Why do you even need a range hood over the cook top? For one thing, a properly installed range hood will be able to remove smoke and pollutants from your kitchen. Not only will it take the smells away from you, but it will also keep grease from collecting on your cupboards and walls.

There are a couple of types of range hoods: the recirculating and the vented hood. The recirculating hoods may simply pull the air from the room, passes it over a charcoal vent, and then puts it back into your room. While the vented hood takes the polluted air out of the room by a duct system that goes through the walls and/or attic space to the outside.

Unless you’re building a new home where the installation is simple, you may need to hire a professional to do the ductwork for the new range hood to work properly.

However the recirculating range hood will remove a great deal of the pollutants before returning them to your room.

Once you’ve decided what type of range hood will suit your purpose, the size should be your next decision. A range hood larger than your cook top should work all right; however never install a smaller hood because it will not be sufficient for your needs.

Your next decision should be color and style and you’ll find huge selections out there. Do you want to match or contrast your kitchen? When you find a location that sells kitchen appliances along with range hoods, and you might want to check online where there are many ideas.

If you’re changing your appliances to stainless steel, your range hood can match perfectly. Others are available to match your cabinets. Then you’ll find many that will bring a whole new look to your kitchen whether modern, antique or futuristic hoods are available.

When you deal with building codes in any community you might want to check in with your city hall to see what is permitted and what’s not. Cities normally charge fees for an inspector to go to your home to make sure you haven’t broken any rules.

When you hire a contractor to do the work for you they usually know what works and usually don’t cut corners just to get the job done. See what’s necessary and if the walls need repairing after the hood is working and in place.

The manufacturer of your cook top usually recommends the type of range hood and the space needed for it to work properly. Usually 30” is a good distance between the cabinets and soffits and more information is needed than just purchasing the exact range hood that will be atop your range.