The Easiest Way to Clean a Greasy Range Hood Filter (and What Happens If You Don’t!)

Your oven may be sparkling clean, but when was the last time you peeked underneath your stove’s hood and checked out the exhaust fan filters? If it’s been a while or you’ve never done this, let me warn you: It’s not going to be pretty. The purpose of a range hood filter is to collect grease, so if it’s doing its job correctly, it’s going to look and feel, well, greasy.

Over time, the filter may become so blocked with grease and ickiness that it loses its effectiveness, which is why it’s important to clean these filters periodically. But, how often is that? And what’s the best way to go about it? Read on to find out.

Well, it depends. A good rule of thumb is to clean your range hood filters every 2 to 3 months, according to the pros at Proline Range Hoods. If you use your stovetop regularly, fry foods often, or like to cook with a wok, you might want to up that to monthly cleanings; conversely, if you don’t use your stovetop often, you can likely go a few more months without a cleaning.

The experts also note that you should always clean your filters after a major cooking event like a dinner party or holiday feast. When grease and grime start to build up (and you can see it!), that’s a good sign it’s time for a cleaning. Or, if your range hood is starting to get extra loud or isn’t properly clearing smoke when you turn it on, that’s a sign you should clean it, too.

The tutorial below shows how to clean the filter in your sink with just boiling water, baking soda, and a good de-greasing dish soap (like Dawn). Depending on the material, some hood filters can actually be washed in the dishwasher, but depending on how long it’s been since you’ve cleaned yours, I wouldn’t recommend that without at least cleaning them this way first. (You don’t want too much grease to end up in your dishwasher!).

• Very hot (or boiling) water
• Degreasing dish soap
• Baking soda
• Non-abrasive scrub brush
• Paper towels or dish cloths

Most filters should easily slide or pop out of the underside of the hood. Mine had a metal loop I could grab to push the filter up and slide it out.

The hotter the water, the more effective it is. Depending on how hot you can get the water from your tap, that might be good enough. I decided to boil water in my electric tea kettle and poured it into my plugged sink.

Pour a good squirt of de-greasing dish soap and 1/4 cup baking soda into the hot water. Swish it around with a brush (not your hand because it’s too hot!) until the water is nice and soapy.

Submerge your greasy exhaust fan filters into the water. Make sure they’re completely covered by the water.

Allow the filters to soak submerged for 10 minutes.

After soaking, take a non-abrasive scrub brush and scrub the filters. Add more dish soap to your brush if required while you scrub.

Rinse the filters thoroughly in hot water and dry with a paper towel or clean cloth.

Put the filters back into the hood, and repeat as needed!

While I’m confident that this method really works, you don’t have to just take my word for it. Check out what some of our readers have to say:

“I just did this…. and I was floored. I didn’t even have to scrub and the filter looked brand new! Thanks for the tip. Helped me get even closer to a perfectly clean kitchen 🙂 “

“I tried this tonight and it worked wonders! I haven’t cleaned the vents since we moved in a year ago, and I’m sure it wasn’t cleaned before (completely laden with brown grease). They look as good as new!”

“This was awesomely easy and QUICK! Thank you so much! You saved me $30 from purchasing new filters.”

“We just did this and it is perfect. Cleaned so quickly we couldn’t believe it. Thank you so much.”