Range Hood Cleaning – How to Get Rid of Grease

Today we wanted to talk about range hood cleaning – specifically how to get rid of grease. 

The Range Hood is one of the most important appliances in your kitchen, whilst at the same time being one that gets less TLC than it should. When’s the last time you had a look at it? When’s the last time that you checked the filters in your exhaust fan? It’s okay, we know many people do this haphazardly – if they have ever cleaned their range hood at all.

Range hoods are designed to collect grease so if you’ve never cleaned it, or if it has been a long time since you last cleaned it, there’s going to be a lot of grease.

A greasy range hood can become blocked. This means that it won’t continue to work effectively and this can lead to a number of other problems. You need to get rid of the grease from your range hood regularly to ensure it continues to work effectively.

If your range hood is not working it won’t be able to remove smoke, steam, odours and other things – as it is supposed to do.

Range Hood Cleaning – Before you Get Started

The process of cleaning your range hood need not be too daunting. Yes, if you haven’t cleaned your range hood in a long time, or at all, it may take longer than you would hope. 

But once you get your process sorted, and you clean your range hood on a more regular basis, then cleaning and maintenance of your range hood – making sure you get rid of grease – should become easier over time.

Here is a list of what you will need for range hood cleaning.

• A bucket of hot water
• Baking soda
• Gloves
• Vinegar
• Detergent or degreasing soap
• A soft bristled brush
• A hard bristled scrubbing brush.
• Cloths or a kitchen towel

Range hood cleaning – your step by step process to get rid of grease

Now that you have all the right supplies together it’s time to start cleaning your range hood. Following these steps makes everything as easy as possible. 

1. Start by removing obvious dust.

The first thing you need to do is remove any obvious dust or debris. Before you start dusting you should make sure that you lay cloth or a towel over your stove to capture any dirt or debris that falls whilst you are dusting.

Then you should use a soft bristled dust brush to remove dusty and dry particles from the surface of your range hood – inside and out. The perfect dust brush will reach delicate and narrow spaces and will also be able to get into corners. This style of brush will give her the best clean.

2. Remove the range hood filters and let them soak. 

The next step is to remove the range hood filter/s so that you can start the de-greasing process. Remember to be careful when removing the filters as they often have sharp edges that you can cut yourself on. You need to also be mindful of any electrical components that might be around there as you don’t want to get electrocuted.

If you’re like most people, chances are you haven’t done this for a long time, if you’ve ever done it at all. For most people it’s a case of – if you can’t see it, then it’s not really a problem.

But we can assure you that once you have removed your filters the first time, and you see how much grease might be caked on to them, you will want to clean your range hood and get rid of grease more often. Range hood cleaning will become a more regular part of your cleaning routine. 

To clean the rangehood filters, soak them in a bucket (or your sink) filled with hot water and a mixture of degreasing soap and baking soda. You should leave your greasy filters in the sink or bucket to soak for at least 10 minutes. The longer the better. Complete steps 3 & 4 while the filters are soaking and then come back and complete the process below. 

After you have left the filters to soak for a while, you will need to give them a good scrubbing. This may require you adding more degreasing soap and some more hot water. As mentioned previously, make sure you are careful when scrubbing your filters as they can have sharp edges.

If you haven’t cleaned your filters in a long time, then this may take a while or you may need to replace them. Just make sure you extend the life of any new filters you purchase by making range hood cleaning and getting rid of grease a more regular part of your kitchen cleaning routine. 

3. Wipe down the outside of your range hood.

Now it’s time for one of the easier tasks, but one that will have the biggest impact and be most noticeable visually. While your range hood filters are soaking, you can wipe down the outside of your range hood. It’s important to do this to get rid of grease and dust that can easily settle on the outside of your range hood. 

You can do this using a high quality paper towel or quality cleaning rags. Firstly, make a mix of warm water and degreasing soap (or detergent) to help break down the grease. You can use clean water or a vinegar solution spray to wipe away residue after you have given the outside of the rangehood a good clean. 

There are a number of brand name cleaners that claim to do the work mentioned here. Some of these cleaners may have particularly harsh chemicals so it is important that you first do a spot check in places to make sure it won’t damage your rangehood. Try to do this in a spot that is not visible.

4. Clean the inside of the range hood.

Now that the outside of the range hood is clean, it’s time to do the same on the inside. 

As with step 3 above, you want to use your mix of degreasing soap or detergent with hot water. On the inside of your range hood you might need to use a stronger scrubbing brush to get rid of grease that is caked on. 

If you have areas of real concern where it’s hard to get rid of grease, another option you have is to make a paste out of baking soda and warm water. This paste can help break down grease stuck in hard to scrub areas. If you leave this paste there for about 30 minutes to an hour, you should then more easily be able to clean off any grease that was initially hard to get rid of.

BONUS TIP – Whilst the filter is out, make sure you check the vent for any debris or damage

Whilst you have your range hood filters out you should check the range hood vent for damage and debris. The vent is important as it removes strong smells and smoke. Like the rest of your range hood, if you haven’t cleaned and maintained it regularly, caked on grease can cause significant damage. 

If you shine a flashlight up the vent and notice debris or damage, then this is not something you should try to clean yourself. Make sure that you call in an expert to help here. 

In Conclusion

As you can see, in this article we have shared with you a fairly comprehensive process on range hood cleaning and how to get rid of grease. If you’ve never been proactive with cleaning your range hood, then the first time may be difficult, but we promise it does get easier with regular maintenance and cleaning. You should make sure that you clean your range hood every 3-4 months to ensure that it becomes easier. If you get rid of grease more regularly, then it will also extend the life of your range hood. 

If it all still seems too hard for you, the rest assure that we can help. Please get in touch today for a no obligation home cleaning quote, and we can also talk to you about range hood cleaning as well.