How to clean a kitchen hood: a step-by-step guide

Keep your kitchen in perfect condition. Here is how to clean your kitchen hood and ensure a clean and healthy environment for the whole family.

HOW TO CLEAN A KITCHEN HOOD: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE

Knowing how to clean your kitchen hood is important not only for the maintenance of the hood itself, but also for ensuring a wholesome and hygienic space and for extending the life of the kitchen. As a matter of fact, an efficient extractor hood not only eliminates fumes and smells, but also the water vapour that develops when cooking food and that, unless it is properly removed, would end up settling on and penetrating into the surfaces of wall units, causing cracks and warping.
Cleaning your hood regularly is therefore indispensable for prolonging the duration and efficiency of the whole kitchen. In this article, we will give you some simple but useful tips on how to keep the different internal and externals parts of a hood clean, using the various solutions available, from commercially-available products to natural DIY methods.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO KEEP KITCHEN HOODS CLEAN?

A dirty hood is above all an inefficient hood and the reason why fumes will fill the kitchen making the air unbreathable, especially when cooking on a hotplate or grill.
Smells will also spread around the whole room, impregnating textiles such as tea towels, curtains and tablecloths.
Deposits of grease and oil will also form, which will not only damage surfaces but also create areas of bacterial proliferation.
Lastly, vapours that are not properly removed will cause moisture to infiltrate the doors of wall units causing cracks and warping – especially in wood, laminate or melamine furniture – and lead to the formation of mould on walls and the ceiling.

PREPARING TO CLEAN YOUR HOOD

The first rule to bear in mind when talking about cleaning kitchen hoods is: always use the kitchen hood.
Switch the hood on a few minutes before you start cooking and adjust the power to suit requirements: whereas the lowest setting is sufficient when simply cooking pasta in boiling water, a higher setting must be used when preparing dishes with a high fat content, or that generate a lot of smoke or strong odours. The hood should be left on for a while after you have finished cooking, until all the fumes and odours have been removed from the kitchen.
This will allow the hood to always operate at maximum efficiency, and minimise the dirt and grease that settles on surfaces.
A quick external clean will then be all that is needed to keep it in order from both a hygienic and a functional perspective.
When cleaning your kitchen hood it is advisable to equip yourself with rubber or latex gloves, a microfibre cloth or kitchen roll, a soft sponge and neutral cleaning products. In some cases, as we will see, natural DIY solutions can also be used.
There are three main steps to cleaning a kitchen hood:

Routine clean (external surfaces)
Deep clean (filters)
Non-routine cleaning (internal parts).

We will now take a closer look at how to tackle each step.

CLEANING THE OUTSIDE OF THE HOOD

The outer parts of the hood should be cleaned with the same frequency with which you clean the rest of the kitchen, so at least weekly.
The methods used can vary according to the material of which the external surface of the hood is made. In most cases it is stainless steel, but we will also look at how to clean surfaces made of tempered glass and other materials such as wood, laminate and melamine.

Stainless steel or aluminium hoods
First of all, remove dust and simple dirt residues using a microfibre cloth wetted with water and a neutral cleaning product. Any grease deposits can be removed using a degreaser or a vinegar and bicarbonate of soda solution. Abrasive sponges, highly acidic products and products containing chlorine are to be avoided at all costs.
To prevent the formation of marks, dry steel surfaces well with a soft cloth after cleaning.
Tempered glass hoods
Also for tempered glass hoods, light dirt can be removed using a microfibre cloth wetted with water and neutral soap. Specialist products are available for more stubborn dirt. If you prefer a more environmentally-friendly method, a solution consisting in a litre of water, a tablespoon of vinegar and a tablespoon of filtered lemon juice can be effective. Spray the solution over the surface of the hood using a spray bottle, then remove the residues with a soft cloth before drying it well with another soft cloth.
Wood, laminate and melamine hoods
Recessed, under-cabinet or pull-out hoods can be covered with panels of the same material as the rest of the kitchen, such as wood or, more often, laminate or melamine. In these cases, it is best to use specific products or, alternatively, a solution consisting in half a glass (about 100-125 mL) of hot water, five drops of washing-up liquid and a glass of white wine vinegar. Wipe the solution over the surface with a microfibre cloth, rinse and dry well.

