A kitchen requires regular maintenance no matter whether in a home or in a commercial business. Whether you are running a restaurant or just cooking for yourself, you have to make sure that everything is properly clean, otherwise, you will be exposed to a fire hazard. This is why it is vital to ensure that the gas stove is working properly, to shut off the oven, and to make sure that the kitchen hood is cleaned from grease, oils, and anything else that could get stuck in it.
Why is this important? Well, the exhaust hood in the kitchen is probably the worst fire hazard in any business or home. Since most of the cooking is done exactly under it, all of the grease that evaporates gets sucked right in and exhaust outside. Unfortunately, a small amount of evaporation gets stuck inside. Once the oil is up there, you can guess how easy it can catch on fire.
However, if you keep your kitchen clean, there is no need to worry about any dangers. To help you with that, I decided to write this article and give you a short guide on how to keep the exhaust hood clear from any kind of debris.
Unplug power or switch off the circuit breaker
Before you can start working on the hood, there is one thing that you must do. You must shut down the source of electricity, to ensure that you will be working in a safe environment. Instead of this machine that could be a few exposed wires, so to ensure your safety, you have to make sure there is no power in it.
In most homes, the exhaust can just be unplugged from the wall. However, in most restaurants, it is directly connected to the electrical system which means you will have to swish off a particular circuit breaker.
Before start working, try turning it on and off to ensure there is no power.
Remove the filters
Most kitchen hoods for homes are equipped with one to three filters at the bottom that is easily removed with a latch. You either push or pull the latch and the filter will come off easily. Just make sure you do not drop it while removing it otherwise you could seriously damage it.
Once you have removed all the filters, put it in the sink, or for easier cleaning, I recommend putting it in the shower. At first, I suggest turning on the faucet in the hottest setting and filters under the stream of water. Boiling/hot water will make it much easier to get rid of the oil stuck in-between the metal mesh.
After a few minutes, fill a bucket or a tub with hot water and some dishwashing soap. Stir the mixture and then submerge the filters in it. To get an even better effect, it is recommended to print some baking soda in the mixture.
It is probably best to leave the filters soaking in that mixture for around 15 to 20 minutes. Remove them from the bucket and then rinse them with hot or cold water. If it is still sticky and full of grease, it is probably best to grab a plastic brush and start scrubbing. Do not use a metal brush because it will damage the mesh. Once you are done, rinse with water again and leave to try.
Of course, if all of this sounds like to work for you or if you do not feel comfortable working around electricity, it is probably best that you call for professional hood cleaning services. These services will ensure that the exhaust hood is cleaned thoroughly to completely get rid of the risks of fire as suggested by hoodcleaningservicesatlanta.com.
Clean the inside
Cleaning the inside proves a little bit more difficult, especially for regular/home kitchen are exhaust hoods. They are much smaller, so it is a bit hard to get your hand in there to wipe off all the grease. However, if you feel comfortable enough and if you think there is enough space for you to work with, I say go ahead. There is no electricity, so there are no dangers to trying anything.
Although, you should be careful not to damage the electronics. Usually, for home exhaust hoods, the fan, and the electronics are located in the middle. This allows you to wipe away all the grease that is on the metal walls on the sides.
To clean this part of the exhaust hood, again, you will need that mixture of warm water, dishwashing soap, and a little bit of baking soda. If you have a sprayer bottle, this will make it easier for you to apply the mixture on the sides of the exhaust hood. If not, dipping a rag in the mixture will be good enough.
Start wiping and scrubbing every accessible location. Do two or three rounds of this to ensure that all of that grease is wiped away.
Once you are done, make sure that you do not turn on the power. Make sure that you leave it to dry at least 24 hours, just to be safe.
Put the filters back in
The inside of the exhaust hood is now clean, so now it is time to go back to the filters. After an entire day, they should be completely dry. Take them back to the exhaust hood and attach them back with the latch. Ensure they are properly installed, otherwise they could fall off the next time you are cooking.
To make it a little bit more appealing, give the outside of the exhaust hood to wipe and then you can finally plug it in or turn on the power. Turn it on to check that everything is working properly. If it works, you have done a great job and now you can finally enjoy cooking in your clean kitchen.
From what I wrote above, I think it is quite clear that clean the exhaust hood in the kitchen is not difficult at all, just make sure that you stick with this guide.
