A kitchen that still smells of yesterday's cooking, condensation on the windows, a greasy film on the cabinets: these are the consequences of too little ventilation. At the same time, nobody wants to heat the street in winter. Fortunately, you don't have to choose. In this article you will read how to keep the air in your kitchen clean and the warmth inside, and why almost all the range hoods we sell work on recirculation.
With recirculation, cooking air passes through a filter and returns clean to the kitchen. You lose no heat and the hood is easy to install. A carbon filter or plasma filter keeps the air fresh.
Why kitchen ventilation matters so much
Cooking releases steam, grease and odour particles. Without extraction, they linger in the room. Over time you notice it as damp, stale air and, in the worst case, mould behind cabinets and on walls. A good range hood purifies these vapours before they spread through the house.
This matters even more now that the kitchen is increasingly a living space. You eat there, entertain guests and linger for hours after dinner. In an open-plan kitchen the whole living room shares the smells, so the extraction simply has to work well.
How recirculation works
With recirculation, the air is purified by a filter and the hood blows it back into the kitchen. The warm air simply stays in the house.
For most homes, recirculation is the practical choice. You can install the hood almost anywhere, including in an apartment. That is why almost all Wave models in our range are designed for recirculation.
- Heat: stays in the house
- Installation: almost anywhere, including in an apartment
- Moisture: largely stays in the room, so keep ventilating as usual
- Maintenance: clean the grease filter and replace or clean the odour filter in good time
Filters: the heart of recirculation
With recirculation, the result depends entirely on the filter. The grease filter captures grease droplets, after which the carbon filter removes odours from the air. Over time a carbon filter becomes saturated and must be replaced. For our long-life carbon filters, we are talking about a lifespan of around three years, depending on how often you cook.
The plasma filter as a long-term solution
A plasma filter works differently. Instead of storing odours, it breaks them down. The filter cleans itself and does not become saturated under normal use. As a result it is maintenance-free, lasts approx. 12 to 15 years and you never need to buy replacement filters. The round filter we supply filters up to 1000 m³ of air per hour and comes with a 5-year warranty. For models designed for it, there is the flat plasma filter plus.
Which hood suits you?
Whether you have a wall-mounted hood above the hob, an island hood above a cooking island, or prefer an invisible solution in the ceiling: the recirculation kit can almost always be ordered with it. Want hob and extraction in one? Take a look at the induction hobs with integrated extraction.
Maintenance in brief
Clean the metal grease filters regularly; in many cases they can go in the dishwasher. Replace carbon filters in good time, otherwise odour capture decreases. Clean the outside with a soft cloth and a mild detergent. A plasma filter never needs replacing: let the hood run on for an hour at setting 1 after cooking and the filter cleans itself.
Help with your choice
Not sure which combination of hood and filter suits your kitchen? Email us at info@afzuigkapspecialist.nl or call or WhatsApp +31 418 726800. Free delivery in the Netherlands and Belgium. Read more about who we are on About us.