The most important function of a range hood is to remove grease, smoke, cooking odors and airborne particulates that come from preparing food. If you do not clean it regularly, this grease and oil residues will materialize in the hood and its filters, losing efficiency and becoming a likely threat for fire.
In this article, we discuss the importance of caring for your range hood and offer tips to help you maintain a healthy kitchen air quality by keeping your kitchen ventilation system in tip-top shape.
Key Benefits of Regular Range Hood Cleaning
Of course, in food service operations it is of primary importance to keep kitchen ventilation systems clean for a good many reasons:
– Fire Prevention:
Grease Buildup in exhaust systems, ducts, and fans accumulate a large amount of grease deposits over time and without regular cleaning may raise the risk of dangerous kitchen fires.
– Improved Ventilation:
Ventilation systems clog over time with grease, reducing overall efficiency and hampering effective air circulation, detracting from the ambiance for both workers and patrons.
– Hygiene Standards:
Bacteria growth, on the other hand, is encouraged by an unclean exhaust system and this will result in mold development leading to even more food safety issues. To keep your cooking environment clean and hygienic, maintenance is essential.
– Operational Effectiveness:
Ventilation systems functioning less efficiently due to poor maintenance mean that they begin to operate poorly. Regular cleaning will help to maintain maximum airflow and activity in the kitchen.
A Step-By-Step Guide to Seriously Cleaning Your Range Hood
- Gather necessary cleaning materials and protective glove. Mix warm water and either mild dish soap, vinegar or an exhaust-fan hood-degreaser-like product to clean it. And a container and soft cleaning cloth or sponge, along with a small scrubbing tool.
- Be cautious and shut off power to the ventilation unit, for safety. Now, step by step and take care of the filtration components located under the hood. Depending on the design, these can just be pulled off or maybe require some basic tools to do so.
- Combine warm water with your cleaning agent of choice in the container you prepared and that will be your cleaning solution.
- With a clean, damp cloth or sponge, wipe down all the outside areas of your vents taking extra care to focus on control panels and buttons where residue can build up over time.
- For deposits that do not come off easily, use your scrubbing tool by dashing the cleaning solution and be mindful of surface scratches.
- Once done, make sure to rinse your scrubber in clean water and just like the beginning wipe down all surfaces to lift any leftover residue.
- Address the filtration components separately. If you do have metal filters, soak them in a bath of soapy water for about 15 minutes and lightly scrub with your cleaning mechanism. Rinse very well and air dry completely before attempting to re-install.
- Check all the exhaust paths if it’s not clogged. Using the suitable cleansing instruments, clear out any gathered particles.
- Dry thoroughly replace all parts assemble the machine and restore power. Test the system to ensure it is functioning correctly.
Final Range Hood Cleaning Thoughts
If the reality of cleaning your restaurant or food truck range hood is too daunting, call the Albuquerque hood cleaning pros at Brazas Fire to schedule an appointment. The company phone number is 505-889-8999.