How to clean and maintain your kitchen hood

Your kitchen hood is an essential part of your kitchen setup that is, unfortunately, often overlooked when it comes to care and maintenance. But since your kitchen hood is doing such an excellent job at keeping your air clean, it’s time to return the favour. Here are Electrolux’s tips for cleaning your kitchen hood.

Whether you’ve just never done it since you bought the appliance or you’re seeing some buildup of grime and grease – it’s time to clean your kitchen hood! While the prospect may seem daunting if you’ve never done it before, the process is actually quite simple, and we’re here to guide you through it.

Here’s what you’re going to need:

Rubber cleaning gloves
A sponge and a few cleaning cloths (wet and dry)
Dishwashing liquid
Surface-specific cleaning product (e.g. stainless steel cleaner)

How to clean your kitchen hood filter

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The part of your kitchen hood that is doing most of the heavy lifting in keeping your air fresh and preventing grease from coating kitchen surfaces is the filter. Follow these easy steps to clean it.

1. Find out if your kitchen hood has a washable filter

If your kitchen hood is a recirculation hood, the air goes through paper and/or charcoal filters within the appliance before being recirculated into the kitchen. With these devices, you usually can’t wash the filters; you need to replace the filters regularly in order to keep the filtering performance high. Paper filters can be bought in supermarkets or specialised shops and must be cut to size.

Extractor hoods that send the greasy air outside of your house usually use a metal filter that can be removed in order to clean it.

2. Remove and clean the filter

Check your appliance manual to find out how to open the kitchen hood and remove the filter safely. Then, let it soak in the sink for a while. Many people wonder: Can I use dishwashing liquid to clean my kitchen hood filter? The answer is yes, and it’s actually a pretty good idea. Clean your filter with a sponge/toothbrush and dishwashing liquid, which will help get rid of the grease.

Use vinegar and baking soda if the grease is especially sticky or hard to remove. If you have a modern Electrolux kitchen hood, you may be in luck, since the metal filters are dishwasher-safe. But always check your manual first to find out if that is the case for your kitchen hood.

3. Replace the filter

Wait until the clean filter is dry, then replace it inside the kitchen hood, following the instructions in your user manual.

>>> Read more: Kitchen hood buying guide

How to clean the exterior surface of your kitchen hood

With prolonged use, the outside of your kitchen hood will inevitably get dirty with grease buildup. Here’s how to clean the exterior surface of your kitchen hood.

1. Choose the right cleaning product

Here, it’s best to use a surface cleaning product that is designed to deal with the specific surface of your kitchen hood. That means if your kitchen hood’s surface is made of stainless steel, always use a stainless steel cleaner.

2. Let the cleaning product do its work

Follow the cleaning product’s instructions for use and apply with a soft sponge or a cleaning cloth. Depending on how dirty it is, you may need to let the product work for a few minutes before you start scrubbing.

3. Be careful not to scratch the kitchen hood surface

For sticky dirt or corners, this is where a soft toothbrush comes in handy. It lets you get rid of any residue without scratching the surface, as the rough side of a sponge might.

4. Clean the light cover

Don’t forget to also clean the light cover in your kitchen hood. In most models, it can be removed for cleaning. Just like the filter, soak it in water with dishwashing liquid and scrub off any grease with a soft sponge.

5. Dry off the kitchen hood surface

Once you’ve removed all dirt from the surface, wipe it off with a dry cloth to prevent water stains on the shiny surface.

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How often should you clean your kitchen hood?

When it comes to maintaining a well-functioning kitchen hood, the golden rule is to clean it regularly. This prevents greasy and sticky buildup that is hard to remove and severely affects your fan’s performance. If you clean the kitchen hood and its components regularly, the accumulated dirt will be much easier to remove, making the cleaning process a matter of minutes.

We recommend that you clean the kitchen hood filter once a month if you cook regularly. Simply clean it in the sink with some dishwashing liquid or, if it’s dishwasher-proof, put it in the dishwasher. This is also a good opportunity to wipe down the fan blades and cover. As for the surface of your kitchen hood, clean it whenever you’re cleaning other surfaces in the kitchen, especially after cooking particularly greasy meals. This will keep the surface shiny.

Check out Electrolux's cleaning services for your cooker hood:

Make cleaning your kitchen hood part of your cleaning routine

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Your kitchen hood works hard to keep the atmosphere in your kitchen clean, so make sure not to neglect cleaning your kitchen hood. It’s an essential part of cleaning your home, just like vacuuming or doing the dishes. And with a kitchen hood from Electrolux that’s easy to clean thanks to its dishwasher-safe filter, cleaning is a breeze, and your cooking experience will reach new heights.

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