How To Clean Your Range Hood Filters
Properly cleaning your range hood filters is simple and easy. Save yourself time and money with this guide.
Give your range hood the attention and treatment it really needs. If you maintain a cleaner range hood, the air quality and freshness of your home will increase. Use our easy guide and do not let air borne pollutants contaminate your home.
Items You Will Need:
- 1/2 Cup of Baking Soda
- Dish Soap with Degreaser
- Access to Hot Water
- Sponge or Scrubbing Brush (Warning: Any brush or sponge that has a rough surface could scratch the range hood)
- Dish Towel for Drying
Properly Cleaning Your Range Hood
Have you ever cleaned a range hood filter before? Do you know how to prevent damage to your filter during cleaning? One of the greatest additions to any kitchen is a range hood. These powerful appliances filter out toxins, grease, smoke and odors in a kitchen. By simply having one of these in your kitchen helps keep it cleaner and smelling fresh.
However, if your range hood appliance is not regularly cleaned, it could hinder the range hood’s efficiency. In order to ensure that your range hood is operating at peak performance, your range hood filters need to be properly cleaned. During cooking, it is very common for oil and grease to become airborne along with steam. This oily steam sticks to the range hood filters and continues to build up during each use. After some time, the grease will create a rough surface that increases air resistance. This resistance will wear out your motor faster and decrease air circulation rates. Knowing how to clean your range hood properly will save you time and money in the future. To make this process easier, we have listed some tips and suggestions below.
Before You Start Cleaning
Before you begin cleaning, you need to identify which type of filters your range hood uses. The most common types of filters are charcoal filters, mesh filters, and baffle filters. If your range hood uses a charcoal filter, they cannot be cleaned and a new one needs to be purchased. For replacement parts, visit our affiliate website. Once you discover which type of air filter your range hood has, you can begin the cleaning process.
Instructions:
Step 1: Remove filters from the range hood: Generally most filters should easily slide out, but each type of filter has its own method of removal. If you have a mesh filter, simply remove the metal loop or detach the secure tabs. Most baffle filters should easily slide out.
Step 2: Fill the sink or bucket with very hot water. While cleaning, the hotter the water is the easier it will to clean. To get water hotter than sink temperatures, simply boil a pot of water on the stove and pour it into the sink for cleaning.
Step 3: Pour a large amount of baking soda into the wash water along with a few squirts of dish soap. Stir these two mixtures together with a brush or a spoon to avoid burns from hot water.
Step 4: Place filters into the cleaning water. Ensure that the filters are completely covered by the water.
Step 5: Simply leave the filters to soak in the soapy water for 10 to 15 minutes to help remove tough residue.
Step 6: Begin cleaning the soaked filters with a brush or sponge. The most efficient method to cleaning range hoods is a tight circular pattern with a brush or sponge. After the range hood is clean, place it on a dish towel to dry.
Step 7: One the range hoof filters are dry, remount them on the range hood.
Cleaning your range hood may have seemed daunting at first, but we guarantee that our process made it much easier. If your range hood filters are not clean enough for your liking, simply repeat this process as many times needed. As we stated previously, the hotter your water is to begin with, the cleaner your filters will be in the end.
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