Cleaning the oven's extractor hood: a simple and effective method for perfect results
Positioned just above the oven, the extractor hood picks up a lot of dirt and grime given off by cooking over time.
Cleaning the hood is important to keep it working efficiently and this should be done once a month where the oven is used daily (or once every three months if you cook less frequently).
Below, we describe a simple and effective method to clean your oven's extractor hood in just a few steps:
Cleaning the hood housing
To clean the extractor hood properly, you must first unplug it or turn off the mains.
Then, remove the filters so that you can clean them separately. Put the filters aside and you can start cleaning the housing of the hood:
- The external part of the hood (the housing) is the easiest area to clean because it is easy to reach. To clean this, use a detergent that can dissolve grease. You can easily make a detergent for this by diluting a spoonful of dishwashing liquid in a bottle of warm water. Spray this mixture on the outside of the housing and leave it on to act for a few minutes to facilitate the removal of built-up grease and dirt;
- Wipe down the housing carefully with a soft, clean cloth and hot water, which will further help to soften the dirt and make it easier to remove. If your hood is made of stainless steel, be sure to follow the grain of the steel as you're wiping it down, to avoid scratching it and leaving streaks;
- Finish this cleaning by drying the housing off with a clean, lint-free microfibre cloth.
The inside of the housing must also be cleaned before you move on to clean the filters:
- Wipe down the inside of the housing with a cloth dampened in a solution of warm water and neutral soap;
- To remove particularly stubborn dirt, use the same procedure described above, ie. use a grease-dissolving spray detergent and leave this on for a few minutes to act before removing with a cloth dampened with warm water;
- Dry off and remove any dirt residue with a dry, clean, lint-free microfibre cloth.
Cleaning the hood's filters
Now that the housing of your extractor hood is clean, you can get to cleaning the filters:
- Soak the filters in a container of hot water and grease-dissolving detergent (dishwashing liquid will work fine), and leave them to soak for at least an hour to dissolve away as much dirt as possible;
- Scrub the filters with a brush or an old toothbrush to remove more stubborn dirt, then rinse off;
- If possible, rinse off the filters using a high-power jet of water from a pressure washer - this will help you remove any remaining hard-to-remove dirt and grime;
- Dry off the filters with a lint-free cloth and then put them back into the housing.
If your extractor hood is equipped with air recirculation system, it will be necessary to periodically take care of the maintenance of the activated carbon filter to prevent unpleasant odors developing. To this end, you can do the following:
- Replace the filter every 10-12 weeks;
- Restore the filter: this can be done if it's permitted in the manufacturer's instructions. Place the filter in your dishwasher on a wash cycle without any detergents and set to a maximum of 70 degrees C. Once washed, rinse off under hot water, then dry the filter by placing it in the oven set to 70 degrees C for at least 2 hours (some filters can instead be restored by being placed in an oven set at 230 degrees C for about an hour - check the manufacturer's instructions).
Thanks to this simple procedure, your extractor hood will always be clean and work perfectly!
