DSS-R.04.04 — Kitchen Grease / Aerosol Film

Kitchen grease / aerosol film is an appearance change on glass caused by cooking-generated aerosols (lipids, emulsifiers, sugars, combustion by-products) that condense on nearby glass. It presents as a tacky amber veil with fine spatter freckles, dust capture, and wipe trails from ad-hoc cleaning. Classification is appearance-only per VIS (method-agnostic). Inspect after Non-Invasive Reveal under VIS lighting/geometry; record surface numbering and worked-surface status.

• Warm tone (light amber/yellow cast) in specular; “greasy glow”.
• Fine spatter near cooktops/fryers; heavier deposition on adjacent inboard (#4) faces, partitions, pass-throughs.
• Dust/soot embed over time; finger windows and wipe arcs; sometimes odor (cooking oils).

Surface-catch class (MSRT)

• Typically SC-0 (lipid film on surface).
• SC-1 may occur where abrasive/dusty wiping introduced very shallow micro-texture or compacted soil; SC-2 is uncommon-recheck classification if observed.
• Perform one light, non-marring pass on a small revealed test patch (substrate). Use polymer stylus if a functional coating is suspected. MSRT supports classification only.

Visual signature

• Tacky amber veil with spatter freckles, wipe overlaps, edge build near frames; no chip-flank sparkle (not mechanical), no discrete fused pits (not hot-particle).

Viewing / lighting

• Evaluate clean & dry at 12 / 36 / 72 in, normal incidence and oblique sweep (~60°-120°); raking macros to resolve spatter, sheen, overlap lines. Record distances/angles in-frame.

Location / access

• Record pane ID and surface numbering (#1-#4; laminate-internal). Interior kitchen/service areas common. If fixed parallax places film between panes (#2/#3), classify CAT-5 by location (out of in-place scope) and refer.

Mechanism cue (context)

• Active cooking lines, fryers, griddles, ovens, dish areas; make-up air/hood patterns; grease on frames/sills.

Assign CAT by visibility at acceptance geometry and MSRT after a controlled reveal test. Depth values are indicative-field measurement not required.

• CAT-1 (Benign / non-relief): Thin lipid veil; SC-0; mainly angle/raking visible; minor spatter/dust. Indicative relief: 0-10 μm (optical).
• CAT-2 (Light): Persistent grease film with spatter field and localized SC-1 (prior abrasive wiping/soil); limited standard-view impact. Indicative relief: ~10-40 μm.
• CAT-3 (Moderate): Wide-area tacky contamination legible at standard distance (global haze/amber cast), with scattered SC-1; typically from long dwell or poor housekeeping. Indicative relief: ~40-120 μm (film stack).
• Reclassify when: After true residue lift, any modeled micro-texture or SC>0 persists → evaluate under M.02 (abrasion fields); if heavy soot dominates, consider E.01.03 Soot/particulate pollution film.
• CAT-5 (by condition/location): Between-pane/inaccessible by parallax, integrity indicators, or confirmed functional-coating loss on the surface to be worked → CAT-5.

CAT is appearance-based; acceptance is separate under VIS-A at 12/36/72 in. Do not abrade to “force” removal during classification.

• vs. HVAC aerosol/oil film (R.04.03): HVAC films are broader/neutral with grille-aligned gradients; kitchen grease shows amber tone and localized spatter near cooking lines.
• vs. Detergent/surfactant film (R.04.01): Detergent films show iridescence and tool-path streaks; grease shows tacky veil and spatter freckles.
• vs. Fabric softener/additive film (R.04.02): Additive films show strong wetting contrast and fragrance; grease films show odor of cooking oils and spatter morphology.
• vs. Mineral staining/etch (Ch.03): Minerals present ring/runs and crystalline edges; grease shows spatter + tack without mineral crystals.

• Photo set (VIS): 12 / 36 / 72 in, normal + oblique; raking macros of spatter, sheen, overlap lines; context frames of kitchen equipment/hoods. Record distance/angle in-frame.
• MSRT result (substrate): After a small reveal test patch, perform one light, non-marring pass; record SC-class (SC-0/SC-1/SC-2).
• Forms: Pane ID; product family & surface numbering; worked surface Y/N; functional coating present on worked surface? (Y/N/Unknown); reveal status; lighting/time; geometry checklist; photos attached.
• Acceptance split: Post-restoration acceptance per VIS-A §6; classification ≠ acceptance. Coated-face appearance rules apply per VIS §6.2.e when the worked surface is a factory functional coating.

• R.04.04 Kitchen Grease / Aerosol Film - Tacky amber veil with fine spatter on surface #___; post-reveal test patch shows [SC-0/SC-1]; visible at [12/36/72 in] under VIS geometry. Morphology: spatter freckles, wipe overlaps, dust capture; no chip-flank sparkle, no pits. Classification: CAT-[1/2/3] by visibility and SC-class; CAT-5 if between-pane or coating-side loss on the surface to be worked. Forms + photo set attached; acceptance per VIS-A §6.