Cooker hoods are popular in the modern kitchen. They help to remove smoke and odours, produce excessive heat buildup , removes some moisture away and improve the air quality in the kitchen whilst cooking. Like with most appliances, your cooker hood will require some care to keep it lasting long. In this article we highlight the essential maintenance checks to carry out on your cooker hood.
Please note: We only recommend these maintenance checks for user accessible areas. For any internal areas or areas which require a repair, please consult a qualified professional or the relevant support team for your product.
Clean the filters
The first area to look at is the filters. You may have grease filters or charcoal filters. These will need to be cleaned regularly to maintain airflow. Remove them from the unit, wash in water to remove dirt, allow to dry fully, and then refit. If the filters are heavily soiled or have broken, then you will need to replace the filters entirely.
Clear the ventilation ducts
The next area is to check the ventilation ducts. These are the areas where the air flows out of the hood. You can check for any visible blockages and remove any debris/build-up to resume normal air flow.
Wipe the exterior surfaces of the hood
A simple, but sometimes overlooked, part of cleaning your cooker hood is to wipe the exterior surfaces. Over time the surface can build up with cooking grease, so ensuring you wipe this down regularly can keep the hood clean and sparkling.
Inspect the hood controls
Depending on your type of cooker hood, you may have control buttons or a control panel. This is what you use to select different modes. If you have individual buttons, wipe around the buttons to ensure the buttons can be pushed in fully without debris blocking them. For hoods with a panel, wipe the panel gently to remove any debris which may be affecting touch-screen functionality. By doing this you can be sure you will be able to operate the functions at ease.
Test the lights
If your cooker hood has lights, we recommend testing regularly to check they are working correctly. If the bulb begins to dim or doesn’t work at all, we recommend wiping down in case a buildup of dirt is covering the bulb. If wiping down doesn’t work, it may need replacing. Check your user manual to confirm if this is user accessible – if it is, you can slot the cover off and replace the bulb by yourself. If not, you may need a qualified engineer to replace this for you.
Maintenance summary
By cleaning the filter, clearing the ventilation ducts, wiping down all surfaces and testing the lights, you can easily prolong the life of your cooker hood.
For more on how to look after your specific model, please consult your user manual or visit the support page for your product.