If not cleaned frequently, your stainless steel oven hood and filter are sure to get dirty and develop a sticky residue of grease build-up. Aside from being dirty, this can eventually lead to a lower filter and fan performance and even lead to smoke or a bad smell. Fortunately, this is easy to prevent if you take some time to keep it clean. This article will teach you how to clean a stainless steel cooker hood and offer some helpful tips for cleaning stainless steel properly to be as effective and efficient as possible.
Getting Started: Cleaning Cooker Hood Basics
Stainless Steel Cleaning Pro Tips
While stainless steel is by name stainless, that doesn’t mean it can’t be damaged. With this in mind, there are few things you should know before you start cleaning the stainless steel in your kitchen. This includes preserving the finish and its flawless appearance for the foreseeable future.
- Please do not use any abrasive sponge, pad, or steel wool, or it could scratch the surface and leave a scuff mark.
- Please do not use an oven cleaner or any cleaning product with chlorine or chloride, like bleach, as it is likely to leave a mark.
- If you have harsh tap water, try using distilled water or bottled water to prevent stains or spots from developing.
Cleaning Supplies That You Will Need
To remove the layer of grime that builds up on your kitchen oven hood, you will need a few cleaning supplies. Chances are you already have most, if not all, of the necessary equipment to get the job done. Take some time to gather the following supplies before you get started so that your cleaning activity can go smoothly.
- Anti-grease dish soap (washing up liquid)
- Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
- White vinegar
- Paper towels or a rag
- Soft microfiber cloth
- Sponge
- Scrub brush and possibly a toothbrush for small crevices
- Spray bottle
- Rubber gloves (optional)
Cleaning Stainless Steel Cooker Hoods: Step-by-Step Directions
Step 1: Wipe Down the Hood Exterior With Dish Soap
The first step to cleaning your oven hood is wiping down the exterior. Use warm water with dish soap to cut the layer of grease and dust that naturally develops over time while you cook. To start, dip a sponge into the soapy water and wipe down the outside of your hood to get things loose. Then, wipe the hood down with paper towels to absorb more of the grease and oil.
Step 2: Spray Hood Exterior With a Vinegar Solution
Next, spray down the hood with a vinegar and water solution, and buff it with a microfiber cloth or soft towel. This is to make it shiny and remove any watermarks or streaks. Depending on how long it has been since you last cleaned your hood, you may skip this step.
Step 3: Remove Stains on the Interior Hood Surface
Once the outside is clean, it is time to move on to the interior of your stainless steel hood. We recommend you place a towel or barrier on top of your hob’s metal or glass surface to cover and catch any falling debris.
You may use the same soapy water you used outside, but adding some baking soda to the mix can help quite a bit. A combination of dish soap with warm water and baking soda is an excellent cleaning solution for removing char and grease build-up under your hood. Dip a scrub brush into your solution and scrub the interior vigorously. Then, use a toothbrush to get in the seams and crevices.
If you have some char that doesn’t wash off with the initial scrubbing, you can make a baking soda paste and leave it on the stains for 15 to 20 minutes before scrubbing again. This should remove even the most difficult stains and grease.
Step 4: Fill Your Sink With Hot Water, Soap, and Baking Soda
Now it’s time for the extractor fan cleaning. First, fill your kitchen sink with extra hot soapy water, liquid soap, and about a 1/4 cup of baking soda or bicarbonate of soda. Then, mix the solution.
Step 5: Remove the Extractor Fan Filter for Cleaning
To clean it properly, you will want to remove the extractor fan filter from the inside of the hood. Most filters have a loop that allows you to pull it down and out. You may want to wear rubber gloves as fan filters tend to collect a lot of grease and oil.
Step 6: Soak and Scrub the Extractor Fan Filter
Place the filter in your sink full of hot water and allow it to soak for 20 to 30 minutes to loosen up the residue. After the time has passed, use your scrub brush to clean the filter. Make sure not to use a lot of pressure or damage the filter’s structure. Drain your sink and refill it with clean soapy water as required.
Step 7: Rinse, Dry, and Replace the Extractor Fan Filter
Finally, rinse the filter with warm water and then leave it to dry before reinserting it into the hood completely. You can also spray it down with your vinegar solution and wipe it down with a soft cloth to get it extra shiny.
Other Things to Consider
How Do You Get Streaks off Stainless Steel Appliances?
Stainless steel appliances tend to develop marks, fingerprints, and streaks easily due to their shiny surface. As a result, even after cleaning, streaks are not uncommon. To help prevent this, make sure you always move your cleaning cloth in one direction and always go with the finish grain. You can also buff out any leftover streaks with a microfiber cloth until you achieve a flawlessly shiny finished surface.
How Often Should You Cleaner Your Stainless Steel Cooker Hood?
How often you clean your oven’s hood can vary. Still, we strongly suggest you wipe down the interior and exterior as frequently as you wipe down the surface of your hob. This will help to extend the time between deep cleanings.
You can most likely benefit from conducting a deep cleaning like the one described above every one to two months. Or when you start to notice char and other grease building up on the filter and the hood’s interior.
Of course, the longer you wait between cleanings, the harder it will be. Also, if too much grease builds up, it can block the smoke, causing it not to work correctly. It can also start to smell.
Cleaning Your Cooker Hood
After reading through our instructions on how to clean a stainless steel cooker hood and all of our pro tips, you should be more than ready to tackle the task in your home kitchen. As long as you gather supplies first and take the time to clean your stainless steel hood before it gets too sticky, it should be fairly easy to accomplish. So what are you waiting for? Get your cleaning supplies and start right now.
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