The Secrets To Cleaning A Brass Kitchen Range Hood To Keep It Looking Like New

If class and timelessness is what you're looking for, you'd be hard pressed to find a better expression than a brass kitchen range hood. Bringing a sense of romance to a kitchen, these hoods are a definite investment in the appearance of your culinary space — costing anywhere from $1,000 to over $10,000. With such an expensive fixture in your kitchen, it only makes sense that maintaining it would be a priority. But what are the best secrets for cleaning a brass range hood and keeping it looking like new?

Before you embark on cleaning your brass hood, the first step should be to don some gloves as the oil from your hands can result in tarnish to your brass. Next, you'll want to remove any residue or debris that is on the surface. Use a damp, soft cloth to wipe down the hood before getting down to the nitty gritty of restoring the shine to your hood. For superior results, you can purchase a pre-made brass cleaner in liquid or powder form – Bar Keepers Friend is a much-loved brand that offers tarnish removal in both versions. After wiping down your surface, you'll want to apply your chosen cleaner on a sponge and begin to rub the brass vigorously until you see a natural shine returning to the metal. After your brass is cleaned, you'll want to wipe the surface down thoroughly with a damp cloth to remove any leftover cleaner, then dry completely.

Before delving into how to best clean a brass kitchen range, it's also imperative to know what not to use and do. For starters, in order to be safe, you should always avoid using bleach or ammonia on brass, which can cause severe damage to the metal and leave it discolored. Similarly, other harsh chemicals or abrasive materials ought not be used on brass. While you may think that these cleaning resources would lend some extra shine, these can leave any brass material scratched and prone to more damage. If you keep these principles in mind, your brass range hood should last a long time, thanks to the durability of this metal.

You may be wondering how often it is necessary to clean your brass range hood. The answer comes down to how often it is getting dirty. For kitchens that are preparing a home-cooked meal every day, you should try to clean your hood every month –remembering to clean the inner and outer surfaces. Additionally, it's worth noting that brass range hoods that have not been cleaned frequently in the past might need more elbow grease put into their next cleaning session, but avoid leaving Bar Keepers Friend on for more than a minute, as overexposure to the cleaner could discolor the metal. In the event that round one of cleaning did not remove all the stains from your hood, you can repeat it again for brighter results.