How to clean a fridge and range hood: smells, door seals, the drain hole, grease filters and what a professional clean costs

Because the smell is no longer in the food. When it stays after the fridge has been emptied of anything old, residue has settled in the slots that hold the shelves, in the door seal or in the drain channel. The other signs a kitchen gives can be read the same way.

A few habits do most of the work between thorough cleans. For a fridge in daily use, UpClean suggests a deep clean about every three to six months on top of them.

• Wipe up spilt sauce, milk or soup straight away, before it dries hard on the glass shelf.
• Wrap strong-smelling food tightly or keep it in boxes with lids, for example durian, fermented fish sauce, onions and garlic.
• Once a week, go through the fridge, throw out anything past its date and give the crisper drawers and door racks a quick wipe.
• Do not pack food so that it covers the air vents inside the fridge, as the manufacturer's manual advises.
• Wipe the folds of the door seal with a soft damp cloth, then dry them.

More than the glass you can see. The places that hold moisture are the ones a daily wipe passes over, and a thorough clean works through them from the inside out. If the freezer carries a thick layer of frost, mention it when you book a clean and you will be advised how to defrost it.

Wash the filter at the interval the manufacturer recommends, and check it every month if the household fries and stir-fries often. The hood is where grease vapour from cooking settles over time. Once the filter is thickly coated the hood draws less air, and smoke and food smells reach the living room and bedrooms, which is easy to notice in an apartment with an open kitchen.

In a professional clean, the metal grease filter is taken out, soaked, degreased, rinsed, dried and refitted, and the casing, the glass, the control panel, the lamp and the inner surfaces that can be reached with the filter out are cleaned as well. A hood that recirculates the air instead of venting it outside also has an activated-carbon filter. That one is a consumable, replaced as the manufacturer recommends. Between cleans, the day-to-day rules are short.

• Run the hood for the whole time you cook and for a few minutes after the hob is off.
• Wipe the casing once the hood has cooled.
• Disconnect the power before you take the filter out or put it back.
• Do not scrape the grease off with anything sharp.

UpClean's price for each appliance covers the work below. It is a cleaning service: repairs, refrigerant and parts are outside it.

The price is fixed per appliance and goes by the type of fridge, not by its capacity or by how dirty it is; heavier soiling changes only how long the work takes. Several appliances are done in the same visit, each at its own price.

The price is confirmed in writing before the booking. If the fridge turns out to be a different type from the one described, any adjustment applies only once you have agreed to it in writing.

Two prices can be compared only when they cover the same work. Wiping the glass you can see is a different job from taking out and washing every shelf, cleaning the folds of the seal, clearing the drain hole and deodorising, so ask what a low price is paying for. Extra charges, where they arise, sit in whatever was left unsaid: the range hood, the freezer, deodorising, or a rate by capacity that is mentioned only once the worker is in the kitchen. Whoever you book with, ask:

• Is the price per appliance, by type of fridge or by capacity?
• Does it include taking out and washing the shelves, the door seals, the drain hole and deodorising?
• Is the hood's grease filter removed and degreased, and what does that cost separately?
• Is the price confirmed in writing before the booking?
• Are photos taken before work starts, to compare against at the walk-through?

Yes: clean a fridge that came with the home before you put food in it, and clean both appliances before a rented apartment is handed over. The same applies before a long holiday and before Tết.

At a handover, a 2-door fridge and a range hood come to 700,000 VND. If the whole apartment is being deep cleaned in the same visit, the kitchen appliances stay on this price list and the deep clean follows its own.

Moving out

What a lease usually expects at handover.

Moving in

What to clean in a new or previously lived-in apartment before you unpack.

Deep cleaning

The whole home in one visit, priced by floor area.

The fridge has to stay empty for as long as the cleaning takes, so the preparation is mostly about the food.

• Have a cool box, insulated bags and a few gel ice packs ready for fresh food, milk and frozen items.
• Go through the fridge beforehand and remove what is out of date or no longer wanted, so that restocking is tidier.
• If you wish, the specialist helps pack the food into the cool box and returns it to the fridge afterwards, following your directions.
• A fridge is moved only when there is enough space and no risk to the floor or the kitchen units. Behind a heavy side-by-side, or one set close into a cabinet, the specialist cleans as far as can be reached and tells you so beforehand.
• After the handover, let the fridge run until it is stable, as the manufacturer's instructions describe, before you fill it right up again.

The Up specialist, an identity-verified UpClean cleaner trained to the Up Standard, photographs the fridge and the hood as found, covers the kitchen floor and the worktop, and sets the shelves on a separate mat while they are washed. Everything goes back where it was, the appliances are checked with you, and the Up Report follows by WhatsApp or Zalo with photos of the interior, the shelves and the hood filter before and after.

A torn seal, a door that does not close or a fridge that cools poorly is noted in the Up Report so that you can contact the manufacturer or a repair service. If something falls short, such as a smell that remains or grease left on the filter, say so within 48 hours of receiving the report and it is redone free of charge. Payment is made after the walk-through, by bank transfer or cash, and changing or cancelling the booking is free with 24 hours' notice.

To get the fixed price, send the type of fridge (1–2 doors, side-by-side or 4-door) and the number of range hoods to 0968 726 135 on WhatsApp or Zalo, with photos if an appliance is built in, or phone the same number. Bookings are taken from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM, seven days a week, and everything from the quote to the Up Report can be in English. Many buildings ask residents to register outside staff with building management beforehand; the specialist's name and photo, which you receive before the visit, are the details required.

Fridge and range hood cleaning

The service page, with the areas served.

Home appliance cleaning

Microwaves, ovens and other appliances, on their own price list.

Book a visit

Request a day and a time slot online.