What It Means
A range hood filter is the filter inside the hood over your stove. The metal grease filter, often aluminum, catches grease from cooking; it's reusable and gets washed. A ductless, or recirculating, hood that blows air back into the kitchen instead of outside also has a charcoal filter that absorbs contaminants from the air, and since it can't be cleaned, it gets replaced.
Try It: Where Is Your Filter in Its Cycle?
Pick the filter and enter the months since you last cleaned or changed it. The timeline follows Broan-NuTone's guidance.
Fresh
Grease filter window
Charcoal filter swap
Not due yet. Broan-NuTone puts grease filter cleaning at every 3 to 6 months.
Inside the 3 to 6 month window. Clean it soon, or now if you cook heavily.
Past 6 months. Clean it now.
Not due yet. Broan-NuTone says to replace charcoal filters about every 6 months.
With heavy cooking, Broan-NuTone says replace sooner than 6 months. Check it now.
Replace it. Charcoal filters can't be cleaned.
How It Sounds at Home
- "The hood filter is sticky with grease."
- "Throw the hood filters in the dishwasher tonight."
- "Our hood just recirculates, so it needs a new charcoal filter."
The Breakdown
How often, per Broan-NuTone
| Filter | What to do | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Aluminum grease filter | Clean it | Every 3 to 6 months |
| Charcoal filter (ductless hood) | Replace it | About every 6 months |
| Either, with heavy cooking | Clean or replace sooner | Sooner than the times above |
How to clean a metal grease filter. Broan-NuTone says aluminum grease filters are reusable and typically dishwasher-safe, on a low-temperature cycle. Check your hood's manual first: Whirlpool and KitchenAid each publish instructions for cleaning or replacing the filters in their vent hoods, and your model's instructions win over any general guide.
Charcoal filters don't wash. Broan-NuTone explains that they absorb contaminants and can't be cleaned, so they're replaced and never put in the dishwasher.
Make it last between cleanings. Buhata's own suggestion: run the hood every time you cook on the stovetop and for a few minutes after, and wipe the outside of the hood when you clean the stove.
Good to Know
Turn the hood off and let it cool before pulling a filter out (Buhata's own suggestion). Buy replacement charcoal filters made for your hood's exact model (Buhata's own suggestion). Buhata's stovetop cleaningStovetop cleaningKeeping a cooktop free of spills and burned-on food, with a quick clean after each use and a deeper clean with a cooktop cleaner every few weeks. See more and oven cleaningOven cleaningRemoving baked-on grease and food from inside an oven, by hand or with the oven's own cleaning cycle, which KitchenAid suggests once or twice a year for most homes. See more pages cover the rest of the range, and the same makers' manuals apply.
FAQ
How often should you clean a range hood filter?
Broan-NuTone says every 3 to 6 months for aluminum grease filters, sooner if you cook heavily. Your hood's manual may give its own schedule.
Can you put a range hood filter in the dishwasher?
Metal grease filters are typically dishwasher-safe, according to Broan-NuTone, on a low-temperature cycle. Charcoal filters can't be cleaned and should never go in the dishwasher.
How often do you replace a charcoal range hood filter?
About every 6 months, per Broan-NuTone, and sooner with heavy cooking. Charcoal filters are used in ductless, or recirculating, hoods.
Do It in Buhata
Maintenance and Tasks with a repeat
Add "Clean range hood grease filter" to Maintenance in your Household X add-on every 3 months, so it rolls forward each time you tick it.
Open BuhataRelated Terms and Categories
- Stovetop cleaning
Keeping a cooktop free of spills and burned-on food, with a quick clean after each use and a deeper clean with a cooktop cleaner every few weeks.
- Oven cleaning
Removing baked-on grease and food from inside an oven, by hand or with the oven's own cleaning cycle, which KitchenAid suggests once or twice a year for most homes.
- Dryer vent cleaning
Clearing built-up lint out of the duct that carries a clothes dryer's hot, damp air outdoors. NFPA advises cleaning the vent pipe at least once a year.
- HVAC filter
The removable filter in a furnace, central air conditioner or heat pump that traps dust from the air; ENERGY STAR says check it monthly and change it at least every 3 months.
- Fridge water filter
The replaceable cartridge that filters water for a refrigerator's dispenser and ice maker, usually changed about every six months.
Sources
Broan-NuTone, "Range Hood Filter Guide: How to Clean, Replace and Improve Your Kitchen Air"; Broan-NuTone, "Range Hood Filter Maintenance: How to Know When It's Time"; Whirlpool, "Cleaning or Replacing the Filters in a Vent Hood"; KitchenAid, "Cleaning or Replacing the Filters in a Vent Hood"
- broan-nutone.com/en-us/home/learn/filter-replacement
- broan-nutone.com/en-us/home/learn/when-is-the-right-time-to-change-your-range-h
- producthelp.whirlpool.com/Cooking/Ventilation_and_Hoods/Product_Info/Ventilation_Cleaning_and_Care/Cleaning_or_Replacing_the_Filters_in_a_Vent_Hood
- producthelp.kitchenaid.com/Cooking/Ventilation_and_Hoods/Product_Info/Ventilation_Cleaning_and_Care/Cleaning_or_Replacing_the_Filters_in_a_Vent_Hood
Last updated .