photo via www
There is something I need to admit. I casually mentioned to my husband that that it has been over a year since I have cleaned the filter over my stove. You see, I had ulterior motive for mentioning this to him because it was his day to clean the kitchen. I hoped that he would take on the task of degreasing the filter and scrubbing the surrounding area until it shined. But alas, no such luck, he simply shrugged his shoulders and said that it could wait until the next deep cleaning.
Unfortunately, I know that wasn’t the best decision. Range hoods hanging over or adjacent to stove tops have exhaust fans which clean the air of grease, smoke and toxins. Some use a tunnel like system to vent the air outside. All have removable filters which trap grease and dust and they need to be cleaned. The frequency depends upon how much you cook.
Unfortunately it is not as easy to drop the filter into the dishwasher. The grease often redeposits on your glasses or can clog the dishwasher. Soaking the filter in a degreasing agent is one proven way to dislodge the grime and then rinsing it thoroughly with hot water. A bit of light scrubbing with an old toothbrush may be needed but do not put too much pressure on the filter. It can tear and crack.
A second method is to slowly pour baking soda into a large pot of boiling water that will accommodate at least half of your filter. Watch it boil for a few minutes and then with tongs flip the filter in the pot and repeat the process. When finished, rinse the filter with very hot water until clean. You may need to refill the stock pot with clean boiling water a second time to get it clean.
I can report that I tried the second method recently and my range hood is sparkling.
Julie