HOW TO CLEAN HOOD FILTERS

There are two main types of kitchen hood:

ducted hoods
filtering hoods

Ducted hoods, which are connected to a flue that conveys the fumes to the exterior, are usually fitted with stainless steel or aluminium grease filters with a honeycomb structure that can be easily removed and washed by hand using a solution of hot water and washing-up liquid. For more thorough cleaning, they can be soaked in boiling water and bicarbonate or washed directly in the dishwasher.

Filtering hoods, which are not connected to a flue, recirculate the air in the environment once it has been purified using a synthetic or activated carbon filter. These filters cannot be washed and must be replaced 2-3 times a year. Some special activated carbon filters can be regenerated in the oven or dishwasher, but for these procedures it is necessary to follow the instructions provided by the specific manufacturer.

Although they are not yet widespread, a new type of filtering hood with Plasma technology has been available for a few years now. This special type of filter not only removes fumes and odours but also purifies the air of viruses and bacteria and can be used for years without requiring replacement or maintenance. For further information on these hoods, which are available for certain models in the Gentili Cucine range, consult the manufacturer’s website Galvamet.it.

CLEANING THE INSIDE OF THE HOOD

The internal parts of kitchen hoods should be cleaned at least every 2-3 months. For safety reasons, it is advisable to disconnect the hood from the mains and wear protective gloves, because some of the metal parts inside the hood could be sharp. If this operation is carried out regularly, it will be sufficient to use a soft cloth wetted with lukewarm water. Specific commercially-available products can be used for particularly stubborn residues, taking care to rinse and dry all parts thoroughly afterwards.
In the most difficult cases, it may be necessary to dismantle the entire cover and soak it in a basin of hot water and vinegar. After about twenty minutes, rub all parts of the cover with a wet sponge, rinse under running water, then dry carefully and reassemble.
The same procedure can be used for the suction fan.
Once all the parts have been dried and reassembled, reconnect to the mains and check the hood is working properly.

Many ducted hoods to be paired with induction hobs are fitted with a No-Drop or anti-condensation device. In this case there will be a condensate collection tray, which must be emptied regularly in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

CLEANING HOODS INTEGRATED INTO THE HOB

Hoods integrated into the hob are increasingly widespread and although they have the same functions as traditional hoods, they are characterised by a number of special parts.
In addition to the grease and anti-odour filters, which can be washed in the same way as for the other hoods, they might have a noise-reduction filter, which must be replaced periodically.
Then there is a tray for collecting the liquids and residues that can penetrate into the hood. Having checked that the hob and hood are completely cool, remove the tray, wash it with running water and washing-up liquid, dry it and replace it in its housing.

Hoods are essential for ensuring hygiene and well-being not only in the kitchen but throughout the home. This is why it is important to know how to clean kitchen hoods, be they filtering or ducted, recessed or exposed.
Inadequate maintenance will considerably shorten the lifecycle of the hood, with consequent financial costs for technical assistance or replacement in order to restore effective operation.
The frequency of cleaning and maintenance operations obviously depends the intensity with which the hood is used, remembering that it must be used regularly, every time food is cooked on the hob, in the oven, or using other appliances such as fryers, air fryers, steamers, and the like.
Following our advice will ensure the hood and other parts of the kitchen a long service life.

Gentili Cucine collections feature hoods manufactured by the industry’s leading brands, both recessed (inside wall units or integrated into the hob) and exposed models, with various design solutions to make them suitable for all architectural styles, from classic to contemporary. For further information, please contact our consultants.

HOW TO CLEAN A KITCHEN HOOD: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE FOR A FLAWLESS RESULT