Grease on an extractor fan doesn't sit still like a stovetop splatter. It bakes on, layer after layer, until wiping does nothing. If you've searched for the right degreaser for extractor fan cleaning in South Africa, it's probably because a normal spray-and-wipe has already let you down. Here's a method that actually shifts baked-on grease, plus which product size suits a home kitchen versus a busy commercial one.
Why Extractor Fans and Canopy Filters Trap Stubborn Baked-On Grease
An extractor fan runs hot for hours at a time. Every minute it's on, it pulls oil vapour through the filter, over the blades and into the ducting. That vapour cools and sticks. Then more hot air comes through and bakes it in place before you can wipe it off.
This cycle repeats every time you cook. Over weeks, it builds into a hard, tacky layer that a damp cloth can't touch. Hot air keeps depositing fresh oil vapour onto surfaces that never fully cool down. A stovetop gets wiped after each use; a canopy filter doesn't. That's why the grease forms in layers instead of wiping away.
That's the core problem with general kitchen cleaners. They're built for cool, exposed surfaces you clean straight after cooking. Extractor grease needs something that can soften a build-up, not just cut through a fresh splash.
How ducting and filters differ from everyday kitchen surfaces
Stovetops, counters and tiles cool down fast and get wiped often. Extractor filters and ducting stay warm, stay greasy, and often go weeks between proper cleans.
Mesh filters also have far more surface area than a flat counter, so grease hides in every gap. Ducting is usually out of sight, so grease inside it can build up for months before anyone checks. That's why extractor cleaning needs a degreaser strong enough for heavy, aged grease, applied with enough dwell time to actually break it down. For a broader look at everyday grease removal, the general kitchen degreasing guide covers surfaces outside the extraction system.
Step-by-Step Method: Degreaser for Extractor Fan Cleaning
Removing baked-on grease without damaging the fan comes down to soaking, not scrubbing. Here's the process.
- Switch off and unplug the extractor fan at the wall.
- Remove the filter and any removable grease trays.
- Soak the filter in hot water with degreaser, or spray it directly if it can't be submerged.
- Spray the fan housing, blades and visible ducting edges.
- Let it sit so the degreaser can break down the grease layer.
- Agitate stubborn spots with a soft brush or scourer.
- Rinse thoroughly and dry before refitting.
Soak-and-spray technique with SK7 Original
For filters, submerge them in hot water with a splash of degreaser added, or spray them generously and leave to soak in a sink or basin. For the fan housing and blades, spray directly using the SK7 Original 1L with Foamer.
The foamer bottle helps the degreaser cling to vertical and overhead surfaces like extractor blades and filter mesh, so it stays put instead of running straight off. That matters on an extractor fan, where most of the grease sits on angled or overhead surfaces gravity wants to pull the product off.
Leave the degreaser to work for a few minutes before wiping or rinsing. On heavily baked-on grease, a second application and a longer dwell time works better than scrubbing harder. Once loosened, a soft brush lifts the residue away without scratching the blades or mesh.
Tools and prep you'll need
You'll need the degreaser itself, a soft-bristled brush or non-scratch scourer, a bucket or basin big enough for the filter, rubber gloves, and a towel for drying. Lay down old newspaper or a towel under the extractor while you work. Loosened grease can drip.
Is SK7 Original Safe for Metal, Plastic and Mesh Filter Surfaces?
Extractor systems mix materials. You'll find stainless steel and aluminium blades, plastic housings and clips, and mesh or baffle filters, sometimes all on the same unit.
SK7 Original is a water-based, multi-purpose alkaline degreaser that cuts through heavy grease without harsh solvents. That makes it suitable for metal ducting, plastic housings and mesh filters alike. You don't need a different product for each material, and you don't need a separate rinse step to protect plastic parts from solvent damage.
It's water-based rather than solvent-based, so it doesn't rely on harsh fumes to work. That matters in a kitchen where surfaces sit close to food and food-prep areas. If you want more detail on using degreasers safely around food, the food-safe degreasers for food contact surfaces guide covers that in depth.
Always rinse filters and housings thoroughly after degreasing and before refitting, especially anything near open food prep.
Choosing the Right Size: Degreaser for Range Hood Filters vs Commercial Extractor Cleaning South Africa
The right size depends on how many units you're cleaning and how often you need to top up.
Home kitchens: 1L foamer
A single domestic range hood with one filter doesn't need bulk stock. The SK7 Original 1L with Foamer comes with the foamer pump included and the full dilution guide on the label, and the foamer spray is built for exactly this job on a single home extractor.
Restaurants and commercial kitchens: 5L, 20L and bundles
Commercial kitchens run multiple extractor units, longer canopy filter banks, and far heavier daily grease loads. Refilling a spray bottle from a bulk container costs less than buying single-use bottles again and again.
The SK7 Original 5L refill is built for that kind of regular, high-volume use, and it's easy to decant into a foamer bottle for the actual application step. Sites running several canopy banks, or cleaning daily, can step up to the SK7 Original 20L, which brings the cost per clean down further. For teams that want a foamer bottle on hand alongside bulk stock, the SK7 Original Bundle (5L + 1L Foamer) covers both needs in one purchase. If your business is scaling up its cleaning routine across several extraction points, the industrial degreaser guide for small businesses walks through planning stock levels.
South African restaurants and takeaway kitchens increasingly have to keep extraction systems free of grease build-up to pass fire-safety and food-hygiene compliance checks. Accumulated grease in ducting is a recognised fire risk. Stocking enough degreaser to clean on schedule, rather than only when a problem shows up, is part of meeting that standard.
Maintenance Schedule to Prevent Grease Build-Up Between Deep Cleans
Deep cleans are far easier when grease hasn't had months to bake on. A short, regular cleaning habit does most of the work before it becomes a scrubbing job.
For home kitchens, wipe down the visible extractor housing weekly and give the filter a proper soak once a month. That keeps grease from hardening into the mesh between deep cleans.
For commercial kitchens, filters need attention weekly at minimum, and busy fryers or grills may need it more often. Blades and housing need wiping down daily or every few days, depending on cooking volume. Ducting itself should get a full inspection and clean on a set schedule, since it's the part that's hardest to reach and easiest to neglect.
Light, frequent cleaning with SK7 Original means you're never facing the kind of hardened, months-old grease that takes multiple soaks and heavy scrubbing to remove. It's a smarter routine than waiting for the extractor to visibly clog before reaching for a degreaser.
Bundle Savings for Restaurants and Small Businesses Cleaning Multiple Units
Cleaning several extractor units, canopy filters and ducting sections adds up fast if you're buying single bottles one at a time. The same SK7 Original formula works across canopy filters, blades, housings and ducting surfaces, so one product covers the whole extraction system instead of needing separate cleaners for each part.
If you're weighing up dilution for different surfaces across a commercial system, the degreaser dilution ratios by surface type reference is a useful next step before you place a bulk order.
Whether it's one home range hood or a full commercial canopy system, matching the size to the job means less waste, lower cost per clean, and grease that never gets the chance to bake on properly in the first place.