How and When to Clean a Kitchen Chimney At Home?

Cleaning a kitchen chimney is not an easy task. It takes time and little skill to do so. Cooking will naturally generate a lot of smoke. The kitchen chimney removes the smoke, oil, grease produced due to cooking. The air passes through the filters inside, which may also get dirty after a certain period.

Cleaning your chimney once in a while increases its efficiency. If you do not know how to clean it or where to start, take help from the manufacturers manual that comes with the chimney.

Many natural ingredients are used to clean chimneys. We will take a deeper look at the ingredients and the methods of cleaning a kitchen chimney.

Dishwashing liquid:

Dishwashing liquid that you use in your everyday life can be used to clean kitchen chimneys. Remove the filters from the chimney carefully and soak it in dishwasher liquid mixed water solution. Let it sit there for 2-3 hours. Once the time has passed, take a non-abrasive scrubber and scrub the filters until all the stains and grease goes away.

You can also put the filters in a big bucket (steel bucket, preferably) containing dishwasher liquid mixed water and boil it for about 45 minutes. It cleans all the stains and grease easily and in lesser time. Wash the filters with clean water thoroughly and let it dry before you put it back.

Baking soda:

Baking soda can be found in every kitchen, and it is referred to as an all-purpose cleaner. Take a big bucket (according to the size of the filters), fill it with boiled water, add 3-4 tablespoons of baking soda, 2 cups of vinegar, and 3-4 tablespoons of salt and mix it well. Soak the filters in the solution for at least 2 hours. Scrub them properly using a scrubber to get rid of the stains and grease.

After this process, you will notice all the dirt is gone from the filter. The stubborn stains can be removed by mixing baking soda with vinegar. Also, instead of pouring boiled water in the bucket, you can put the filters in the bucket and then boil the water in a low flame for better results.

Vinegar:

Vinegar mixed with baking soda ensures excellent results. However, all the ingredients may not be available, or you may not want to combine them. Using only vinegar to clean the filters will not disappoint you. It will clean the filters thoroughly, eliminating the chance of occurrence of germs. The procedure is quite similar to the ones above.

You will need to mix vinegar in a bucket of boiling water and allow the filters to soak in the solution for about 2 hours. When the time has passed, take them out and scrub them with a non-abrasive scrubber. Rinse the filters properly with clean water and let them dry.

Paint thinner:

Paint thinners have always been an excellent option for cleaning greasy stains. However, you might not have it available all the time at home. In that case, you can always use a nail polish remover, which is more likely to be available at home.

Remove the filters from the chimney by following the instructions from the manual book. Take a dry cloth and soak it properly in paint thinner or nail polish remover. Use the cloth to scrub the filters and the exterior of the chimney.

It requires more effort than the previous methods but provides excellent results. Once you are done with the scrubbing process, wash it properly with clean water. The process requires time, so go with it only when you have enough free time.

Caustic soda:

Caustic soda is an ideal option when you have tried all the methods above and still are not satisfied with the results. It is acidic and removes the stains better than any other ingredient. Before you proceed with the cleaning process, you need to be cautious and wear gloves. Do not touch caustic soda with your bare hands. It will burn your skin in direct contact.

Take the filters out and place them on a tray. Sprinkle some caustic soda on the filters and pour boiling water in it. This will create fumes that you are not to inhale at any cost. Wear a mask if you have one or try to stay away from it for a while. Let it sit there for 2-3 hours. After that, rinse the filters with clean water and dry them out before you put it back.

Cooking will always contain spices, oil, and other ingredients that produce grease and smoke. Hence, it is recommended to clean the chimney every once in a while. It can be done with inexpensive natural ingredients that are easily available in your kitchen. Make sure to be cautious and take your time to ensure proper cleaning.