How to Clean a Greasy Range Hood Filter (and the Cleaner That Ruins It)

Step by step

1. 1

   Turn the hood off and let it cool

   Switch off the fan and light and give the hood time to cool. GE’s hood manual goes a step further: it says to make sure the circuit breaker is off and all surfaces are cool before cleaning any part of the vent hood.

2. 2

   Take the filter out

   Most filters have a tab or a latch. GE’s design, for example, has a filter lock you pull down to release it. Lower the filter carefully and keep the greasy side up until it reaches the sink.

3. 3

   Fill the sink with hot, soapy water

   Plug the sink and fill it with hot tap water, deep enough to cover the filter. Squeeze in a good squirt of dish soap and swish it until it suds.

4. 4

   Soak 15 to 20 minutes on each side

   Lay the filter flat in the water. Broan, a hood maker, says to soak for 15 to 20 minutes per side for best results. Then flip it and soak the other side.

1. 5

   Swish and brush gently

   Swish the filter back and forth in the water, then brush the mesh with a soft brush or a non-scratch pad. GE’s manual says not to use abrasive cleansers on the filter, so let the soak do the hard work.

2. 6

   Rinse and dry

   Rinse the filter in clean water until no suds are left, as GE directs. Shake off the water and pat it dry with a towel.

3. 7

   Put it back

   Slide the filter back into its slots and make sure the latch closes. GE says the filter must always be in place when the hood is in use, because it is the part that traps the grease.

The dishwasher option

Many metal filters can go in the dishwasher. GE’s hood manuals say their metal grease filters can be washed in the dishwasher, and Broan says some of theirs can too, so check your owner’s manual first.

GE notes that some discoloration may happen in the dishwasher. Broan says to use a non-phosphate detergent, because phosphate detergents can discolor filters, and that the discoloration does not affect how the filter works.

How often to clean it

GE’s manuals range from once a month to every 6 months, “or as needed.” If the filter looks dark and sticky, it is time.

When it will not work, and what to do instead

Old grease can take more than one round. Here is what to try.

• The grease is still sticky after one soak. Drain the sink and soak it again in fresh hot, soapy water.
• A few stubborn spots are left. Sprinkle baking soda on the wet spots and work it in with a soft brush, then rinse. Arm & Hammer gives baking soda methods for aluminum pans, while it says to keep washing soda off aluminum.
• Your manual says the filter is stainless steel. You have more room. Arm & Hammer says a solution of half a cup of washing soda per gallon of warm water helps keep range hoods grease free. Wear gloves and rinse well, and never use it on aluminum.
• The filter is bent, torn or the mesh is coming apart. Replace it. The filter is the part that traps the grease, so it needs to be whole.

Why it works

Here is what is going on up there. When you cook, grease rides up with the steam, and GE describes the metal filter as the part that traps it on its way up.

Heat changes that grease over time. Lodge, the cast iron maker, explains that oil heated hot enough changes from a wet liquid into a slick, hardened surface. That is why an old filter can feel tacky instead of oily.

Hot water softens that layer, and dish soap does the lifting. The American Cleaning Institute explains that one end of a soap molecule loves water and the other loves oil and grease, so the grease gets pulled off the metal and carried away in the water.

Most of us never think about that filter until we look up one day and see it gone dark and sticky. It sits just above eye level, so it is easy to miss.