How to wash the hood from fat at home?

A cooker hood is a necessary technique that cleans the air of steam and odors that appear during cooking. Over time, fat and other contaminants accumulate on the hood, which must be washed. It is important to know how to do this correctly, so that the equipment lasts as long as possible, performing its functions.

When you began to notice that the hood in the kitchen began to work worse, and the grease trap was covered with yellow-brown sticky spots, then it was time to start cleaning. To do this, you will need to disassemble the design in order to eliminate pollution from all parts: both outside and inside. Before disassembling the device, It is recommended to study the instructions. Thanks to her, it will be easier to deal with removable parts. Also, the instructions often indicate means that are forbidden to use for this product, so as not to damage it.

Consider the main preparatory steps for cleaning the hood:

• disconnect the device from the mains. This point is important to perform before starting all work in order to protect yourself and keep the device intact;
• remove the grease grids. As a rule, they are fastened with clamps and they simply snap off, but there are models in which it is necessary to remove the bar;
• inspect and, if necessary, change internal filters;

• if there is a duct in the hood, you need to remember that grease and dirt also collect there, so it is recommended to clean the pipe from contamination;
• wash the case and accessible internal parts;
• clean the nets using one of the selected methods described below;
• leave the device to dry completely.

Having prepared the elements of the hood for washing, go to the choice of detergent solutions and the process of cleansing the device from fat. Initially, you need to determine what material the filter is made of. If it is made of polycarbonate or plastic, then the fat is very tightly eaten into the coating. These filters are not washed, but replaced once a quarter.

If the grate is aluminum or consists of steel, then it can be washed from greasy contaminants. This can be done with folk remedies, as well as special chemicals that are sold in the departments of household chemicals.

Which of the means will be more effective is directly related to the degree of contamination of the device.

In order to wash the cooker hood inside from fat at home, there are many methods that do not involve the purchase of expensive chemicals. Sometimes the improvised substances in every home wash the traces of fat more efficiently and safely.

It is possible to wash the grid easily, quickly and without worries using the indicated means:

• acetic acid. It is applied to the grill with a napkin, carefully treating the soiled areas. Leave for half an hour, then dissolve the traces with a hard sponge and then rinse with clean water;

• soda. To do this, you will need roomy dishes. A small amount of liquid is poured into it, put on fire and brought to a boil. Baking soda is added to boiling water (approximately 250 g of soda is added to 10 liters of liquid). Then lower the grate and filter into the pan, make the fire slower and leave it on fire for another 30-40 minutes. Thus, the fat will gradually dissolve. After a while, a filter grate is taken out and washed under room temperature water. The remaining contamination in inaccessible places can be removed with a cotton swab.

• laundry soap. To remove greasy stains, soap chips are added to the pot with boiling water. Then, the details of the device are immersed in the resulting solution and left for approximately 50-60 minutes. After that, they are pulled out of the water and using a stiff brush to wipe off the remains of contaminants;

• lemon. Lemon juice is squeezed onto a napkin and treated with areas coated with greasy plaque. When the fat begins to dissolve, wipe the screen and filter with a damp cloth, then rinse under clean water. If the dirt is not washed off the first time, the procedure should be repeated;
• ammonia. When grease filters are too greasy and none of the above solutions can cope with contaminants, you can try to wash them using a mixture based on ammonia. To do this, boil water in a large enameled bowl. Ammonia is added to the boiling liquid, at the rate of 20 ml per 1 liter of water.

Then the nets are lowered there and left to boil over low heat for at least an hour. If the spots are old, then the time spent by the nets in the solution is increased to two hours. When the filters are cleaned, they are washed with warm water. Then wipe with a dry towel.

When the fat on the hood becomes saturated brown, it means that it is already very frozen. In this situation, another proven method can help - digestion. Carry out this as follows: in a large pot filled with running water, place the contaminated parts of the hood. Water should completely cover the parts.Then this container is put on fire, half the bar of laundry soap (preferably with a fatty acid content of at least 72%) and a couple of tablespoons of soda are added there. The resulting composition is brought to a boil and kept on fire for about 30-40 minutes. If the water begins to evaporate, then it must be refilled so that the hood does not appear above the surface.

If after cleaning the grilles and filters, leave them to dry on their own, then in the future the stains will be eliminated faster.

Cleansers also help to clean fat properly (for example, Domestos, Cilit Beng, Shumanit and others). But the method using chemicals cannot be called the best. After all, the aggressive components that make up the cope well with greasy contaminants, but not in the best way affect the human body. It is not recommended to use them without rubber gloves and a protective mask, and after washing the hood, you will need to carefully ventilate the room.

