Exhaust fan - an important role player in our house. The main job of this fan is to drag the polluted air from the inside of the house and release it to the outside. We mainly set these fans in our kitchen, bathroom, and toilet.

Exhaust fans are excellent for removing odors, steam, smoke, greasy air, and other harmful gas from your house into the outside air. However, we all know that if you keep using the fan, it will slowly accumulate dirt, grease, and filth.

The fan will become heavy for the motor to run at its optimum speed. Grease can even jam the motor over time. Only if you have ever tried cleaning an exhaust fan in the kitchen will you know how bad it becomes. If the grease filter is blocked somehow, it can very soon turn into a disaster.

However, cleaning a kitchen exhaust fan is very easy. In this article we will show you how to clean the kitchen exhaust fan in a step by step manner.

Step One

In the first step of how to clean kitchen exhaust fan, you need to turn off the power to your exhaust fan. That is the main thing to do when you are about to work with an electrical appliance. With this step you can lower the risk of any injury or accident.

Now, after turning off the power you need to completely unplug all cables that connect the fan to the power supply. Remember, even if you have turned off the power to an electrical appliance, it does not mean that every part of the appliance will be safe from electricity.

If something is wrong with the wiring or the switch itself, simply turning off the switch will not make it safe at all. So, the solution is to unplug it completely from the main line.

Step two

The next step is to find the filter that filters grease. You can identify this filter by its metal mesh and rectangular shape. You can find them in the hood. Look closer. They are not difficult to find.

If you are still having trouble finding it, then do a little search on Google or try to find the product on the product website. There should be a manual for the hood, look there. Never lose your user guide. They often come in handy when disassembling things. 

If you have a modern microwave exhaust system, there should be a charcoal filter as well. This filter filters out odor. You must change the filter twice every year if you are a regular user of your kitchen. If you do not cook that often then, changing once a year may work as well. However, do check the filter every six months.

1. You have to unhook all tabs or levers holding the filters. 

2. Now, give a gentle push to take out the filthy filter.

3. These filters usually come out without any fuss. But if there is a serious grease build up the filter may resist. So, give a harder push if it is sticking.

4. If it is still sticking to its place, then using a butter knife and moving it under the edges of the filter will loosen it up.

5. Now, take a container and put the filter in there. The container should be a bit deeper so that you can completely drown the filter. Put some soap water in the container. While you work on the hood, and exhaust fan, the filter will soak and grease will come off.

6. Now the container must be metallic, because we will heat up the soap water to loosen up the grease.

7. Bring the water to boil and the soap will be able to work on the grease. After a few minutes check if the grease on the filter has loosened up or not.

8. Now remove the container from heat. You do not want the water to evaporate too much. We need the soap solution for more cleaning.

9. Let the filter submerged in the soap water solution for about half an hour. When the grease has loosened up, you should start cleaning the filter with a scrubber. Wear protective gloves while cleaning. Once the filter is clean, rinse it, dry it with a dry towel, and set it aside to dry it in the air and move onwards with the next phase. You should keep in mind that a clean grease filter will give you a better kitchen experience. 

Step Three

Exhaust fan is an electrical appliance, so make sure not to make any of its electrical components come into contact with water. It is dangerous. Do not use cleaning solutions inside of the exhaust fan. Also do not spray inside the fan. Moisture could create device malfunctions. As a result, you may get a lower life expectancy. 

1. Now that your fan is disconnected physically from the electrical like, start the cleaning process. First, clean the fan blades.

2. If you cannot access the fan blades, talk to a technician. Using a professional who can disassemble efficiently will be able to help you.

3. Take a clean small cloth or towel and spray cleaning solution on it. Or you can soak the soap water and gently squeeze the cloth so that extra water is out. Now, only a little bit of moisture will be there.

4. Wipe the fan blades with your cloth. Clean as much as possible. Clean blades are lighter, and can move with ease, and they are much more efficient when clean. You will get better ventilation than before. The life expectancy of your fan will also improve. Properly clean the whole fan - at least as much as you can access.

5. Clean the cloth and re-soak it in soap water and then squeeze out extra water.

6. Clean the inside of the hood - clean the inside of the hood thoroughly. If you leave any grease inside, it will work against you.

7. You can also use baking soda solution to clean the built up grease. Or, you can also add one tablespoon of baking soda in the soap water solution to make it extra strong. If the grease is thicker, you can directly apply dishwashing soap and baking soda on the grease and use a scrubber to clean it with a bit of force. When you apply the cleaning agents on the grease use the scrubber to nicely leather it over the grease and wait for a few minutes for the grease to break down. Then scrub it properly to remove the grease from the hood.

Step Four

Now that you have cleaned the inside of the hood and also cleaned the fan. It is time for you to put everything back to place.

1. Let everything really dry, so that no moisture is left. You can use paper towels to remove any visible moisture from the fan, and the hood.

2. Connect the fan to the electrical line. Check if it is working. Remember, it is always better to take the help of a technician if your not confident in DIYing the cleaning process.

3. Now, the fan is connected. Put the charcoal filter, and grease filter back to their places.

4. Put back all the screws the way they were before.

5. That’s it!! Your fan, hood and filters are all clean and ready to work their best!

This is how to clean the kitchen exhaust fan. If your exhaust fan system is more complex and you are not confident about doing things yourself, always call for professional help. There are people trained for these things. Good luck!