How To Clean A Range Hood Fan
The range hood fan is a part of the kitchen ventilation system. It helps remove smoke from cooking fumes and other odors from food preparation areas.
If you don't regularly clean the range hood fan, it can become clogged with grease or dust over time. This can cause the fan motor to run slower and less efficiently.
Cleaning the range hood fan is important because it can prevent damage to your appliances and reduce energy costs. Cleaning the fan also reduces the risk of fire and carbon monoxide poisoning. But how do you clean a range hood fan?
We have put together this useful guide which will take you through a step-by-step process for you to follow. Keep reading to find out how to easily clean your range hood fan.
How Often Should You Clean Your Range Hood Fan?
As the range hood fan sits directly above the stovetop, it will get quite dirty. It also sucks up all of the cooking fumes, which means that it will be coming into contact with grease and grime and oil splashes.
The range hood itself should be cleaned between two and four times a month to make sure it stays nice and shiny and you don't get a build-up of grease. If you do a lot of cooking then you might want to clean it more often.
You will need to use a degreasing cleaning solution, a stainless steel cleaner, and a non-abrasive cloth.
The fan inside the range hood will not need to be cleaned as often as the outside of the range hood.
However, you should try and do it once every month or so to keep on top of it. The more often you clean it, the easier it will be as less grease and grime will have built up. At a minimum, you should clean it once every three to four months.
What Will You Need?
Before you get started, you need to make sure that you have everything you need.
You will need a drill or a screwdriver to take the range hood apart. You will need warm, soapy water to clean the different parts. You will also need a sponge and you might want to use a toothbrush for the areas that are harder to reach.
How Do You Clean A Range Hood Fan?
Cleaning the range hood fan might seem like a fiddly job, but if you follow these simple steps then it will be easy. This is best to do straight after you have cleaned the outside of the range hood.
Step One - Safety
The first thing you need to do is make sure that the electric for the appliance is turned off at the wall. This will remove the risk of electrocution or injury as you clean the fan.
Step Two - Remove The Casing
The parts of the range hood that you need to clean are inside the range hood casing. Use a screwdriver to remove the casing so that you can access the extractor fan. Make sure that the casing is clean before you put it back on at the end.
Step Three - Remove The Fan
In some range hoods, it is possible to simply clip and unclip the fan. If this is the case, you can remove the fan very easily. If not, you will need to use your drill or screwdriver to remove the fan yourself. There might be a fan cover that you need to remove first.
The fan blades may come off as one unit or you might have to remove the center unit and then take the fan blades off one by one.
Make sure you pay attention to how the fan blades were laid out, as you will need to put them back correctly once they are clean. It might be a good idea to take a photograph of the fan on your phone before you take it apart.
This will allow you to reference it later when you are putting the fan back together.
With some range hoods, the fan is not removable. This means you will have to clean it in place, being very careful not to get too much water in the fan. Make sure your cleaning sponge or cloth is well wrung to remove excess moisture.
Step Four - Clean The Parts
The next step is to clean all of the parts of the fan that you have removed from the range hood.
You can soak them in warm soapy water, using the sponge to remove any stubborn bits of dirt and grime. Take care when cleaning the blades as they might have sharp edges.
You will also need to clean the fan cover if there was one, and any filters that are inside the range hood. Any exposed parts of the inside of the range hood should also be cleaned. Use the toothbrush for scrubbing and to get to any hard-to-reach areas.
Step Five - Drying
Before you can reassemble the range hood fan, you need to make sure that all of the components are nice and dry. It is an electrical appliance, so putting it together with water still inside could be dangerous.
Dry all of the fan blades, the screws, the fan cover, the filters, and anything else that you have cleaned.
Step Six - Reassemble
The final step is to reassemble the fan. This will depend on how you took it apart. Remember to look back at the photograph you took to show you how the blades are supposed to be laid out.
Make sure the screws are nice and secure and the cover is attached properly. Finally, you will need to re-attach the casing of the range hood.
Summary
Cleaning your range hood fan is a chore that a lot of people forget about. The fan isn't visible from the outside of the range hood so you can't see how much grease and grime is building up on it.
However, it is still an important job and this guide should make it easy for you.
