What kind of grease for KitchenAid mixer should you use for maintenance? KitchenAid is very popular for their stand mixers and their stand mixer is a favorite in many American homes and even a staple at that. It is very aesthetically pleasing, is powerful and is also very easy to use but it will need maintenance. It will need a little bit of care to ensure that it will last for many years to come.
Maintenance of these mixers is easy and it doesn’t happen too often. For example when it comes to greasing then you don’t have to worry about doing this more than once each year and the job can be done in under an hour. The process requires taking down your mixer but you can find a layout of the machine online that can help you do it the right way.
You will need a couple of tools to get your mixer apart and also to service it.
- 1 #0 or #1 Phillips screwdriver
- 1 #1 or #2 Phillips screwdriver
- 1 medium blade screwdriver
- 1 small utility knife
- Some popsicle sticks or scoopers
- Your grease of choice (almost any one will do)
- A can of brake cleaner or any degreaser
- Paper towels or rags
- One or two small brushes – toothbrushes will work
- A small container to hold the removed parts
- Clothing that can be thrown away after you are done working on the mixer
Once you have all your tools in place you can get online and find the instructions for your particular KitchenAid model on how to take it apart. Print it out so you can have it on hand while you are completing the task.
Let’s Get Started
Once you have your instructions and your tools you want to lay out your work area. You want to work outside as much as is possible or work with all windows and doors open. You want to preferably work by yourself when you are home alone so that no one can interfere with you especially when taking the mixer apart or putting it together.
You want to be concentrating very well during this stage to ensure you don’t make any mistakes. One way to prevent mistakes is to place the plug in a bag and tie it up so you don’t accidentally plug it in while you work.
You will start at the back of the mixer and remove the screws that hold in the chrome strip. You then want to remove the back cover which will give you access to each end of the chrome strip. Keep your container handy to place in your screws so they don’t get lost.
Next you want to take out the ring using the blade screwdriver. You just need to place the screwdriver to the top of the ring and give it a gentle tap while moving around to help release the ring. It will fall out eventually if you keep going just ensure you are being gentle.
At this point you want to lay the mixer on its side, you will see some screws here and will need to remove those as well. Do not remove any of the brush covers those should stay in place.
Next you want to remove the planetary housing or what is also called the snout. You will use the smallest Phillips screwdriver you have and remove the planetary pin from the planetary housing. Then you can remove the housing and separate it from the body. You always want to be gentle when doing this and may need to do the roundabout motion that you used previously until it comes off.
Inside the planetary housing is where you will find the old grease. Depending on when last it was changed it may be funky smelling and since it is grease of course it will be sticky.
You want to next remove the screws around the gear inside the planetary housing. You want to gently split the case ensuring that when you do then you don’t put any stress on the wires that can be found toward the back of the mixer.
You should also be gentle with the gasket. You will find old grease around the internal gearing and it can be very sticky and even tough depending on how long the mixer has gone without a grease change.
Once you have everything taken apart it is time to clean away the old grease. Get your degreaser of choice and your brushes, scoopers and cloths. You want to start by scraping away excess grease with your scoopers and then you can move on to spraying with degreaser and wiping away any of the old grease that’s left behind.
When removing the grease you want to ensure that you are checking for metal shavings – you don’t want to see any of those or else you will need some more maintenance and some professional maintenance at that.
Some parts may need to be soaked in the degreaser based on the condition they are in. You can wait until cleaning one set of parts and then put them back together so that you don’t get too confused when you have all parts taken apart and laying on a desk in-front of you. Some parts will only fit one way so that helps as you have no choice but to do it the right way.
When cleaning the main housing you may find you will get a bit of splatter so that’s why you should start this process wearing clothes that you don’t mind messing up. You can also wear overalls or anything else to protect your clothing as well.
Once you are done all the cleaning and your gears and parts are all clean it’s time to apply the new grease and put the parts all back together. You want to grease the ring gear very well all over to ensure the smooth operation of the stand mixer going forward.
When you are done greasing the parts you can go ahead and start putting back everything back together in the reverse order to how you just took it apart.