Nowadays, cooker hoods are one of the most basic needs of every kitchen. Cooker hoods, especially those seen as an integral part of built-in kitchen sets, eliminate a number of cooking problems.
This device, which eases our lives by removing unpleasant odors from the environment, may not offer the desired efficiency and work as it should, if it is not cleaned regularly. For this reason, dirt and oil accumulated in the cooker hood should be cleaned at short periods of time. In this article, we have gathered for you the most practical and economical methods that can be applied to cleaning cooker hoods, one of our biggest saviors in the kitchen.
Cleaning the cooker hoods at short periods of time will allow the device to work much more efficiently and last longer. In kitchens where meals are regularly cooked, the cooker hood filter should be cleaned every month. But the frequency of this cleaning can vary depending on the types of dishes cooked in the kitchen. Especially in kitchens where frying and grilling is often done, dirt and oil particles accumulate on the filter’s surface in a much shorter time.
Cooker hood cleaning is a two-steps process: cooker hood surface cleaning and cooker hood filter cleaning. Cooker hood surface cleaning is not much different from the surface cleaning of any white goods. The inner and outer surfaces of the unplugged device are wiped with a non-corrosive chemical and a soft cloth or sponge. You can choose the chemical you will use as a surface cleaner from non-corrosive detergents, degreasers or different natural alternatives. If you have an inox surfaced cooker hood, you can also consider cleaning chemicals for inox surface.
There are 2 types of filters for cooker hoods : Carbon Filters and Metal Filters. Carbon filters are recommended to be replaced every 4 months. Metal filters require a special cleaning and maintenance method. Because the oil and dirt that the cooker hoods are exposed to, during the operation process, accumulate especially on the metal filters. Metal filter cleaning, which is assumed to be laborious and therefore neglected, can actually be performed by very practical methods.
All methods that can be applied for cleaning the metal filter start with removing the filter by separating it from the device. By examining the device’s user manual, you can find out the filter properties, location, and how to dismantle it. Removing filters as specified in the instructions will allow you to easily access stains and dirt.
In the continuation of our article, we have compiled for you a few practical cleaning methods that you can apply to clean the metal filters that you have removed :
1.Dishwasher convenience:
Metal filters can be easily cleaned by being washed in the dishwasher. This preferred method, due to the speed and practicality it provides, will be effective for dirt and stains that are not very dense. But exposure to boiling water in the dishwasher for a long time can cause the filters to wear out easily and lose their function over time.
2.Power of degreaser:
Stubborn oil particles that accumulate on filters can be cleaned with degreaser manufactured by many different companies and sold in grocery stores. For this method, first of all, you should spray the degreaser, contained in the bottle, onto the filters. After waiting for the oil and dirt to dissolve for about 5 minutes, you should brush the filters with a brush with hard bristles. Finally, with the help of dish detergent and sponge, you should remove the chemicals from the filters and rinse the filters with water. If you want to apply this method in cooker hood cleaning, we recommend that you choose degreasers with brightening effect.
3.White vinegar effect:
The first step of this method is to boil some water in a pot with the width that the filters can fit. You should add a cup of white vinegar to the hot water. When the water boils, you should gradually add 1 cup of carbonate and dip the metal filters into the mixture. After soaking the filters in hot water for about 10 minutes, you need to brush them with a brush with stiff bristles. Thanks to this method, which you can perform with economical materials that can be easily purchased at the grocery store, your metal filters will be brand new.
4. Carbonated natural detergent:
Boil water in a large pot where the filters can fit and place the filter in boiling water. Then, gradually add the carbonate to the water until 1 cup of tea. Since the carbonate will cause the water to foam, we recommend adding it to the boiling water quite slowly. If you are sure that the carbonate is completely dissolved, you can leave the filter in carbonated water for 10 minutes. If the amount of oil and dirt is too large, this process can last up to 20 minutes. After removing the metal filter from the carbonated hot water, clean the filters several times with water and sponge. This method is very practical because it does not require cleaning with another chemical and can clean the filter only by rinsing it with water.
5. Soda cleaning:
Like other methods, this method, which begins with the step of boiling water in a pot with a width that filters can fit, continues with the addition of up to 2 bottles of soda to hot water. Next, put the metal filter in the mixture and let it sit for about 10 minutes. In this process, the mixture should continue to boil, so that the oil particles can be cleaned off the filter. With the changing color of the water, you can understand the amount of oil coming out of the filter. Finally, you should brush the filter that you remove from the mixture with the help of a brush with hard bristles and rinse it with cold water.