You’re Probably Not Cleaning Your Range Hood Nearly Often Enough

I’ll openly admit to being an emotional cleaner – when the world feels out of control, a round of floor-scrubbing, dusting, vacuuming, and fridge-purging helps quiet my mind and bring me to a more peaceful place.

It was with that goal that I launched a hardcore deep clean of my kitchen last weekend. Once the major appliances were shining and the floor was perfectly polished, I hopped on a ladder to wipe down my cabinet tops, and I caught a glance of the range hood over my stove. As far as what I saw there, grease was the word. Dusty, discolored, generally disgusting.

This led me to wonder: have I ever actually cleaned my range hood? I realized that the answer might be no, and I started to wonder whether I’ve been making a grave safety error all this time.

I turned to a group of food scientists and cleaning experts, and they shared exactly what a range hood does, why it needs to be cleaned, how often it needs to be cleaned, and what can happen if you pull a “me” and never clean your hood.

First, it’s important to establish what exactly a range hood is designed to accomplish. These devices exist to improve air quality and make your kitchen a more comfortable space while you’re cooking, and they do that by drawing in moisture, smoke and grease and then filtering it out. But that dark smoke and oil need to go somewhere, and a lot of it becomes trapped in and around the range hood.

“Cleaning your range hood is important because when you cook, the water in foods instantly vaporizes upon hitting hot surfaces, and when oil is present, these ‘micro-explosions’ of water also carry small amounts of oil with it, like debris,” explained food scientist, author and consultant Bryan Quoc Le. When the range fan is running, “these oil particles are scattered around the kitchen and get sucked into [the fan],” Quoc Le explained, adding that it can result in “thick films of oil on the surface [that] also clog the filters.”

If you (like me) are a range hood cleaning delinquent, what potential risks are you causing and/or worsening? All of our experts agreed that the single biggest hazard presented by dirty range hoods involves grease fires, “since the layer of grease that is above the flame, and also likely on the walls, can catch fire,” said Quoc Le.

We mentioned before that range hoods and hood fans primarily function to filter dirt and moisture out of the air, but if you never clean said hoods, Sabrina Tretyakova, an ISSA-certified cleaning expert with Fortador Steam Cleaners USA, said that “grease and grime blocks the filters in the range hood, so clean and pure air does not circulate properly in the kitchen.” That can result in “an exacerbation of respiratory issues.”

There’s also the fact that the greasy film that forms on an unclean hood “can drip from above [onto your food] and become a food safety hazard. It’s old, rancid, dirty oil with countless microbes in it” that can carry food-borne illnesses. The moisture filtered from the air and trapped in the filters may also “create an environment for bacteria and mold to grow,” said Muffetta Krueger, founder of Muffetta Domestic Assistants in New York.

As if all of this wasn’t reason enough to break out your degreasing spray, consider that “food residue buildup [in the hood] can attract pests like cockroaches and rodents.”

As I regrettably learned during that fateful cleaning day in my kitchen, waiting years between cleaning your range hood leaves you with a sticky and very stubborn situation. Oil and grease build up more quickly than you may suspect, which is why Quoc Le recommends that “the range hood should be cleaned about once a month or at least every few months, depending on how often you cook. It’s easier to clean small messes frequently than to wait until it becomes a large, tedious mess.”

Tretyakova points out that regular range hood cleaning will improve efficiency. “A clogged or dirty range hood takes more time and effort to provide proper ventilation.” She also told us that “regular cleaning prevents wear-and-tear and extends the range hood’s lifespan.”

So what’s the most effective way to tidy up your range hood? Quoc Le says that, for quick wipe-downs, “a mild spray degreaser is the best cleaning agent for range hoods.”

Krueger said you should wipe the exterior of the hood with “a microfiber cloth and a mild degreaser,” then “wipe the inside of the hood with a damp cloth and a degreasing solution or a mixture of vinegar and water. Be sure to clean any grease that may have accumulated around the fan blades.”

And, of course, Tretyakova urges you to turn off the power before you start any cleaning process, as leaving the power running can lead to “a nasty electric shock.”

Every one to three months, it’s advisable to do a deep clean of the hood, which involves several steps. Krueger advised you first remove the filters and soak them in hot, soapy water with a degreasing agent for at least 15–30 minutes. Then scrub the filters with a non-abrasive brush, rinse them thoroughly, and let them dry before reinstalling. (Note: “If your range hood uses charcoal filters, they cannot be cleaned and should be replaced every three to six months,” Krueger said.)

Next, clean the exterior and interior using the wipe-down process we described previously. Afterwards, “try to clean the fan blades with every cleaning session. They might not be fully accessible, but clean whatever you can. I suggest using a damp cloth and degreaser,” Tretyakova advised.

Finally, “check the ventilation system. If you notice excess grease buildup in the ductwork,” Kreuger said, “consider scheduling a professional cleaning to prevent fire hazards.”