Grease stains collect on many surfaces around the kitchen, but many homeowners are oblivious to the fact that extractor fans can become hotbeds for bacteria, grease, and bits of food.

These essential kitchen devices feature filters which are fine mesh grates visible on the underside of the cooker hood, designed to suck up the smoke and steam from cooking.

However, if these crucial cooker hood filters aren’t given a regular clean, they can compromise the efficiency of the extractor fan.

Nick Small, the appliance maestro at AO, has weighed in on keeping extractor fans spick and span.

He advised: “Your cooker hood catches all the smoke and steam from preparing your food, but did you know you could open it?”.

“Ensure you are cleaning this around every three months as it could be full of grease and grime making it not only dirty but less effective.

“Most filters you can put in the dishwasher so check the manufacturer manual to see if they are dishwasher safe.

“If not, let the filter soak in hot soapy water for at least 10 minutes then scrub with a brush.”

Keith Ford, a cleaning expert expert from Crystal Oven Cleaning also recommends using washing-up liquid for the task as the product is designed to break down and remove grease as well as other residues that can build up in fans.

While the expert uses the same method as Nick, he recommended leaving the filters to sit in the soapy water for 15 minutes and perhaps longer if needed.

Only when the filter is dry should you place it back in the extractor hood, and you will have a cleaner and better-ventilated kitchen. 

To avoid grease buildup in your cooking fans in the future, consider buying a splatter guard. 

This will also help if you fry your food often as fried foods are the most common cause of extractor fan grease. 

Alternatively, households can use a paper towel or clean cloth to wipe down the grease filters each time they use the hob to keep them clean.