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Our kitchen range hoods are designed to capture and disperse smoke, grease, and food odours that may be created when cooking or preparing food. As range hoods are tasked with removing these pollutants, it’s easy for them to fill with debris themselves. If left unchecked, a dirty range hood can greatly affect the air quality in your home. This is especially important during end of lease cleaning, where a neglected range hood could lead to cleaning penalties or impact your bond refund. Ensuring your range hood is thoroughly cleaned is a key part of meeting final inspection standards.
So how can you make sure your range hood stays free from debris and can perform optimally? The key lies in regular range hood cleaning and maintenance. Today, we’ll be sharing our top methods for staying on top of your range hood cleaning and maintenance, ensuring cleaner, healthier air in your home.
First, Is your Range Hood Faulty?
Most of the time, a range hood isn’t improving air quality because it requires a deep clean. But in some cases, your range hood itself might actually be faulty. If you suspect that your range hood is faulty (aka, it’s showing quirks or not working as intended, even after a thorough clean), then it may need to be replaced outright.
Keep in mind: you should always enlist a residential electrician for range hood replacements as well as other fixed appliance replacement tasks. DIY electrical work can be fatal, so book a qualified and licensed sparky if your range hood needs replacement.
Establish a Cleaning Routine for your range hood
For tenants, you may opt to integrate range hood cleaning as part of your preparation for routine property inspections every six months. This helps ensure you won’t forget to clear your range hood in your end of lease clean, as range hoods and ovens are amongst some of the most commonly overlooked high traffic areas that are missed during final cleans and run-throughs of rental properties.
For homeowners, the frequency of your range hood cleaning may depend on how often you cook on the cooktop and the type of food you prepare. If you find yourself frying and grilling meat often, generating a lot of grease and airborne particles, then cleaning every two to four weeks is best. If your cooking is more occasional, and you use the microwave or oven more, or you cook using not much oil, you might get away with cleaning the range hood once every couple of months – which is also the recommended routine for oven cleaning.
How to Clean your Range Hood: Step by Step
Step 1: Switch off your Range Hood at your Fuse Box
Always ensure your range hood unit is turned off and unplugged before attempting any internal cleaning. If your range hood connects to your mains power, switch this off at your fuse box before cleaning.
This preliminary step is essential for reducing risks of electrical shock or other electrical safety risks when handling motorised elements in your rangehood, or when applying liquid or chemical cleaners to the appliance itself.
Step 2: Start with Wiping Down Surfaces
To begin your clean, simply wipe all surfaces to remove external smudges and stains. Stainless steel surfaces on your range hood should be wiped down regularly with a damp cloth and a mild detergent or a specialised stainless steel cleaning product to prevent grease build-up over time and maintain the finish of your range hood.
Step 3: Clean your Filters
The most essential part of range hood maintenance is ensuring that you clean the filters. Most modern range hoods come fitted with either a metal mesh or what is called a baffle filter, both of which are reusable and should be removed and washed periodically. They will have an attachment allowing for easy removal and cleaning.
These filters should be soaked in hot, soapy water or even placed in your dishwasher if the manufacturer allows, which is worth checking the user’s manual for. It’s important to let the filter dry completely before reinserting it in order to prevent moisture from entering the electrical components and causing faults or hazards.
Note: if your range hood uses charcoal filters instead, these cannot be cleaned and should be replaced every three to six months with spares, depending on your usage.
Step 4: Carefully Clean your Interior Components
Next comes the interior cavity of your range hood, including the fan and motor area. This cavity can also accumulate grease over time and should be cleaned with care and special attention to avoid damage to delicate elements like your motor.
While you should always follow the manufacturer’s guidelines and the user manual when accessing internal parts, in general, using a non-abrasive cloth and a special degreasing cleaner can help remove residue easily.
Special Consideration for Ducted Range Hoods
Ducted range hoods, which vent air outside, require additional attention to the ducting. Over time, grease can build up in the ducts, which may reduce airflow and pose a fire risk. It is advisable to have ductwork professionally inspected and cleaned every couple of years, especially in homes with heavy cooking habits.
Here, keep an eye and ear out for reduced suction, strange noises, flickering lights or any lingering cooking smells, as these may be signs that a professional service is needed for your ducted range hoods. Many range hood manufacturers recommend an annual professional service in order to check the motor, fans, and electronics are all working correctly.
Keep your Range Hood Clean & in Great Working Order
Keeping your range hood clean and working properly is essential for ensuring that it continues to function effectively and safely in your kitchen. Over time, things like grease, smoke, and airborne particles generated from your cooking will accumulate within the filters, ducts, and surfaces of the range hood. This leads to reduced performance, unpleasant odours in your kitchen, and even potential fire hazards from grease, which is highly flammable if left unattended.
Fortunately, with regular care and attention, you can keep your range hood in pristine condition, extending its lifespan and ensuring a cleaner, healthier cooking environment for you and your family.
By establishing good cleaning habits and performing regular maintenance, your range hood will continue to perform efficiently for years to come. Not only will this help to remove smoke, odours, and airborne grease, but it will also help to keep your kitchen clean and your family healthy.
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