Cleaning exhaust fan grills in Seattle metro area

April 14, 2024 11:35 PM

I have a hood over my stove and its grills are covered in cooking oil. It's probably a fire hazard at this point, if not soon. Cleaning them in the dishwasher and using a garden hose didn't help, and I don't have a pressure washer. Are there services in the Seattle, WA metro area that will clean kitchen stove exhaust fan grills?

Note: I don't want to ask a local restaurant for help because I wouldn't know who to ask and how, without wasting my time and theirs. I'm just looking for a dedicated service that can just do the job, safely, if at all possible. Thanks for any advice!

posted by They sucked his brains out! to Grab Bag (11 answers total)

What you have is polymerised oil, the same stuff people make when they season a cast iron pan. About the only thing that will shift it is mechanical scraping or a chemical oven cleaner. Maybe find someone who offers an oven cleaning service to do it - that's what we do here in the UK at least.
posted by pipeski at 3:28 AM on April 15 [1 favorite]

An oven/flue cleaning service sounds like a good move, because they will also be prepared and qualified to clean inside the vent hood and at least the first part of your exhaust flue, which is probably coated with the same stubborn and flammable oil. They will bring all their own equipment and supplies. Fire risk is real and good for you for pursuing this!
posted by citygirl at 5:10 AM on April 15 [1 favorite]

Maybe contact this company? On their website, if you click on services / kitchen hood cleaning, you'll see that they do commercial and residential hood cleaning.
posted by SageTrail at 7:20 AM on April 15

Have you tried spraying them with oven cleaner, brushing and then running them through the dishwasher (on the hottest cycle)? Oven cleaner is some strong stuff.
posted by ssg at 7:22 AM on April 15 [2 favorites]

When I had a similar situation I was advised to put them in a garbage bag with some ammonia and tie up the bag and let it sit outside in the sunshine overnight (I think, it’s been a while). My recollection is that it did help.
posted by leahwrenn at 8:48 AM on April 15

I think ssg is right. Oven cleaner is made with lye (sodium hydroxide) and it’s what you use to start over with your cast iron when your seasoning goes wrong or gets damaged. Lye dissolves organic material (like you!) so use gloves, a mask, and goggles, etc.
posted by toodleydoodley at 11:41 AM on April 15

Buy some outdoor grill cleaner. Spray on it liberally, in a well ventilated room, or outside, cause it is very strong and will give you a headache. Let sit for 20 minutes. Then scrub off by hand or in a dishwasher.

I take vent grilles/filters that have never been cleaned by the outgoing tenants of vacant apartments- they're covered in aerosolized food grease and dust- I spray this stuff on them in a room I can leave alone (so I don't get lightheaded), wait 20 minutes, and wash them off with a commercial dishwashing sink spray-handle. I've never had to use the outdoor grill cleaner more than twice on a vent hood filter.
posted by panhopticon at 1:50 PM on April 15

I'd try Zep degreaser or the Goo Gone Kitchen Degreaser first. The latter worked on our exhaust fan and is kitchen safe. I learned about it from cleaning TikTok.
posted by purple_bird at 3:54 PM on April 15

There are oven cleaner kits that have very large zip lock bags to put things like oven grill grates or oven racks in to them and let the gel oven cleaner do the business. You just rinse off the goo afterwards. Something like this kit. It removes polymerized grease and grime very effectively.
posted by jadepearl at 3:01 AM on April 16

Could you just buy new ones? I recently did this for my range hood and it was a lot less expensive than I expected. They were easy to find just by searching "replacement [brand] range hood filter" and picking the ones that matched the dimensions of the existing grimy ones.

I apologize for not answering the question as asked, just wasn't sure if you had considered that option or not.
posted by slenderloris at 2:55 PM on April 16

Response by poster: Doesn't look like there is a service in Seattle that does residential hood cleaning. Lots of restaurant services though. Will keep looking. Thanks anyway!
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 7:44 PM on April 17