How to clean the cooker hood from fat at home?

The modern kitchen contains many different appliances and gadgets that make it easier to carry out daily tasks on it. The category of such devices should include a kitchen hood, which is more susceptible to contamination due to the specifics of its location and functional tasks.

It is no secret that proper and timely maintenance of devices increases their service life. To avoid damage to the hood, you need to know how to effectively wash it from grease and other contaminants. The main pests for the device, by the nature of its tasks, located above the kitchen stove, are food particles that fall on its surface and penetrate into the constituent elements.

Most of the deposits, of course, accumulate on tiles, furniture facades, the slab itself, as for the hood, in this case the grille suffers the most. Contamination negatively affects not only its appearance, but also reduces performance, as a result, the device cannot cope with the intake of extraneous odors that freely spread throughout the living room.

Due to its functional tasks, the hood accumulates a lot of vapors and fats, which subsequently form whole layers of dirt, framing the base of the device and its parts. This is due to the fact that, under the influence of high temperatures, all the substances emitted from the dishes prepared on the stove settle on the grid and turn into a rather strong crust. Therefore, regular filter cleaning is an absolute must for such ventilation systems.

In most models of cooker hoods, all parts need to be cleaned., however, to know for sure, you should read the instructions for the device. Some elements can be easily removed, and they can be processed with any formulations, while other parts cannot be disassembled, since there is a risk of damaging the device. In addition, you should carefully consider the type of material from which certain parts are made, since not all means will be compatible with it. If you do not take timely measures, the hood with accumulated fat will turn into a real problem, since it will be very problematic to clean its parts without damaging their bases.

The hood must be disassembled before proceeding with the removal of fat from the hood. Preparing the device for cleaning involves disassembling it; this may require special tools. All contaminated parts that can be disassembled are removed, if they are fixed with bolts, then the fasteners are unscrewed and folded in one place so that you do not have to look for them later.

The preparatory work includes the following steps, which may differ slightly depending on the model and configuration of the device.

• First of all, the hood must be disconnected from the power supply.
• Next, you need to disassemble the device as much as possible so that it is convenient to clean the fat.
• If the device has disposable filters, they are removed for subsequent replacement with new ones. It is worth worrying about the purchase of components in advance.
• In models where the dismantling of the duct is provided, it must be removed, if this is not possible, you will need to start cleaning the accessible part of it.
• Then you can start cleaning the bases inside and out.
• The grill requires more attention; it can be pre-soaked in some kind of agent in the bathroom or washed in the kitchen in the sink. It all depends on the size of the mesh and the degree of plaque formed.
• After processing, the removable parts must be reinstalled in their original places. If there are filters in the model, install new ones.
• Plug in the hood.

Since today there are a lot of methods for cleaning a kitchen hood, it is worth dwelling in detail on the most effective ones that allow you to cope with this task at home. The main thing, when starting work, is not to forget about individual protection methods. For these purposes, it is worth wearing gloves on your hands to avoid the risk of allergic reactions on the skin or injury through negligence.

Among the list of options for cleaning hoods in the kitchen, it is worth highlighting such technology as steam cleaning. This method allows you to put in order the internal and external parts of the device using a steam generator. It functions without the use of any aggressive chemical compounds, so that almost all substrates can be cleaned without exception.

In addition to removing dirt and grease, steam has disinfecting properties, since the work is carried out at a high temperature, at which germs and microorganisms die. On average, this figure is + 150 ° C. It only takes a few minutes to clean the appliance, and there is no need to inhale the unsafe fumes generated by aggressive detergents.

Among the disadvantages of this method is the cost of the steam unit. However, the device, as a rule, has various attachments in its configuration, which will help to disinfect and process not only kitchen appliances, but also work with it in the bathroom.As a result of simple calculations, you can make sure that the cost of the steam generator will pay off quickly enough, since it saves on the purchase of cleaning products, which are usually bought for cleaning, in addition, you should not worry about the possibility of allergic reactions to powders and gels, which is important in families where there are small children.

Among the most popular formulations, the products described below should be highlighted.

• Dishwashing detergents. To put in order the hood with such compounds, the grate is pre-soaked in a solution, rubbed with a brush or an abrasive sponge, after which it is doused with hot water and installed back into the device. However, the effectiveness of the method largely depends on how ingrained the pollution will be. Liquid dish detergents will only help if the fat is not too old.
• Whiteness is an old and proven remedy for fighting grease and dirt. The method of application of the product consists in treating all bases of the device with the composition using an old toothbrush. After that, it is necessary to allow the agent to activate its properties, leaving the hood for 15-20 minutes with the applied composition. After the time has elapsed, wash off the dirt with plenty of water and wipe dry.

• Some housewives try to clean the hood with formic acid compounds. In this case, care should be taken to ensure that the product does not come into contact with the skin.
• Various products used for downpipe cleaning. It comes in powder or gel form. The method is quite aggressive, therefore, it is worth resorting to the use of just such products only in extreme cases. In addition, an aluminum hood is likely to withstand such processing no more than twice. The principle of working with the compositions is as follows: all removable structural elements are soaked in any medium for half an hour, after which the parts that remain dirty must be rubbed with an abrasive sponge, rinsed with water, and, after wiping dry, put back into the hood. Dilution instructions are usually found on the product packaging. Pipe cleaning agents should be used with care, as they generally contain alkali, which, when in contact with some materials, in particular metals, can cause them to deteriorate and subsequently corrode.

