Auf Dunstabzugshauben sammeln sich gerne Fett, Schmutz und Dreck an. This is a rule imposed by Mother Nature. There is no way to prevent your extractor hood from getting a little greasy over time as it is located directly above your stove and its main function is to capture the smoke or steam produced by cooking food. However, the accumulation of a thick layer of oil, which reduces the efficiency of the hood and also makes it unclean, can be prevented. Find out how to degrease your extractor hood here!
Degreasing sticky cooker hood – tips
If you put off cleaning your cooker hood and filter for a long period of time, the kitchen appliance will become less efficient and you should put in more effort to get it clean.
It is important to regularly clean the cooker hood to keep the filtration system in your kitchen in tip-top shape – cleaning the appliance’s internal components, such as the filter, is an essential part of this process.
Cleaning the hood: how often?
You should clean your range hood and all of its components once a month, but if you don’t cook very often, you can reduce that frequency to once every three months.
The very fine-meshed grates on the bottom of the extractor hood serve as filters. They prevent the cooker hood from becoming clogged with cooking fat, which would require more laborious and expensive cleaning. This is achieved by preventing the fat from getting into the ventilation openings in the first place.
Cleaning the filters of your kitchen appliance can be done with a simple method. Here you will find 2 methods.
- The first thing you should do is carefully remove the filters.
- Fill your kitchen sink or large bucket with hot water and add some baking soda and dish soap.
- Place the filters in the hot water and let them soak in the solution for 10-20 minutes.
- After soaking, gently clean them with a brush (be careful not to use a brush that is too hard to avoid damaging the filters), rinsing until all grease deposits are removed. If necessary, apply a little dish soap to the bristles of the brush while scrubbing.
- Thoroughly wash the filters and allow them to air dry completely or pat dry with a paper towel or clean cloth.
- Put the filters back in place in the cooker hood.
Clean filters in the dishwasher
- Take out the filters with extreme care.
- Place the filters in the dishwasher and start the program at the highest possible temperature.
- If the filters are still clogged with grease, you should repeat the procedure to clear the clog.
- If the filters are still clogged after several washes, you should consider buying new filters.
Get the outside of the cooker hood clean
The outside of your appliance is also subject to a lot of wear and tear, be it smoke, aromas from cooking or dirt from the hob. Unfortunately, this is where you most often find debris and stains. The range hood is often coated with grease or dirt after cooking all those nice family meals. Use a natural detergent made from dish soap and water to clean the outside, which is said to further aid in the degreasing process. Just fill a spray bottle with warm water and a few drops of dish soap. For best results, you should always use a microfiber cloth and work with the grain of the stainless steel. Scratches on the surface are possible if you make circular movements.
What if cleaning the device with soap and water is not enough? Then make a cleaning paste out of baking soda (or baking soda) and water. Mix baking soda with boiling water and clean the hood with this solution and a sponge. Use a microfiber cloth to wipe away the oil and dust that has come loose. Wipe the surface thoroughly with a soft cloth or allow to air dry before optionally applying a coat of stainless steel polish (if your device is stainless steel) for an extra shine. You only need a small amount of baby oil.
Degrease the inside of the extractor hood
To clean the space under the hood, use a damp cloth to wipe the area where the filters are stored and the edges of the area that will be spattered with oily residue after cooking.
Tip: Baking soda can be used to loosen grease that’s stuck to a surface. So if you want a better result, apply a baking soda paste to the appropriate areas, leave for half an hour and your hood will shine like new.