Any air purifier consists of a grease filter. It is needed to clean the air flow that enters through the device. If such a filter were not installed in the exhaust devices, then an oily stain would instantly form on the inner coating of the equipment, including the electric motor.

Filters are disposable and reusable. The second option, of course, is more convenient in practice. Disposable ones are made from synthetic winterizer and are often mounted in more budget devices. They are thrown away after the appearance of contaminants, since they are not washable.

The metal filter is able to work exactly the same time as your equipment will last. Such a filter is a high-quality, reliable and durable part. These reusable items are convenient and do not require replacement, but only regular cleaning.

This type of filter is made of aluminum, steel or stainless steel. In expensive technology, aluminum elements are additionally processed, thus saving from oxidation. They have several modules. A grease filter made of stainless steel is better than aluminum, because such a product has a long service life. In addition, filters from this material more efficiently cope with air purification.

If a recirculation system is installed that purifies the air in the kitchen and sends it back to the room, then in this case a carbon filter must be used. In these models of devices, it is necessary not only to eliminate fat, but also to rid the air of unpleasant odors.

Install a carbon filter on the back of the grease trap. It consists of an adsorbent.

It is important to consider that during recycling, the throughput functions of the hood are reduced by approximately 25%, and the installation of a coal trap will further reduce them. When the charcoal filter is filled with greasy deposits, the air through it will flow even worse.

Before you clean the aluminum filter, you must immediately wash the hood housing.

You must always remember both the internal and external parts of the body. It is important to choose a washing solution depending on the case material - for metal, plastic and others. The substances in the composition of the product must be gentle, so as not to scratch the outside of the device.

Metal brushes are not recommended, as there is a risk of scratching the case. Therefore, it is better to use a viscose cloth or microfiber cloth for this.

A dishwashing liquid or anti-greasy gel, such as Sanita, is abundantly poured onto it. Then wipe the case and the visible internal elements of the device with this cloth and leave for 10-15 minutes. After time, you can safely start to wipe off the spots, they will easily dissolve.At the end of the procedure, wipe the case over the stove with a dry cloth.

There is another interesting way to wash the appliance - use a steam cleaner. Water is poured into it, plugged into a power outlet, and after that they simply drive it near the hood. On sale you can find types of steam cleaners that are equipped with napkins and various nozzles. With them it is more convenient to clean the hood.

Washing the hood in the bathroom is a little more difficult. To do this, remove the grate and wash it with a soap solution. Then with a broom they sweep away the accumulated garbage.

In order to independently clean a heavily soiled equipment case in the apartment, you can use lemon, soda and vinegar. A few drops of lemon juice are added to the soda, quenched with vinegar, and the contaminated surface area is treated with this mixture.

Wash the outer hood housing recommended once a month. Then the kitchen will be neat, and you can forget about the greasy traces.

Accurate and high-quality cleaning of equipment is the key to its long-term work. The metal grate should be washed at least once a quarter, always focusing on the degree of contamination. If you do not allow the formation of abundant greasy stains, then it will be easy to cope with washing the hood.

Hoods with an air duct, as mentioned earlier, should also not be left without attention to pipe cleaning. Plastic pipes are fairly easy to clean with suitable detergents. Corrugated aluminum models, on the contrary, are difficult to wash, so often the owners replace them with new ones every six months.

In recirculation models, in addition to cleaning the external mesh, it is necessary to replace the internal carbon filter. Since dust, moisture and odors accumulate in it after cooking.

When washing a hood from grease, some tips and tricks:

• during washing and drying the hood, make sure that the appliance is disconnected from the mains. In this case, both the hostess and the device will be protected from electric shock;
• the appliance does not need to be heated. If boiling is present in the selected cleaning method, it is necessary to check the elements for the presence of plastic inserts, because there is a risk of their melting;

• remove greasy contaminants while they are not frozen. Then it will be enough for you to remove them with soapy water. For this reason, it is undesirable to delay cleaning, and when free time appears, wipe the equipment slightly;
• regular maintenance of the cooker hood will save your budget, because then there will be no problems with washing the appliance and, accordingly, you will not have to additionally buy expensive professional tools;
• Another useful tip - before you start the procedure using folk methods, you need to prepare the surface. Carefully remove the top layer of fat using a sharp knife. At the same time, you should be extremely careful not to damage the parts. After such mechanical cleaning, it will be much easier to remove residual contaminants with the selected product.

See how to clean the hood from grease in the next video.