• On the shelves of supermarkets, you can find quite a lot of highly specialized products that are recommended specifically for working with hoods in the kitchen. These include the compositions of such brands as Sanita, Cilit Bang and other similar products. They contain aggressive substances that perfectly remove even the most ingrained fat, but are unsafe for health. Therefore, use them for washing only with gloves and a mask in a well-ventilated area.
• As for the stainless steel hood, not all cleaning compounds are suitable for this material. For such surfaces, do not use abrasive products, including salt, as this will provoke the formation of rust. It is best to wash a stainless steel hood with gentle means, including folk ones. For example, you can prepare a soap solution for work, clean it with vinegar, etc.

Handy tools that will no less effectively help in the fight for the cleanliness of the hood can be found in any home. Of course, processing with such formulations may take more time and effort, but their use will definitely save money, in addition, they do not contain harmful chemicals.

Among the variety of cleaning methods, the following options can be distinguished, described below.

• Baking soda has long been known as a folk remedy for combating household pollution, especially for kitchen utensils and appliances located in this room. To use it for cleaning, you will need a large container in which the treatment agent will be prepared. The cooking technology is as follows: in the largest saucepan or bucket, ordinary water must be brought to a boil, about 250 grams of soda is added to it. After its dissolution, a mesh from the hood is lowered into the composition, which must be boiled for half an hour. To remove soot, you do not need to exert any effort and rub the grate, the dirt will go away by itself. After boiling, rinse the grate with water and, after wiping dry, install it in the hood.

• Vinegar is an acid, and it tends to dissolve fats. But, in addition to this feature, vinegar can harm the skin, as well as burn the nasal mucosa. Therefore, work with vinegar should be carried out with gloves and a mask. The process of cleaning the parts of the ventilation device consists in treating the removable parts with acid, after 15-20 minutes the fat will completely dissolve, and the most stuck residues on the elements can be additionally removed with a kitchen sponge. After that, the grate or any other part should be rinsed with water and allowed to dry.
• Another type of acid that is used to remove dirt is citric acid. It can be used in powder form or you can take the juice of a fresh lemon. Fresh fruit is cut and rubbed on the contaminated areas. Citric acid in the form of granules requires preliminary dissolution in water. The parts are treated with the resulting solution, left for some time to form a reaction, after which they are rinsed with water and installed in the hood.

• Laundry soap can be used to remove grease. They can work in two ways: in the first case, you need to dissolve a bar of soap in warm water and immerse the dirty parts there; another way of cleaning is the option when the bar of soap is rubbed against the grate itself. After that, water is poured into a baking sheet from the oven, the mesh is immersed there and sent to the preheated oven. The boiling process will take about 30 minutes. After that, the parts must be rinsed with water.
• A remedy such as ammonia has a rather unpleasant odor, however, as practice shows, it perfectly cleans grease traps from kitchen hoods. You need to work with it in a well-ventilated area in a respirator. A solution based on ammonia is prepared according to the following recipe: 100-150 ml should be diluted in 3-4 liters of warm water. Parts are immersed in the resulting composition for 2-3 hours, after which they are rinsed and wiped dry.

The outer surface of the cooker hood must be regularly cleaned of accumulated dirt. To do this, any selected agent is applied to the base, which must be given some time to fight scale and grease. After dissolution of contaminants, the composition, together with dirt inclusions, is removed from the surface using a damp cloth or sponge.

In addition to the means for cleaning fat that require effort, today there are options that allow you to deal with dirt with minimal labor on the part of the hostess. These include dishwashers. This option is ideal for gratings that are made of stainless steel. To clean the parts, you need to place them in a device with a detergent composition, turn on the machine. Then get clean and disinfected items.

The question of how often the hood should be cleaned in the kitchen will depend on many factors, so it is rather difficult to single out a consensus on this matter. In this case, it all depends on the frequency of cooking, the accuracy of the hostess, the availability of free time, etc.

On average, general cleaning is desirable once every three months. If there are removable filters in the device, they should be changed once a month, and the outer walls should be wiped from dust and grease once a week.

Regularly cleaning your hood will provide clean air and help reduce the risk of fire hazards in your kitchen. As melted fat can drip onto the hob from too dirty grates during cooking, which could lead to a fire.

On the external panel of the device in most models there are control buttons. These spots also collect dirt, grease and other impurities. Removing them can be difficult at times. It is best to use a damp cloth, treated with a mild detergent composition, to treat buttons. After cleaning, the panel must be wiped dry.

Appliances equipped with reusable carbon filters can generally last one to three years. Such devices in the kitchen operate in a recirculation mode. The filters are cleaned using a dishwasher, after which they must be dried in the oven.

For information on how to clean a cooker hood at home, see the next video.