How do I clean a greasy range hood filter?

Take the filters out and wash them

Metal mesh grease filters are made to be washed. Take them out of the hood, wipe off the worst of the grease, and run them through the dishwasher or soak and scrub them by hand. Washable filters are often made of metal mesh.^[1] If your hood is the recirculating kind with a charcoal filter, there is nothing to wash: that filter gets replaced.

First work out which kind you have. If your range hood fan ducts or exhausts to outside the home, it is likely that the filters can be cleaned and re-installed.^[1] If your range hood is non-ducted (also known as a recirculating range hood fan), the filters are likely disposable and should be replaced every 3 to 6 months.^[1] A quick check: with the filters out, look for a duct opening in the hood or cabinet above it, or for a vent on the outside wall or roof.

Dishwasher or hand wash

Wolf's use and care guide says its filters are dishwasher safe and tells you to wipe filters to remove excess grease before placing in the dishwasher.^[2] The wipe-first step keeps a heavy film of grease from coating the dishwasher and everything else in it. The Department of Energy's building science lab describes the same two routes: the top rack of the dishwasher, or soak the filters in a pan of warm water with dish soap, then scrub with a soft-bristle brush, rinse, and lay on a towel to air dry.^[1]

Check your own hood's manual before the dishwasher. Some filters have finishes or parts that the manufacturer does not want in a dishwasher, and the manual is the one place that says so for your model.

For a very greasy filter, let it soak a little longer in hot, soapy water and use the brush along the mesh rather than across it. Do not use steel wool, which snags the mesh. Let the filter dry fully before it goes back in.

How often, and why it matters

The DOE lab's guide says the filters should be washed every 3 months.^[1] Wolf's guide says its grease filters should be cleaned when the filter indicator is illuminated on the control panel, or after approximately 100 hours of operation.^[2] If you fry or sear often, wash them more often than the schedule suggests.

Grease is not just a smell problem. Cooking is, by far, the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries.^[4] Wolf's guide puts it in plain terms: clean ventilating fans frequently, because grease should not be allowed to accumulate on fan or filter.^[2]

Put it back correctly

Slide or clip each filter back into place, then run the fan to confirm nothing rattles. Never run the hood with the filters out. Wolf's guide says it plainly: do not operate the ventilation hood without the grease filters.^[2]

While the filters are out, wipe the visible underside of the hood. Use a nonabrasive cleaner on the stainless steel and, on a hood with a touch control panel, spray the cleaner on a cloth first. Wolf's guide warns: do not spray cleaners directly on the control panel.^[2]

If your hood recirculates, replace the carbon filter with the exact model your manual lists. KitchenAid says its charcoal filter is not washable and should last up to 6 months with normal use.^[3]

Stop and call a pro if

• The filters were clean and the hood still moves little air. The cause may be the duct, the fan wheel or the motor. KitchenAid notes that if the hood is exhausted outside the home, there are specific venting requirements.^[3]
• Grease is dripping from the hood body or the duct joints. The grease has gone past the filter and needs a proper cleaning of the fan housing and duct.
• You smell burning, or the fan hums but does not turn. Switch the hood off at its control and have it looked at.
• The hood needs wiring, a new duct or a new fan. Wolf's guide says the appliance must be properly installed and grounded (earthed) by a qualified technician.^[2] In Virginia, work in the electrical trade for the public is tradesman work: "Tradesman" means any individual who engages in, or offers to engage in, work for the general public for compensation in the trades of electrical, plumbing and heating, ventilation and air conditioning.^[5]

Getting help in Virginia

If a cleaning does not fix it, read should I repair or replace my range hood and what range hood repair costs in Virginia. Browse range hood repair, appliance repair and more appliance repair answers.

When you are ready, describe the hood problem once and local businesses quote it.