Kitchen Chimneys are the most wanted appliance in modern kitchens. They keep the kitchen clean by removing smoke, oil, fumes, vapours, airborne grease, and steam and venting them outside. This chimney includes various working components like filters, meshes, and baffles that evaporate airborne substances like grease droplets, steam, and soot particles.
All this process deposits thick layers of grime which may block the flow of gases through the chimney. So, regular cleaning is highly necessary to keep the chimney functioning well. There are a few methods for cleaning the chimney at our home. Let us know the cleaning methods, duration of cleaning, cleaning at home and other information related to chimney cleaning.
How to Clean Kitchen Chimney at Home from My Own
How Do I Know If My Chimney Needs Cleaning
The kitchen chimney consists of filters called baffle filters or mesh filters. A mesh filter sucks the dirt and grease in the smoke. So, for some days, it gets clogged due to grease and dirt build-up and requires cleaning. The baffle filter includes curves which move the smoke out and dust deposited on the filter. This does not need regular cleaning but needs cleaning.
If the grease and dust build-up on the chimney, then the grease dip on the stovetop or into your food. This is the indication of cleaning. Moreover, this grease buildup causes clogging of the filters and makes the chimney completely ineffective. This also leads to a deposit of grease and dirt around the stove. Then you need to clean the chimney well as the grease is a fire hazard, eyesore, unhygienic, and unsafe. However, the kitchen also looks ugly.
How Often Should the Kitchen Chimney Be Cleaned
Generally, the kitchen chimney should be cleaned every two months. But it varies, depending on the usage of the kitchen chimney. The cleaning period majorly depends on the workload and the type and amount of cooking. If you regularly cook fatty and spicy meals, then the chimney meshes and filters should be cleaned monthly. If you cook less, then you can clean the kitchen couple of weeks later. Moreover, the cleaning depends on the type of filter used in your chimney.
- Cassette Filter- It consists of multiplied layers of aluminium which trap small pores, and grease sticks, and block them. It is needed to clean once in 8-10 days.
- Baffle Filter- These can separate smoke and grease and don’t get clogged regularly. It is needed to clean once in 2-4 weeks.
- Charcoal Filter- this filter absorbs the smoke, odour, and grease. These filters cannot be cleaned. So, they should replace once in 3-6 months.
The rising of the grease at the filters may cause a fire hazard. So, take care of the regular cleaning and avoid the risk.
How To Clean the Kitchen Chimney at Home on My Own
Kitchen chimneys can be cleaned at home very easily with the items that are mostly present in our homes. Most of the chimneys have removable filters. So, you can remove all the filters from the chimney and place them in buckets or any large vessels in hot boiling water. You need a scrubbing brush or a spare toothbrush to clean these filters. Having gloves on your hands prevents burns. Now using different chemicals like baking soda, salt, vinegar, dishwashing liquid, detergent, caustic soda, and paint thinner, you can clean the filters perfectly.
We can clean the kitchen chimney at home itself using different chemicals which are readily available on the market. Let us know a few methods:
1. Baking soda, Vinegar, and Salt:
Take 3 tablespoons of baking soda and salt, a cup or two full of vinegar, a bucket full of hot boiling water, and a scrubbing brush or a spare toothbrush. Cover the hands with gloves to avoid burns.
- First, remove the filters from the chimney and place them in buckets or large vessels filled with hot boiling water.
- Add baking soda, salt, and vinegar to this water and let them soak for 2-3 hours.
- After 3 hours, take the filters out and scrub the deposited grease using the brush.
- Rinse the filters with some water and dry them.
- You can dry them with a soft cloth and replace them in the chimney.
2. Dishwashing Liquid
This is the other method to remove tough stains.
- Remove the filters from the chimney and place them in the bucket or large vessels of hot water.
- Now add some dishwashing liquid to this water and let them sit for 2-3 hours.
- Using the scrubbing brush or toothbrush, scrub off all the grease and grime.
- You can add more dishwashing liquid for tough stains which are not easy to remove.
- Add the liquid to the particular stain and scrub it off for quick cleaning.
3. Detergent and Water
This is one of the simplest methods to clean the filters.
- Remove the filters as above methods.
- Keep a large-mouthed vessel filled with water on the stove and place the filter in it.
- Wait until the boiling stage and add 2 spoons of detergent to the water.
- Due to the heat and the detergent, even the tough stains will get rid easily.
- If necessary you can use the brush to scrub the filters.
- If stains are less, then you can completely skip the detergent and just boil the filters in hot water.
4. Caustic Soda
Caustic soda is the other chemical used for cleaning chimney filters.
- Place the chimney filters in a bucket or large tub.
- Wear gloves to your hands as caustic soda is a strong chemical and add caustic soda on the top of the filters.
- Now, pour the hot water on the filters slowly from a distance away because the caustic soda releases fumes.
- Soak the filters in this hot water for 2-3 hours.
- If necessary use the brush to scrub and rinse it with water.
5. Paint Thinner
Paint Thinner is one of the easiest ways to clean the filters. This thinner is not available in every home, but available in the market.
- Take the chimney filter and apply paint thinner to the stains using the brush.
- Leave it for 1-2 hours.
- Now, take a scrubbing brush and scrub the grease until they get rid.
- You can add a little thinner on the tough spots to remove them easily. Even though it needs more of your energy, it cleans effectively.
- Ensure the kids and people who have respiratory issues keep them away from thinner usage.
Kitchen Chimney is an awesome product for the people who cook. Because it absorbs smoke, oil, fumes, vapors, steam, etc. which are released by the cooking process and keeps your kitchen clean and smoke-free. But it needs a regular cleaning process as it absorbs more dirt and smoke from your kitchen. By using a few chemicals we can clean the chimney at home on our own. Out of these, detergent gives the best results with minimum effort. However, some chimneys are available with the auto-cleaning option which cleans automatically by itself by clicking the button.