How to Remove Baked-On Grease From a Range Hood Exterior

The way to remove baked-on grease from a range hood is to soften it first, then wipe it off gently with the least aggressive cleaner that works. Start with hot water and degreasing dish soap, move to a baking soda paste, then a finish-safe kitchen degreaser. On stainless steel, always wipe with the grain, and never use steel wool or bleach.

This article covers the outside of the hood. For the filters, see how to clean range hood filters; if grease is actively dripping from inside the hood, see grease dripping from a range hood.

Quick guide by finish

If you are not sure what your finish is, check the manual. Black stainless and many colored hoods have a thin coating that scratches much more easily than bare steel.

Before you start

1. Turn the hood and cooktop off and let everything cool. Grease is easier to soften when warm, but hot metal can burn you and flash-dry cleaners into streaks.
2. Remove the filters so drips do not land on them, and set them aside to clean separately.
3. Lay a towel on the cooktop to catch drips.
4. Use a stable step stool for the top of a chimney hood.
5. Never spray cleaner directly on the control panel or into light fixtures. Liquid can seep behind the panel and damage electronics.

Find the grain on stainless steel

Brushed stainless has fine parallel lines, usually running horizontally on the front of a hood and vertically on a chimney. Look closely in good light, or run a fingernail across the surface; you will feel it catch slightly across the grain.

Every wipe, scrub and polish stroke should run along those lines. Scrubbing across the grain leaves visible swirl scratches that you cannot remove easily.

Step 1: Hot soapy water (start here)

This handles most grease, including a surprising amount of old, tacky buildup.

1. Mix about a teaspoon of degreasing dish soap in a quart of the hottest tap water you can comfortably handle.
2. Soak a microfiber cloth, wring it out until it is damp but not dripping, and lay it over the greasiest area, or wipe the solution on generously.
3. Leave it 10–15 minutes. The heat and soap soften the grease so it releases without scrubbing.
4. Wipe with the grain using the cloth or a non-scratch sponge.
5. Rinse with a clean damp cloth and dry immediately. Water left to dry leaves spots.

Repeat once or twice on heavy areas before moving on. Patience here saves the finish.

Step 2: Baking soda paste for stubborn spots

Baking soda is a mild abrasive that lifts sticky, darkened grease. Use it on bare stainless and glass, not on coated or painted surfaces.

1. Mix baking soda with a little water into a thick paste, about the texture of toothpaste.
2. Spread it over the stubborn spot and let it sit 10–15 minutes.
3. Scrub gently with a non-scratch sponge or soft brush, with the grain.
4. For raised, crusty deposits, lift the edges with a plastic scraper or an old gift card held at a low angle.
5. Rinse thoroughly with clean water. Baking soda residue leaves a white haze if you skip this.

Step 3: Kitchen degreaser

If the grease has turned into a hard, amber-colored varnish, move to a commercial kitchen degreaser.

1. Read the label and confirm it is safe for your finish. Many say “not for painted surfaces” or “not for aluminum.”
2. Test on a hidden spot, such as the underside edge of the hood, and wait a few minutes to check for dulling or discoloration.
3. Spray onto a cloth rather than directly onto the hood, especially near controls and lights. On large flat areas with no electronics nearby, a light direct spray is fine.
4. Let it dwell for the time on the label, usually 1–5 minutes. Do not let it dry on the surface.
5. Wipe with the grain, rinse with a clean damp cloth, and dry.

Ventilate while you work; open a window. Wear gloves. Never mix cleaners, and especially never mix anything containing bleach with ammonia or acids.

Step 4: Oven cleaner (last resort, bare stainless only)

Oven cleaner is a strong caustic that dissolves baked-on grease quickly, and it can also permanently damage finishes. Some hood manufacturers prohibit it outright. Check your manual first.

If you decide to use it:

1. Use it only on bare, uncoated stainless steel. Never on painted, powder-coated, black stainless, glass, plastic or aluminum parts.
2. Keep it away from the control panel, lights, labels and seams where it can reach wiring.
3. Open windows, wear gloves and eye protection, and keep children and pets out of the kitchen.
4. Spray onto a cloth and apply to a small area. Leave it only a few minutes, not the long dwell times used inside ovens.
5. Wipe off, then rinse at least twice with clean water, and dry.
6. Test on a hidden spot first. If it leaves a dull or rainbow-colored patch, stop.

Most people never need this step. If three rounds of soap and degreaser have not worked, a second session on another day often does.

Step 5: Finish and protect stainless steel

Clean stainless looks best and stays cleaner longer with a thin protective film.

1. Make sure the surface is fully dry.
2. Put a small amount of stainless steel polish, or a few drops of food-grade mineral oil, on a clean microfiber cloth.
3. Wipe with the grain in long, even strokes.
4. Buff with a second clean cloth, also with the grain, until it no longer feels oily.

The film helps the next layer of grease wipe off with plain soapy water. Do not use polish meant for bare stainless on black stainless or other coated finishes unless the label says it is safe.

Glass and painted hoods

Glass. Clean with hot soapy water, then use 70% isopropyl alcohol or glass cleaner on a cloth for a streak-free finish. For crusty spots, a plastic scraper works; avoid razor blades on coated or frosted glass. The stainless vs glass range hood comparison covers how the two finishes compare for day-to-day cleaning.

Painted or powder-coated. Use only soapy water and a soft cloth, with a diluted, tested degreaser if needed. No baking soda scrubbing, no oven cleaner, no abrasive pads. If paint lifts or chalks, stop.

Keep it from baking on again

• Run the fan every time you cook, starting before the pan gets hot. Grease vapor that the fan does not pull in settles on the hood and cabinets.
• Wipe the hood with warm soapy water every 1–2 weeks. Fresh grease comes off in seconds.
• Clean the filters every month with heavy frying, every 1–3 months otherwise.
• If grease keeps collecting around the hood even with clean filters, the hood may be too small or weak for your cooking; check with the CFM calculator.

When to call a pro

Most exterior cleaning is a DIY job. Consider a professional kitchen cleaning service if the hood is very high or hard to reach, the grease is thick enough that you suspect it continues inside the hood and duct, or the finish has already been damaged and needs restoration. Heavy grease inside the hood body is a fire risk; see grease buildup in ductwork.

The short version

Soften first, scrub last. Hot soapy water and time do most of the work, baking soda handles stubborn spots on stainless, and a finish-safe degreaser handles varnished grease. Always wipe with the grain, keep harsh chemicals off coated finishes and controls, and finish stainless with a thin coat of polish.