Kimberly Uy's Blog: How to Clean a Range Hood Filter

When was the last time you cleaned your range hood filter? If you can’t remember when you last cleaned it or if it’s been awhile, this is a simple task. All you need are two common ingredients, a scrub brush or sponge and a little soaking and scrubbing is all you need to clean a range hood filter.

Here’s what you need to get started:

Hot Water – if your tap water gets hot enough that should be fine. If it doesn’t, boil water in a tea kettle and pour that in with the tap water.
Dish Soap – the dish soap works to dissolve grease and clean the filters. I’m using the all-new and not yet officially released Foaming Dish Soap in Lemon. You can grab it here early.
Baking Soda – this works to add a little extra scrubbing action and cleaning power. Just add 1/4 – 1/2 cup of baking soda to the hot water and dish soap.
Towels – I like using Flour Sack Towels because they’re thin and dry quickly and work great for air drying.

Here are the simple steps to clean your vents:

Set up flour sack towels on your counter so you have a spot to let the filters air dry.

Fill your kitchen sink with hot water and a couple squirts of dish soap. If you haven’t cleaned your filters before or if it’s been awhile, add ¼ – ½ a cup of baking soda to the water.

Stir the mixture with a spoon to make sure that any baking soda is dissolved.

Remove the filters from your range hood. If you aren’t sure how to remove them, consult your manual. Most have a tab that you can pull down and grab to remove.

Place the filters in the hot, soapy water and let them soak for at least 15 minutes.

Use a scrub brush or scrubbing sponge to scrub the filters.

Rinse thoroughly and use a little extra dish soap on your scrub brush or sponge if you still see a little residual grease. Repeat the soak if necessary using clean water and fresh soap.

Dry filters and allow to air dry on flour sack towels. Look at those sparkling clean filters!