Club Benefits
Cleaning my range hood filters is a job I put off constantly because it feels time-consuming and tricky. But it's also something that needs to be done. Over time, grease buildup can cause odors, reduce the efficiency of the hood, and even cause a fire hazard.
Whether you can notice the grease or not, it's undoubtedly there, and it'll just keep getting worse. Fortunately, I've just discovered a method that takes minutes and is super easy to follow. Here are the simple steps that'll clean up your range hood filters in no time at all with minimal fuss.
What you'll need
- Boiling water
- Non-abrasive scrubbing brush
- Baking soda
- Dish soap that degreases
- Paper towels
1. Remove the filters
While you might be guilty of never removing the filters from your range hood before, it's actually pretty simple. Most of the time, they'll pop out or slide off on the underside with a tab, metal clips, or something similar that'll be quite obvious to find.
Make sure the fan and any lights are fully turned off before you try to do this, though.
2. Fill sink with boiling water
Boiling water is a very effective way of tackling grease, so fill your sink with some freshly boiled water from the kettle until it's deep enough to fully submerge your range hood filters.
If you don't have a kettle, try and make the hot water tap as hot as possible and that should also do the trick (just maybe not as well as boiling).
3. Add baking soda and dish soap
Boiling water is great, but to ensure an even more effective clean against the grease buildup on your filters, add in 1/4 cup of baking soda and a generous squirt of the dish soap.
When we mention using dish soap that's good at degreasing, that applies to brands like Dawn or Palmolive. Mix it up with a brush, though, as the water will be too hot to touch with your hand.
4. Place filters in sink and leave to soak
Lay the filters into the sink, making sure that every part of them are submerged in the water. If it's too shallow, you won't tackle the grease on the parts outside of your cleaning solution so add extra water if you need to.
Leave them to soak for around 10 minutes.
5. Scrub the filters
The water should've cooled down enough for you to lift the filters out of the water and give them a good scrub to remove any caked on grease.
Use a non-abrasive brush so that you're not scratching your filters and add some extra dish soap, if needed.
6. Rinse and dry the filters
Finally, it's time to rinse off the filters with some hot water and dry them thoroughly with some paper towel. Then, they're ready to pop back into your range hood and enjoy freshly cleaned range hood filters.
It'll be worth repeating these steps every few months to prevent grease buildup.
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