearby tiles right after frying, while the oil is still warm and soft
• Switch on the chimney before you start cooking, not after
• Keep one damp cloth near the stove just for oil spills
• Don't leave greasy vessels overnight, that's where the ants come from
• Take out the kitchen waste every night during the festival days

Questions people ask

How early should I clean the kitchen before Diwali? About two weeks before is comfortable. It gives you time to do it in parts and still have a few spare days.

Can I clean the chimney myself? You can wash the filter at home, and that does most of the job. Cleaning the inside of the chimney, near the motor and wiring, is better left to a professional.

What's the best cleaner for kitchen grease? Warm water with dish soap handles most everyday grease. Baking soda helps with burnt or stuck spots. Use a proper degreaser only on very heavy build-up, and always try it on a small hidden corner first.

How often does a kitchen need a deep clean? Most homes do well with one every six months or so, and once before a big festival like Diwali. If you cook with a lot of oil every day, you may want it more often.

Can I book kitchen cleaning in Delhi NCR through Primodomus? Yes. You can book kitchen deep cleaning for your home through the Primodomus website, and the same goes for bathroom, sofa, glass and full home cleaning.

Wrapping up

A clean kitchen won't make the sweets taste better, but it does make the whole festival easier. Less smell, fewer ants, less scrubbing when everyone has left. Start a couple of weeks early, do one part at a time, and get help for the jobs that are too heavy to do at home.

Wishing you a bright and happy Diwali from all of us at Primodomus.