How to Clean a Commercial Range Hood

Save money by routinely cleaning your range hood

Regularly cleaning your range hood is a necessary but messy process. Many businesses hire professional cleaners to accomplish the task. If you are a small business owner looking to save a few bucks, you might start by taking on this project yourself. Cleaning the equipment in the kitchen, such as the range hood, will save repair bills and improve safety. Grease that sits inside filters or pans can become a fire hazard. Good commercial products, some practical application and a regular schedule will make cleaning the range hood easier.

Things You'll Need

• Plastic tarps
• Rubber gloves
• Protective eyewear
• Degreaser
• Tubs or large buckets
• Hot water
• Trash container
• Spray-on degreaser
• Scrub brush
• Liquid dish soap
• Scrub pad
• Paper towels
• Clean cloth towels

Instructions

1. Turn off all appliances within the area, including pilot lights and fryers. Give the equipment time to cool down before attempting to clean it.

2. Move any equipment on wheels to another area. Lay out plastic tarps over all counters and surfaces, this will help avoid contamination from grease or cleaners. Double up coverings on fryers or oil holding devices.

3. Add a liquid degreaser to a tub or large bucket of hot water. Follow the instructions provided with the product for ratio mixing.

4. Remove the grease pans and filters from the area. Tip the items into a trash container to drain off grease.

5. Use paper towels to wipe off the surface of the pans and filters and remove any loose debris.

6. Spray degreaser onto the items and scrub them with a cleaning brush. This will further remove surface debris. Set the pieces into the tub of hot water and scrub them again. Let the filters soak in the water while you continue to clean. Fill a second tub if necessary to soak all filters and pans.

7. Add liquid detergent to the surface of a wet scrub pad saturated with hot water.

8. Wipe the inside surface and piping on the hood with the pad. Scrub to remove any stuck on substances. Rinse and reload the pad often when cleaning the hood.

9. Wipe off the surfaces with paper towels to remove soap residue. Spray all areas with degreaser and scrub a second time.

10. Clean the surfaces with wet paper towels to remove grease and the cleaning agents.

11. Dry the hood and pipes with clean towels.

12. Pull the filters and pans out of the tubs. Scrub any left on grease off using the brush.

13. Rinse the filters and pans with fresh water and let dry. Reinstall the filters and pans in the hood once they have dried.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear protective clothing when cleaning your range hood. Commercial cleaning products contain harsh chemicals.

• This process will work for routine cleaning, but consider having the system professionally cleaned at least once a year to prevent grease buildup and check for exhaust problems.

References

• Oil Eater: Cleaning Grease Filters and Hoods
• Michigan Exhaust Cleaning: A small version of our Methods and Process for cleaning
• AAA - Appliance Parts: Range Hood Vent Basics, Tips and Tricks
• Michigan State University: Range Hood Cleaning