A woman learned from a YouTube tutorial that she’s supposed to re-grease her Kitchen Aid stand mixer and decides to give it a try. But are you really supposed to do this?
TikTok user Caroline (@caroline.shu) posted a video of her discovery and the ensuing greasing process on Feb. 21. In the video, Caroline reveals that she was on a military moving page when she came across a post from another woman whose Kitchen Aid mixer was damaged in a move, resulting in the oil leaking out.
“I was like, ‘What grease?’” Caroline says. “It turns out inside of here in the gears, you’re supposed to re-grease that every so often. So, that’s what we’re going to do today. Thrilling Friday here.”
Greasing a Kitchen Aid stand mixer
Over the next four minutes, Caroline demonstrates how to disassemble and re-grease the inside of her mixer. Essentially, she opens it up at the top, removes all the existing grease with paper towels and Q-Tips, and then uses a grease she purchased online to re-grease the gears.
“Maybe the rest of you in the world knew this, that you were supposed to be doing this more often,” Caroline says as she works. “But I really feel like if you were we’d be talking about this more. This is an intricate job.”
After she finishes, Caroline reassembles the mixer and puts the screws back in. She then reveals that she followed Mr. Mixer’s instructions on YouTube. At the end of the video, she tests her work by turning on the mixer. Her face breaks into a jubilant grin as it rumbles to life.
Should you re-grease your Kitchen Aid stand mixer?
The key here is that the post Caroline saw online referred to a woman whose mixer was damaged in a move. According to Kitchen Aid, you shouldn’t have to re-grease your stand mixer unless there’s an oil leak, which can happen due to infrequent use. Otherwise, Kitchen Aid mixers have enough oil inside to last the lifetime of the unit.
So, basically, it seems like if your Kitchen Aid stand mixer isn’t broke, you don’t have to fix it. If your mixer is leaking, then Kitchen Aid recommends taking it to a service facility and having a professional technician replace the grease and gasket.
@caroline.shu Just a casual Friday morning while everyone is at school. #mrmixer #kitchenaidmixer #kitchenaid #kitchenhacks ♬ original sound – caroline.shu
Viewers react
In the comments section, some users expressed mixed reactions to Caroline’s decision to re-grease her stand mixer at home.
“Do I have a Kitchen Aid?” wrote one viewer. “No. Do I have a mixer? Also, no. Did I watch this whole video? Of course!”
“Things I didn’t know until I found Mr. Mixer here on TikTok! The way the new grease looks like Fluffy frosting when he puts it on…” wrote a second viewer.
“My husband gave me a Kitchen Aid mixer in 1990,” wrote a third viewer. “I take it in to the vacuum repair shop every year, and they take it apart, clean it, and regrease it. If you maintain your machine, it can become an heirloom.”
Someone else stated, “I’m 62 and I have had my Kitchen Aid mixer since I was 25. Never greased it ever. Still works like a dream. The manual doesn’t state I need to grease.”
Another person chided, “Girl, don’t add stuff to my to-do list.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Caroline via TikTok comment and Instagram direct message for comment. It also reached out to Kitchen Aid via website contact form for comment.
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