With so many kitchens having an open design, you might think the ventilation in your kitchen is just fine. However, it’s likely not as good as it should be. An open design often allows cooking odors to hang around for far too long. Increasing the ventilation can help remove those odors and reduce the grease particles that float across the room. Here are three ways to improve the ventilation and airflow in your kitchen.
Get a Range Hood That’s the Right Size
The range hood is the exhaust fan that sits above your stove. It sucks up the steam, smoke, grease, and odor particles. There’s an opening to the outside at the other end of the ventilation shaft.
If your kitchen has poor ventilation, you’re likely dealing with at least one of three issues with the range hood. You’re not using it at all, or you’re not using it enough. You’re not changing the filter regularly. Or you’re using a range hood that’s undersized for your kitchen and stove.
Use the range hood even if the fan sounds loud, and buy extra filters to keep on hand. If those two tactics don’t help much, contact a company that installs and maintains range hoods. Check that the range hood is functioning correctly, there are no obstructions in the duct and vent, and that it’s the right size for your kitchen.
Undersized range hoods and exhaust fans are too weak to remove all the smoke and steam that can fill a larger kitchen. Odor particles can flow out of reach too quickly, for example. A correctly sized range hood is strong enough to grab those particles as they try to float away.
Open Nearby Windows
The exhaust fan will take care of a lot of the problems with odors and grease. But opening the window to let fresh air in will help the exhaust fan do its job. As the fan moves smelly air up and out, the fresh air from outside will rush in through the open window. Think of it as opening two windows to get a cross-breeze, except one “window” is a fan.
Turn on Fans Nearby
If you don’t have a window next to the kitchen, but you have some further away, place a stand or box fan near those windows. Those can help push air from those windows toward the kitchen and range hood.
However, don’t turn on ceiling fans, especially if they’re near the kitchen. Those can actually move smelly air and grease particles away from the range hood.
Conclusion
Increasing ventilation in your kitchen is much simpler than you might realize. With a good range hood and exhaust fan, you can reduce issues with lingering food odors and greasy residue.
If you need trusted air ventilation services in Charlotte, NC, reach out to United Water Restoration today.