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The kitchen hood is not only an essential complement in your home, but it is also mandatory and can help a lot to our health. In our homes, it is essential to extract the polluted air through what are called the humid rooms, which are the bathroom and the kitchen. And cooking food, by generating fumes and vapours, is perhaps the most polluting activity we carry out at home. For this reason, kitchen extractors are essential to avoid problems with fumes and contaminated air between walls.
Above all, we must bear in mind that the kitchen hood must cover the entire section of the stove, at least the same size, so that the smoke can be easily extracted. However, this is not the only thing we must take into account. There are several actions that will make it a great help, and we will avoid the air in the house to be polluted.
Likewise, if there is no mechanical ventilation system in the house, it is essential to open the windows during cooking. The use of the extractor hood is almost obligatory if we do not want to set off the smoke alarms – if we have them – or damage our health with the fumes, but opening the windows is also very important to prevent the contaminants from being concentrated in the environment.
What is the first recommendation that we can give you to maximize the efficiency of the kitchen hood? First of all, keep it clean, and the more the better. Extractors collect polluted air, so it is essential that they are in good condition. Just after the air and fumes are extracted, it passes through some filters and also through some ducts. If these are not clean, the air will also carry away dirt and grease, so it could return to the kitchen.
Normally, kitchen extractor hoods are made of stainless steel, so the best option for cleaning them is to wipe them with a damp cloth and then apply specific cleaning products for the steel. Don’t you have any of these? Oil is always a good option in cases of doubt. What you do have to keep in mind is that you should not use abrasive items or items that could damage the bells. For example, scouring pads are totally forbidden.
Many people forget that the filters of kitchen hoods also need to be maintained. First of all, it is necessary to know what type of filters the system incorporates. If, for example, they are made of activated carbon, they must be renewed every few years. This is where the quality of the kitchen hood and the facilities provided by each manufacturer come into play. Some of them notify this with lights or acoustic signals. Nowadays, it is increasingly common for this type of device to have options to connect to the technology through mobile applications.
On the other hand, many users when using the kitchen hood simply turn it on with light and at maximum power. This may seem the most logical thing to do, as this gives more extraction power and better smoke removal. However, before doing so, another detail must be taken into account: the consumption of the appliance is double at maximum power.
It is much better to analyse the real need for power and not to consume more than necessary. Some kitchen hoods are adapted to analyse the level of power required at any given time, so they will adapt to it without having to regulate the levels. Even so, as it is normal not to have these systems in many cases, applying common sense is the most effective. If it is just a simple cooking, use the minimum power. You will save energy and gain in comfort by not suffering the same noise.
We can say the same about lighting. The most efficient thing is to have LED bulbs inside the hood, as they are the most durable and the least consuming with a high efficiency. But do we have to use the lighting of our kitchen hood at all times? Surely not. So it is important that you turn it off when it is daytime or you have enough light.
And, finally, a tip we can never forget when cooking and to maximize the use of our kitchen hood. It is essential that, when we finish cooking, we leave it on for a few more minutes, a maximum of five will be enough. If possible, turning it on for a while before starting to cook can also help.
As we have said before, it is essential for the good use of the kitchen hood that we ventilate the whole area. Open the windows if you do not have mechanical ventilation and also leave the extractor on before and after cooking.Kitchen hood: maximize your efficiency at home