The kitchen is the centre of culinary delights like bold, new recipes and comfort foods — but did you know that part of whipping up delicious dishes and curating flavourful taste is keeping a clean workstation? You already know about removing grease, wiping down countertops, and mopping the floors, but when was the last time you checked the kitchen hood filter?
Everyone knows to scrub the stove and oven of stubborn stains and grease from your latest kitchen concoction, but did you know that the range hood filter also hosts a disgusting amount of grime and grease? That’s right — the next time you whip-up something delicious, think about where the extra grease goes, and make sure to include it in your kitchen cleanup for longer-lasting stove function. Here’s how:
Why the Range Hood Filter Needs Cleaning
First off — do you know what the range filter does? It might be hard to understand why you’ll need to spend a few extra minutes clearing out this gunk if you don’t even know what it does in the first place.
Let’s take a step back. The range hood itself — where the filter sits — keeps the kitchen ventilated by clearing the air of smoke, steam, and strong odours while you clean. Inside the hood is a filter that collects grease and food particles absorbed by the vent to prevent build-up.
The result is a clear vent that effectively pulls smoke, steam, and odours through it, which protects the rest of your kitchen appliances from turning yellow due to grease, smoke, and steam moisture that would otherwise just sit and soak through the room.
A broken range hood filter can greatly impact your quality of life at home. When blocked, the range hood filter won’t be able to perform its essential functions, such as clearing smoke and steam, as well as keeping out harmful air pollutants.
When this happens, you can experience a number of things in your kitchen, such as the fire alarm prematurely going off at the first hints of smoke, lingering food odours due to tiny food and grease particles mixing with the air indoors, and pests like fruit flies and cockroaches that are attracted to these smells.
When to Clean the Range Hood Filter
If you’ve stayed one step ahead of the usual kitchen cleaning routine, you might not have a lot to worry about keeping a clean and properly functioning range hood filter. But if you’ve let the excess gunk and grease build-up for a while now, home cleaning services may be in order for a deep, thorough, and safe clean.
As a rule of thumb, start by checking the silver screen filter on the underside of the hood; with regular cleaning, this can be reused, so you won’t have to worry about frequent outright replacements. Keeping up with this kitchen cleaning essential maintains good airflow throughout the kitchen and even the rest of your house.
Professional cleaners recommend a thorough clean at least once a year, but this number can vary depending on how much cooking you actually do. Since most people like enjoying home-cooked meals daily, you will need to clean the filter far more often than an annual deep cleanIng.
How to Clean the Range Hood Filter
Just like the recommended frequency, home cleaning service providers also note that cleaning the range hood filter isn’t just about frequency, but how it’s actually cleaned. Naturally, the more grease and gunk you create, the more you’ll have to clean the filter.
The good news is, it’s not complicated at all; all you need to do is stick the filter inside the dishwasher at the hottest setting. This removes harmful build-up and blockage, and when done regularly, helps prevent them too.
Cleaning Tools and Ingredients
Alternatively, a home cleaning service professional can come to clean your house and spend time in the kitchen to do a deep clean of the range hood filter. This can be done periodically, such as once a week, twice a month, and for those who don’t use their kitchen much, every few months. This routine cleaning uses a few household ingredients, such as:
- Boiled water
- Baking soda
- Anti-grease dish soap
- Non-abrasive cleaning brush
- Heat-proof container.
Cleaning the Range Hood Filter Step-by-Step
1. Remove the filter
In modern range hoods, the filter easily slides or pops out with a quick upward push. Check around for loop or latch to unlock the filter from its position and slide it out.
2. Place filter in a heat-proof container
Don’t worry, it’s nothing fancy; a heat-proof container can be a pot, casserole dish, or even the sink, as long as it is safe for boiling water and has enough room for the range hood filter. All you need to do is fill it up with boiling water to let the filter soak in and break down the built-up grease.
3. Add soap and baking soda
For stubborn grease, lodged food particles, and germs, hot water alone might not be enough. That’s why you’ll need dish soap and a ¼ to ½ cup of baking soda to sprinkle over the soap and water solution. Make sure to mix it for even distribution — and cleaning — when you soak the filter.
4. Soak the filter and get scrubbing
Now that the cleaning solution is ready, it’s time to actually soak the range hood filter. Let it sit for about 5 to 10 minutes for a thorough clean, as this will make it easier to scrub away the remaining grease. Make sure to use a non-abrasive brush to avoid damaging the screen, but tough enough to wipe out build-up in the crevices.
5. Rinse, dry, and repeat next time
Once the filter is clean, it’s time to rinse off the cleaning solution and any leftover grease. Make sure that it is completely dry using a clean rag or paper towels before placing it back in. After this, it’s ready to be used again — so get cooking!
For more information about how and when to clean your kitchen hood filter, call Maid4Condos at (647) 822-0601 or contact us here.
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