How Often Should You Clean a Range Hood?

The simple rule

For most households, a professional range hood cleaning once a year keeps grease in check, airflow strong, and fire risk low. If you cook frequently — especially frying, searing, or high-heat cooking — every six months is the better cadence.

What changes the frequency

How often you should clean depends on how hard your hood works:

• Heavy cooks (daily, high-heat, frying): every 6 months
• Average households: once a year
• Light cooking / second homes: every 12–18 months
• Homes with gas cooktops or high-CFM pro hoods: lean toward more frequent

Signs you’re overdue

Don’t wait for the calendar if you notice any of these:

• The hood isn’t pulling smoke and steam like it used to
• Sticky or visible grease film on or around the hood
• Lingering cooking odors after you cook
• Rattling or louder fan noise
• Filters that look dark or feel greasy

Filters vs. full cleaning

Cleaning the baffle or mesh filters is the minimum and should happen every one to three months for busy kitchens. A full professional cleaning goes further — the hood interior, blower housing, and accessible exhaust — which is where grease quietly builds and airflow is lost. Both matter; the full cleaning is what most homes skip.