How to clean you your range hood filter Your range hood is one of the most important appliances in your kitchen. Range hoods maintain an atmosphere of clean breathable air inside your home. When you cook, all sorts of substances become airborne such as: Combustion byproducts Smoke Grease Fumes Steam You don’t want anybody inhaling airborne toxic particles. Range hoods remove these substances as well as odors and heat from the air. For that reason, it’s imperative your keep your range hood performing at its highest capacity at all times. You can ensure this by making sure you clean your range hood filter at least one a month. So how do you clean it? Well it depends on what type of filter you have. There are three basic types of range hood filters: baffle, aluminum and charcoal/carbon. Its not recommended to clean charcoal/carbon filters. Instead, replace those type of filters every six months to a year depending on how often you cook. So we’ll focus on the aluminum and baffle filters. Before you get started, you are going to want to remove your filters from your range hood. For some range hoods, filter removal is as simple as unscrewing a few screws, but for other range hoods it may be more complex. Be sure to consult your product manual. [row ] [col span=”1/2″ ] [/col] [col span=”1/2″ ] [/col] [/row] Aluminum Filters Between baffle and aluminum, aluminum filters are the hardest to clean. This is because of their mesh construction that clings to grease like nobody’s business. Baffle filters on the other hand are smooth stainless steel. Unfortunately, aluminum filters are far more common than baffle filters. Nonetheless, here’s the most efficient way we’ve found to clean aluminum filters courtesy of the Manly Housekeeper. Method #1 Things you need: 1/2 cup Baking Soda A Large Pot (big enough for your aluminum filters to fit in) Water Fill the large pot with enough water to completely submerge the aluminum filters. Bring the water to a boil. Add the baking soda to the boiling water slowly to avoid the liquid foaming up excessively. Place the filters inside the boiling water for five minutes. Empty the water (not down your sink though because that could contribute a clog in the future). Let your filters dry and replace them. Don’t have pot large enough to fit your filters? Have no fear! Here’s a method just for you. Warning: Method #2 requires much more elbow grease then method #1. Method #2 *Things you need: A sink or some sort of basin that holds water and can fit at least half of you range filter. Liquid Dish soap (Dawn Ultra, Ajax Degreaser, Palmolive Oxy Power Degreaser) Non-abrasive brush Water Spray or pour water on your filter (If you have a pull-down or pull-out faucet that’s perfect for this). Starting with the top. pour dish-washing liquid all over your filter. Start scrubbing with your non-abrasive brush (if you’re feeling masochistic use a toothbrush). As you are scrubbing, you should notice a lather building up. If not, then you need more water or more soap. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 for the other side. Let the filter sit for about an hour. Rinse of with hot water and repeat if necessary. Baffle Filters If you have a baffle filter, you’re in luck because most are dishwasher-safe. If you don’t own a dishwasher, a little bit of liquid dish-soap and a bit of gentle scrubbing should be more than adequate. *Note: Some use oven cleaner for cleaning aluminum filters, oven cleaners does corrode aluminum. *Source. Save
