A range hood is an essential appliance in most kitchens, either a newly built or an existing one. It helps draw any grease building upon the kitchen walls and absorbs the uncomfortable heat and smoke. Generally, the range hood improves the air quality in the kitchen, making the kitchen a comfortable place.
However, kitchen without a range hood turns out to be a nightmare, as there will be grease build-up all over the walls and some unwelcoming heat. Don’t forget the smell of salmon you cook that’ll remain in the kitchen for even a week. This blog post provides tips that’ll prevent your kitchen from the nightmare resulting from lacking the range hood in your kitchen.
Disadvantages of having a kitchen without range hood
A kitchen without a range hood becomes a nightmare because of the unfavorable conditions in the kitchen. Below are some of the unfavorable conditions that come because of lacking a range hood in your kitchen:
i.Grease build-up on almost all the kitchen walls and cabinets. The grease builds up because there are no devices that get rid of the grease. A functional range hood is usually effective in removing any grease that’s building up.
ii. Unwelcoming heat and smoke due to poor air circulation in the kitchen. Inadequate air circulations make the kitchen stuck with a lot of heat, making the kitchen environment unwelcoming. Most homeowners use the range hood to improve air circulation.
iii. Bad smell originating from foods. The food might even be a few days old, but the smell doesn’t leave. Without the range hood, it’s almost impossible to remove the odor from the food.
Things you should do to improve the kitchen’s condition when there is no range hood
1.Use the window fan
It’ll be very great to have a window in your kitchen. Even without the hood, you can easily get a small window fan and install it on the window. Every time you’re cooking, ensure you allow the window fan to run. It’ll be a great way of getting rid of some of the heat and smoke from the kitchen.
Read also: How does a ductless kitchen hood work
The air that the fan pushes out will help to get out odor resulting from the meals you’re cooking. However, the window fan’s limitation is that it won’t help eliminate or absorb grease. More so, the window fan will only be functional when you have a kitchen with a window.
2.Use the portable HEPA air filter
Some designers may design houses with no windows in the kitchen. Therefore, when you have a kitchen without a window, the most suitable appliance you can use to eliminate any cooking odor in the room is the HEPA filter. The HEPA filter will be very helpful in capturing the odor resulting from cooking certain meals such as salmon or fish. Alternatively, you can also purchase a portable air purifier and plug it on the wall.
3.You can choose to use a fan in a separate room
Some rooms are adjacent to the kitchen, like the dining rooms or bathrooms, and have fans. These fans will be very effective in controlling the odor that might come from the kitchen while you’re preparing the meals. When you’re cooking a smoky or smelly meal, it’ll be important to turn on the fan in the other rooms.
The fan will be of great help to get away from the smoky or smelly air from the kitchen. Moreover, the fan will be effective in minimizing the lingering smells. The main disadvantage of the fan in the rooms is that it won’t help reduce the heat and smoke in the kitchen.
Read also: how to install range hood through the roof
4.Purchase a grease splatter guard
You’ll have grease accumulating in like all the kitchen walls and pans when you have a kitchen without a range hood. The solution to this is getting a splatter guard or screen for the kitchen. You have to fit this device over frying pans to help in capturing grease platters.
The device comes at a relatively low price, about $10 per appliance. So, you can easily afford it. The grease splatter guard will be beneficial in reducing the amount of grease gunk that ends up in the kitchen cabinets. The grease splatter guard achieves this by preventing the grease from getting out.
5.Frequently wipe down the cabinets
It’s almost impossible to prevent grease build-up in the kitchen cabinet without a range hood. Thus, you’re sure all your cabinets will have some accumulation of grease. To keep the grease from the cabinet, you’ll have to clean or wipe the cabinets regularly. It’ll be good to make a routine of cleaning the kitchen cabinets either weekly or daily as you clean the kitchen.
It’ll be good to wipe down the cabinets and the stovetop area. To ensure you take the grease away, experts recommend you use a dish soap that will help to fight the grease. These grease-fighting soaps include dawn. Additionally, vinegar solution and Lysol may help you to remove the grease build-ups. Remember, when wiping, you should use a damp cloth. Most experts recommend that you clean immediately after cooking as it’ll be easy to remove fresh layers of grease or dirt.
Learn More: How to install a range hood through the interior wall
6.Choose a semi-gloss or satin paint for your kitchen
Many homeowners would want to make their kitchen look attractive by painting the kitchen. However, if you are painting the house, ensure that you use scrubbable paint. Alternatively, you can use a semi-gloss or satin finish; it provides the best finishes for the kitchen walls. Having these paintings or finishes will be great to ensure that you can clean the walls easily.
Additionally, you can also choose the same finishing or paintings for the ceiling for ease of cleaning. Keeping the kitchen uncluttered will also be another great way of ensuring faster cleaning of the kitchen area to avoid any grease or dirt build-up.
7.If you have a stove gas consider installing a CO meter
The proper ventilation or the improvement of air quality in the kitchen is not only for removing the smell and making the kitchen a comfortable place. It’s also part of the health guidelines, as the smoke from the stoves may lead to certain respiratory infections.
It’s important when cooking using a stove to be cautious, as it releases carbon monoxide. Having proper ventilation such as a window or a range hood can be essential in controlling harmful gas. However, if none of the conditions is available, it’ll be good to purchase a carbon monoxide meter. The reading will show if the levels of carbon monoxide are high in the room.
8.You can also use good cooking smells to fight off the odor or bad cooking smell
You replace the bad-smelling meals with meals that have nice aromas. However, if the food with the bead smell is your favorite meal, it’ll be good to simmer some species on the separate cooking appliances to prevent the bad odor. You can simmer some citrus weeds or garlic; this gives your house a nice aroma from the foods. For example, you can throw a concussion to cook slowly in a separating cooking pan if you’re cooking salmon.
Read also: How does an exhaust hood work
9.Find some better alternative cooking ways
Among all tips of surviving a kitchen without a range hood, finding an attentive to the cooking methods prevents a huge task. How can you find an alternative cooking method for frying bacon? However, you can always find smart alternatives for the way you’re cooking. For example, when preparing a meal, you can use a crockpot to help reduce the steam in the kitchen while cooking. More so, it would be great if you were very alert to prevent your food from over boiling.
Frequently Asked Questions?
Can a kitchen fan replace the range hood?
A kitchen fan will never replace the range hood. However, the fan can work only to remove the excessive heat and smoke in the kitchen. The fan can’t achieve the process of removing grease from the kitchen walls and cabinets.
Is it safe to continue cooking without the range hood?
It’s very unsafe to cook without a functional hood. While cooking, the smoke may generate some harmful chemicals and gases such as carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and others that might harm your health. So, it’ll be important to have adequate ventilation while cooking.
Is it illegal to cook without a range hood?
A kitchen hood isn’t a legal requirement in any state. However, it’ll be good for making the kitchen environment conducive for you and your health safety to have the range hood.
What can I do if I don’t have a range hood in my kitchen?
It may be due to the design of the kitchen, or you’re in a rental house, and your kitchen lacks a range hood. You’ll need to use other means to ensure you get good ventilation while cooking, such as using a fan and air purifier. Additionally, you can change your cooking method to ensure you don’t have much smoke in your kitchen area.
Checkout: our top 5 best range hood for Asian cooking
Final thoughts:
Having kitchen without a range hood can be very frustrating, imagining all the grease on the walls and the uncomfortable environment due to a lot of heat and smoke accumulating. However, you can choose the methods above to help you improve on the air quality, ventilation, and eliminating or reducing the grease accumulating on the kitchen walls.